Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed watermelon
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 6 whole mint leaves
- Ice, as needed
- 1 ⁄ 2 cup sparkling water
Directions
- Place the watermelon cubes and honey in a large blender.
- Blend the watermelon and honey on high until you have a smooth liquid.
- Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler to muddle the mint leaves until they are just broken down slightly.
- Fill the cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the watermelon mixture to the cocktail shaker and add a lid. Shake the cocktail shaker vigorously for 20 seconds.
- Fill two glasses with ice. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker evenly into the two glasses.
- Top each glass with 1⁄4 cup sparkling water.
- Consume immediately.
Key ingredient: Watermelon
Nothing says summer like watermelon. Even though watermelon is 92 percent water, it still contains plenty of nutrients. Watermelon provides good amounts of vitamins C, A, and B6. The anti-inflammatory benefits from watermelon come from a number of phytonutrients, with the standout being lycopene. Watermelons have one of the highest levels of lycopene among all fruits and vegetables. In fact, watermelons have a higher concentration of lycopene than red tomatoes, which are famous for their lycopene content. The lycopene in watermelons is also highly bioavailable. Lycopene is significant because it suppresses various pro-inflammatory cytokines. Be sure to give the watermelon a chance to ripen. Using ripe watermelon is important; the redder the fruit, the more lycopene it contains.
This is a refreshing drink that takes full advantage of watermelon’s natural sweetness. Instead of a cocktail, why not fight inflammation with this mocktail?
Serves: 2
Per Serving:
Calories: 77 | Fat: 0.4 g | Protein: 1.0 g | Sodium: 1 mg Fiber: 0.7 g | Carbohydrates: 20.3 g | Sugar: 18.1 g
Excerpted from Anti-Inflammatory Drinks for Health by Maryea Flaherty. Copyright © 2019 Simon & Schuster, Inc. Used by permission of the publisher, Adams Media, a division of Simon and Schuster. All rights reserved.