... and don't forget the seeds!

Stay hydrated this summer with your food

Theindianspot.com

Beat that summer heat while living in Texas. Did you know there are several fruits and vegetables that are packed with over 90% of water? More water, means less in calories. So, while you are out shopping for groceries this week, be sure to pick up your water friendly fruits and veggies. Add these 5 below to your grocery list and stay hydrated through the summer. And don't forget to make sure to pick up the watermelon, but WITH seeds. There are so many health benefits to watermelon seeds, check them out below.

1) Tomato

2) Lettuce

3) Red Pepper

4) Celery

5) Cucumber

6) Watermelon


Tomato- Between 93-96% water

Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

Lettuce- 96% water

Romaine lettuce has about 8 calories and 1-2 grams of carbohydrates per cup. Although it's low in fiber, it's high in minerals, such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. It's naturally low in sodium. Plus, romaine lettuce is packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.

Calories: 8 calories Fiber: 1 g Total fat: 0.1 g

Red Peppers- 94%water

Serving Size: 1 medium. Calories: 31-37; 169% of the RDA for vitamin C. Red Peppers also contain 3 mg of vitamin B6. Vitamin K1, is a form of vitamin K, known as phylloquinone, K1 is important for blood clotting and bone health. Potassium, is an essential mineral may improve heart health. Folate, or Vitamin B9 has a variety of functions in your body. Adequate folate intake is very important during pregnancy. Red Pepper Amount: 54.7 mcg.

  • Protein: 1 gram
  • Carbs: 6 grams
  • Sugar: 4.2 grams
  • Fiber: 2.1 grams
  • Fat: 0.3 grams

Celery- 95% water

Celery is very low in calories and carbohydrate. One medium stalk contains a mere 6 calories and 1.2 grams of carbohydrate. Half of the carbohydrate content in celery comes from fiber, making it a good source of fiber. One stalk of celery has a minimal amount of protein, with less than one-third of a gram per serving.

Cucumber- 96-97% water

There are just 16 calories in a cup of cucumber with its peel (15 without). You will get about 4 percent of your daily potassium, 3 percent of your daily fiber and 4 percent of your daily vitamin C. They also provide small amounts of vitamin K, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, manganese and vitamin A.

Last, not least, my favorite...….

Watermelon- 92-94% water

Watermelon is delicious and refreshing, with tons of nutritious seeds. Even though most people spit them out, that is often a big mistake. And don't worry, unlike what you believed as a kid, if you swallow these seeds you will not grow a watermelon in your stomach.

Watermelon seeds come from the watermelon plant, which grows on the vine. The seeds come in two main colors, white and black, which are the immature (white) and fully developed (black) seeds respectively. Both seeds are good for you, however the black ones are more rich in nutrients and antioxidants. So if you have to choose, black seeds over white, or just both, there are hundreds in a watermelon.

Little fun fact that not many know. Watermelon seeds are pack with high levels of protein and amino acids. About 60% of your daily requirements can come from 1 cup of dried watermelon seeds. These seeds also have high levels of Vitamin B, as well as magnesium, zinc, copped, potassium, copper, manganese, and iron. Also, a diverse rang of fats, such as omega 3, omega 6 fatty acids, and smaller saturated fats. The nutrient density also comes along with a high-calorie count – a cup of dried watermelon seeds contains roughly 600 calories.

There are plenty of other health benefits to Watermelons seeds. Another surprisingly fun fact about watermelon seeds is, it's ability to boost hair health (growth, strong, prevent breakage, or split ends), support your skin (moisturize, wrinkles, skin elasticity, acne), increase energy, lower blood pressure, stimulate digestion, regulate blood sugar, and lower cholesterol levels. I am about to blow your mind with more benefits from eating these little black seeds everyone would always spit out.

These seeds can also help with growth and development of your body's cells and tissues. Since they are packed with protein, which is composed of amino acids, this helps with the production of these tissues. Last, these seeds can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, growth and repair of various organ systems, boost fertility, increase energy levels, lower blood pressure, and improve nerve system function.

Now if ALL those health benefits don't make you get up to go buy a watermelon, then good luck this summer !




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The Astros are utilizing a 6-man rotation. Composite Getty Image.

