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When dry skin and chapped lips strike, many people will drink an extra glass of water to stay hydrated. However, did you know not only you can “drink” water, but also you can “EAT” the water? “Eating” the water refers to eating melons that contain high water content to rehydrate your body. In this article of “Functional Food”, we will introduce three healthy and hydrating melons:

1. Winter melon, being 96% of water by weight, is characterized by its high dietary fiber content. A slice (~500g) of winter melon has up to 5-10g fiber, accounting for 20 to 40% of the daily requirement.

2. Pumpkin, being 94% of water by weight, is characteristic by its high potassium content. A bowl (~250g) of cooked pumpkin contains 564mg potassium, which fulfils 20% of the daily requirement. Not only does potassium improve edema, but it also regulates blood pressure.

3. Watermelon, being 92% of water by weight, is characterized by its delicious taste, high potassium & antioxidant content. The antioxidant “lycopene” in the watermelon can reduce free radicals in the body. The lycopene of 1 cup (~155g) of watermelon is greater than 2 tomatoes.

Melons of the “East, West and South (東, 西, 南)” are all discussed; you may ask what about the melon of “north (北)”? (In Cantonese, winter melon(冬瓜), pumpkin(南瓜) and watermelon(西瓜) all start with a word that is identical in pronunciation to the 3 of the 4 cardinal directions – East, West, South (東, 西, 南)) Currently, there is not much information about the true identity of “north melon(北瓜)”. If you find relevant information, feel free to leave a comment on the“Functional Food Video” in our youtube channel!

Ref: Centre for Food Safety, Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, Australian Food Composition Database (NUTTAB2006), USDA