Green Mothers Digest

One of the summer treats my kids and I like the best are ice cold slices of watermelon.  My pleasure of eating this is enhanced by the knowledge that watermelon is incredibly rich in antioxidants.

But now there is a caveat to this:  the level of antioxidants actually depends on whether the watermelon is served cold (YESSSS!) or room temperature (blah).  And yes, room temperature is better in this case.  It says in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that watermelon that is stored uncut at a room temperature of 70 degrees F contains up to 40% of the antioxidant lycopene.

And that’s not all.  Leaving a watermelon out at this room temperature for 7 to 8 days before cutting it will cause the watermelon to continue to produce lycopene even though it has been picked.  Refrigerating the watermelon, even uncut, will slow the lycopene down.  

Up until now I have never bought a whole watermelon yet because of the limited space available in my refrigerator, but I might change this practice now.  If I can store a watermelon on the counter until I cut it for the first time, then after everyone had their fill cut the rest into manageable chunks and store as they fit, we’ll have antioxidant-rich fruit for a few days without the inconvenience of having to empty out almost an entire shelf!  And, all of us like watermelon, so it will be gone quickly too.

It is okay to chill the watermelon right before slicing.  Apparently this will not kill the lycopene.

It’s worth doing this.  Of all the fresh fruits and vegetables available, watermelon has the highest amount of lycopene which protects from cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer.