The USDA has just released three new low-sugar watermelons that allegedly boast the refreshing flavor of the traditional fruit, plus the good-for-you nutrients contained in conventional varieties.
And one of these "leaner, meaner" (USDA’s language) watermelons reportedly even has 50 percent less sugar.
This new breed comes courtesy of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS)‘s Oklahoma-based plant geneticist Angela Davis, who began her lower-sugar watermelon quest upon learning that the popular fruit was "off limits for many consumers, including the nation’s more than 20 million diabetics," the USDA reported.
Interestingly, the watermelon has gotten sweeter and sweeter over time. In fact, "heirloom watermelons that might have rolled out of Granddad’s garden contained about 25 percent less sugar than their contemporary cousins," the USDA tells us.
This new sugar-breed apparently is high in the amino acid, lycopene, an antioxidant associated with a lower incidence of some cancers, as well as vitamin A and potassium.
But don’t go looking for the lower sugar watermelon anytime soon. I can’t seem to find out when you’ll actually be able to buy the stuff. (If anyone knows, please let me know.)
By the way, the average watermelon nowadays has a glycemic index of about 72 to 75, so that’s pretty sugary.
The USDA should be applauded for this move but not for the absurd suggestion that those who miss the sweetness of this summertime favorite resort to sprinkling on a little artificial sweetener. Oh goodness — now that’s just a darn silly idea. What’s the point of making it less sugary to then add artificial sweetness on top of it. Huh?