Watermelon Mint Juice-watermelon IS healthy!

Summer means abundant produce. Herbs like mint grow wild and it's hard to consume it all. Seeded watermelons taste superior to the smaller seedless ones, but unless you're feeding a crowd or your family is crowd sized, it's hard to store all that hacked up watermelon in the fridge. So here's what I did with my watermelon and mint excess.

Watermelon Mint Juice
Cut watermelon
Washed fresh mint

Put cut watermelon pieces in a food processor. Add washed mint leaves. Pulse until watermelon is mostly juice and mint leaves are shredded. I used my hand blender. You'll have to figure your own ratios out. If you're not sure you love the taste of fresh mint, use a little. If you know you love it, use a bunch up. Whiz up as much watermelon juice as you think your family will consume.

Pour into ginormous shot glasses for a refreshing treat. I wished I'd made more, or thought to make this in the evening instead of snack time, because I surely think a little vodka would have turned this into a special summer spirit.

If you don't like the watermelon juice with mint plain, freeze it in ice cube trays and use them in lemonade, juice spritzers and other fancy libations. We are big fans of frozen fruit cubes. Sometimes we just bash the cubes up and eat with a spoon. Simple pleasures of summer.

At a recent playdate a friend confessed she wished watermelon was healthier, since it was one of the few fruits her kids really liked. This was not the only time this summer I'd heard someone bemoan the uselessness of this beloved summer treat. I'm surprised to learn how many people think watermelon's aren't healthy! I must nix this myth.

Sure they have a lot of water content (~92% to be exact), but they also have some special health properties you should know about. These juicy tidbits are all from Dave Grotto's 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life.

• The lycopene content is comparable to that of a raw tomato! (remember a couple years ago when all the major multi-vitamin brands started touting lycopene as part of the mix?)
• Watermelon rind contains an amino acid that improves blood flow through arteries
• Watermelons are a good source of beta-carotene
• A human study in Korea showed that men who consumed more watermelon and other fruit had a lower risk of colorectal cancer
• watermelon tea has been used as a diuretic
• all parts of the watermelon, including skins and seeds are edible, some countries consider watermelon seeds a delicacy.

And according to whfoods.org, George Mateljan tells us

• watermelon is a good source of vitamin C and beta-carotene. High intakes of vitamin C and beta-carotene have been shown in a number of scientific studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce the airway spasm that occurs in asthma, reduce the risk of colon cancer, and alleviate some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A cup of watermelon provides 24.3% of the daily value for vitamin C, and, through its beta-carotene, 11.1% of the DV for vitamin A.
• Because watermelon has a higher water content and lower calorie content than many other fruits (a whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories), it delivers more nutrients per calorie-an outstanding health benefit!
• Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

Mint is also super-good-for-ya. I won't bore you with those details, but think loads of concentrated antioxidants for cancer prevention, heart health and improved digestion function.