Taste Test: Is Watermelon The Next Big Thing in Sports Nutrition?

Published August 22, 2016 02:08PM

Nutrition brands are thinking outside the box when it comes to ingredients. We now have pea milk (yes, that’s milk made from peas), maple water, meat bars, and coconut just about everything. And now there’s watermelon. Summer’s favorite fruit is packed with nutrients thought to aid endurance performance, including iron, potassium, and a substance called l-citrulline that may help fight fatigue and that scientists are currently studying for its potential to improve oxygen uptake. Until recently, watermelon wasn’t much of a grab-and-go food, but that’s about to change. Presenting two new ways to get your fix.

DRINKmelon

From the Ironman-athlete creators of DRINKmaple water comes DRINKmelon, an “organic watermelon water” with just one ingredient, sourced straight from melon farms in California, Florida and Vermont. The taste is exactly as you’d expect—sweet, melon-y, clean—and the texture is smooth and pulp-free. The list of nutrients is long: there’s the potassium and citrulline, of course, plus magnesium, lycopene, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.. Each 80-calorie bottle contains 20 grams of carbs. DRINKmelon is also affiliated with former pro triathlete Chris Lieto’s organization More Than Sport; for every bottle of DRINKmelon sold, 200 gallons of clean water is supplied to individuals in developing nations.

Buy it: $2.99 for 12-ounce bottle, available at Drink-melon.com the week of Aug. 22

Go Raw Grow Sprouted Protein Bar

Go Raw took a different approach to maximizing the power of watermelon, using the fruit’s seeds—sprouted, shelled black ones—as the source of protein in these bars.

Available in four flavors—cinnamon spice (taste test favorite for its autumn-appropriate flavor), zesty lemon, dark chocolate and mint chocolate—each non-GMO, organic bar features a smooth, moist texture with just a little crunch. Each bar contains 230 to 240 calories and 12 grams of protein, plus healthy fats, iron and fiber. We especially appreciated the lack of bitter aftertaste found in many protein bars.