Eat watermelon for a dewy complexion

watermelon

I’ve been eating quite a bit of watermelon these days, thanks to my husband who introduced the fruit into our daily diet. And I found out that watermelon is considered a super beauty food because it is nutritious and can combat free radicals with its high antioxidants as well as vitamins. The flesh contains vitamins A, B6 and C; the seeds contain selenium, essential fats, zinc and vitamin C, all of which help against free radical damage and aging.

Watermelon, especially the yellow-orange varieties, are loaded with a key compound citruline, an amino acid credited with helping skin’s healing and regenerative processes. In addition, watermelon contains lycopene which is a carotenoid and pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their red color. As I mentioned in my entry on beauty food tomato, lycopene may pack twice the punch of the well-known antioxidant beta-carotene which is known to protect our skin against sun damage. And watermelon is said to contain more lycopene than tomatoes!

Studies have shown that a cup and a half of watermelon contains about 9 to 13 milligrams of lycopene. On average, watermelon has about 40 percent more lycopene than raw tomatoes. (source)

All in all, watermelon is a great beauty food. Its antioxidants help to regulate the balance of water and nutrients in cells which improve hydration in our skin.

So you may want to load up on your watermelon intake. A slice a day or the equivalent of its juice will give you vibrant, healthy youthful skin. Plus you don’t need to worry about putting on weight just because the fruit is sweet because watermelon is fat-free!

Comments

  1. ParisB says:

    Hmm… this is interesting to know. I don’t like watermelon – the smell gets to me. I wonder how it’ll fare on the face though ?

    Paris: It’s supposed to be good for the skin when applied topically but I haven’t got down to trying this though…

  2. Faeryberry says:

    I have been trying to reduce vege and fruits like carrots, papaya, tomatoes and watermelons because they make me yellow! and is sad because i love them.

    Faeryberry: Oh dear…that’s bad. It looks like the colored ones have an adverse effect for your skin color huh?

  3. prettybeautiful says:

    hmmmm i take cherry tomatoes, papaya and watermelon almost everyday, or at least 5 working days a week. but how come i dont feel the…beauty effects? ?

    prettybeautiful: Hmm…what about other aspects of your diet? If you take too much sugar for example, that can counter the benefits instead. Personally, I’ve been taking a lot of fruits and I find it’s good for my skin. But then again, I’ve also cut down on my intake of sugar (like chocolate that I used to love and take everyday!) and even rice these days.

  4. Faeryberry says:

    yah it does. there was a time i only ate vege and i ate mostly the above. i turned so sallow that my friends noticed and remarked on that. It changes the pigmentation or something. Read in the newspaper that people also had the same experience as me. :)Doctor says is fine though. Just a normal occurence.

    Faeryberry: I know carrots has this effect, especially for younger people.

  5. nicole says:

    I eat watermelon almost everyday too and I guess it keep me away from pre-menstrual breakout. I still have breakout if I use wrong product or extremely stressful though. I have tried using watermelon to scrub my face, not irritated my sensitive skin but also no visible benefits beside the refreshing sensation.

    nicole: I think watermelon has got a “cooling” effect. I like the juice, especially if it’s sweet. But it’s hydrating for the body. My hub eats a lot of it cos he needs to replenish the lost liquids during running. But I haven’t been keen to try applying it on my skin though…

  6. Cyndi says:

    I love watermelons so much! I am glad that it has so many beauty benefits too#k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk

    Cyndi: Hey, it’s great you love watermelons. I love those juicy sweet ones! Fantastic for hot days…and actually quite good for dieting cos eating a few of them can make you quite full and they’re not fattening.

  7. Jane chi hair straighteners says:

    I love watermelon and you are right: it is fat free. It is great to know that it helps with your skin and I going to go to the grocery store to get some as soon as possible.

    Jane: Eating lots of fruits and veggies are always good for our skin, and our well being too!

  8. prettybeautiful says:

    hmm..checking back my diet, i hardly take any sugary stuff, incld sweets/chocolate/biscuits. i am not a big fan of sweets anyway, nor junkfood. i have also cut down alot of rice since i can easily puff like a balloon! nonetheless, i love fruits! ?

    prettybeautiful: Hey, you’re pretty discipline with your diet…but anyway even if you don’t get any visible beauty benefits, at least you know the fruits are keeping you healthy. ? For me, I must eat at least one fruit a day or I feel so uncomfortable. I guess it has become a habit.

  9. Leon says:

    I don’t like to eat watermelon but my skin loves it:)

    Leon: I haven’t tried it on my skin but I read it’s got great benefits. Somehow thinking of all the juice that will be dripping all over turns me off a little I guess. Maybe I should just give it a try…

  10. Tine says:

    That’s great to know because I LOVE watermelon. It’s just too bad it’s so freakin’ expensive here ?

    Tine: It is…well, then eat it as a treat then. Can try growing watermelon? (just joking :razz:)

  11. yanju says:

    not too crazy abt watermelon would prefer pineapples or apples instead but i wld ve to admit my skin LOVES!!! it a lot! & for that reason alone i eat it ever other day!

    yanju: I love pineapples and apples too. But do you find that pineapples give you backache? Maybe I was eating too much of it and my body ached a lot…now I just eat pineapples once or twice a month and it’s better.

  12. Leon says:

    Hey Sesame,

    You can use it as a toner, just dip a cottonball in watermelon juice, apply it on your face and rinse off once it dries. You can even add almond meal or oatmeal to make a thick paste, it won’t drip.

    Leon: Okay, sounds easy. Thanks for telling me this. Maybe I’ll try since I have watermelon at home everyday. ?

  13. joey says:

    Hi,

    You have a great website about skin care. I have a blog with similar content (http://allaboutnaturalskincare.blogspot.com/ ), could I create a link to your page in my blog so that visitors to my blog can access your page?

    If you find my blog interesting and relevant, maybe you could add it as a link in your page
    too? thx ?

    Joey: Thank you very much for wanting to link to my blog! Of course you can add. I’ll add yours to my Links page.

  14. Joelmun says:

    Haiz, last time I had been eat too much papaya. I hate papaya now and they make my skin yellow. i wanna to know whether watermelon make people skin yellow or not?

    Joelmun: Some have reported so but it’s very rare.

  15. rose says:

    ohh.. It’s great that watermelon lots of benifets for the skin coz I love eating watermelon, Atually I discoverd one of my friend she love eating on it.. she is now 44 yr old but when u look at her she look so young as young as me now I am 26.. so watermelon is really great for the skin

    Rose: Wow, your friend must really have good skin! I try to eat watermelon whenever I can but it’s difficult to cut!

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