The Astros should schedule an Old-Timers Game, if not annually maybe every other year. Only the Yankees have regularly played Old Timers Games and it’s a highlight in the Bronx every season. The Astros have plenty enough history to welcome back an ample number of guys to make for a fabulous event. Maybe they could tie it into their now annual Hall of Fame Weekend. Anyway, don’t you feel that if Jose Altuve took part in an Old Timers Game in 2050 he’d bang out a couple of hits, and then if the Astros played him in the regular game he’d line one more hit somehow, at age 60?

After missing the first 43 games of the season while recovering from his broken thumb, Altuve went 0 for four in his first game back, but has since been generally fantastic with his OPS through nine games played at 1.013. It won’t stay that high, but Altuve is a direly needed upgrade to the Astros’ offense which has been utterly mediocre. Offense is the reason the Astros continue to look up at the Texas Rangers in the American League West. The Rangers’ offense has been fantastic, outscoring the Astros by a whopping 100 runs through the first third of the season.

As the regular season entered its middle third this week, the Astros are in the middle of playing a game in 17 consecutive days. It’s their longest stretch of the season without an off day. They are inserting Ronel Blanco as a sixth starting pitcher in the rotation for a couple of turns. The point of mixing in a sixth starter isn’t that the Astros are teeming with guys who belong in a big league rotation. The 29-year-old Blanco is not a notable prospect. This is about lightening the load a little on two guys: Cristian Javier and Hunter Brown.

In becoming a rotation mainstay last season, Javier blew past his previous biggest season workload by nearly 50 innings. He’s on pace to go another 25 innings beyond that this year without even accounting for the playoffs. Hunter Brown last year set his professional high with 130 innings pitched encompassing work with the Space Cowboys and Astros. Brown is on pace for about 170 innings this regular season. That’s a significant jump, and of course the Astros are hoping for another postseason of multiple rounds. Javier, Brown, and Framber Valdez are the three most critical pitchers on the staff, and the Astros hope they remain healthily so for several more years.

Lance McCullers’s latest recovery setback makes his plight increasingly sad. Well, except for him on payday. The odds now lopsidedly favor McCullers never again pitching a near fully healthy and effective season. His only one to date was 2021 (until he broke down in the playoffs), the year before his five year 85 million dollar contract kicked in. McCullers pulls down 17 mil this year (And again next year. And in 2025. And 2026), exactly two and a half times what Framber Valdez makes. I reckon Framber’s representation is aware of this, as it is of the five year 63 million dollar deal the Astros struck with Cristian Javier. Framber is more than three years older than Javier, but has been better, and can hit free agency after the 2025 season, the same time Javier could have gone to market.

Timing isn’t everything but it darn sure can matter. The Astros’ two best relief pitchers through May were Hector Neris and Phil Maton. Neris enters June with a 1.19 earned run average, Maton even better with a teeny-weeny 0.68 ERA. Maton has been especially amazing, given that last year while not pitching very well he posted his career best ERA at 3.84. His 2022 ended ignominiously when after giving up a hit to his brother Nick in the regular season finale, Phil took the ding-a-ling of the week award by breaking his pitching hand punching his locker, sidelining him for the postseason. The Hurt Locker won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2010. Now Maton is up for Best Pitcher (per inning worked). Both Neris and Maton were James Click acquisitions. Both become free agents after this season.

Up next

Four games with the Angels at Minute Maid Park through the weekend mean the amazing Shohei Ohtani is in town. It’s “Sho-time” on the mound Friday night in a doozy of a pitching matchup with Framber, with Ohtani batting in at least three of the four games. In one player the Angels have a pitcher as good as Cristian Javier and a hitter better than Kyle Tucker. And the Angels will probably miss the playoffs again anyway. And then lose Ohtani in free agency. After the Angels series the Astros are on the road next week. They start with four games at Toronto against the Blue Jays’ very potent lineup, then it’s three at Cleveland vs. the Guardians whose offense has been pathetic so far this season.

Walk this way

Geek Astro factoid of the week: Jeremy Pena drew two walks in Tuesday’s win over the Twins. In his rookie season, Pena had only one two walk game, also in May, also against the Twins. Tuesday’s bases on balls finally got Pena into double digits for the season. He has just 11 walks drawn (largely explaining his weak .307 on-base percentage) vs. 50 strikeouts.

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Stone Cold ‘Stros is the weekly Astro-centric podcast I am part of alongside Brandon Strange and Josh Jordan. On our regular schedule it goes up at 3PM Monday on the SportsMapHouston YouTube channel, is available there for playback at any point, and also becomes available in podcast form at outlets galore. Such as:

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