Watermelon Lime Slushie & 5 Benefits of Limes

Don Colbert, MD July 26, 2019

Is there ever a wrong time for a summer slushie? That’s a rhetorical question because the obvious answer is “no.”

But what’s not as obvious is when you make a summer slushie with watermelon and limes, you will flood your body with health-promoting nutrients to fight disease.

Want to know more?

Here’s our delicious Watermelon Lime Slushie and why you should make it today!

Watermelon Lime Slushie

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (10 ounces) watermelon cubes
2 limes juiced or 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
16 ounces ice
2 scoops MCT Oil Powder
1/2 -1 teaspoon stevia or erythritol to taste, optional

Instructions

Blend ingredients in a high powered blender until the consistency is like frozen lemonade.
Taste mixture and see if you need any sweetener, adjust as needed.
Keep refrigerated or enjoy immediately! Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition info: 60 calories, 4 gram fats, 4 grams net carbs (5 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber), 1 gram protein

Why Eat Limes?

While they may be small, limes are nutrition powerhouses. In fact, each 2-inch diameter lime contains (1):

22 milligrams (mg) calcium
12 mg phosphorus
68 mg potassium
19.5 mg vitamin C (about 20–25% of the daily value recommended for adults)

All of this is only 20 calories!

But beyond the numbers, the nutrients in limes work to improve health. Here are 5 reasons you should eat (or drink) limes.

5 Health Benefits of Limes

1. Limes Can Improve Skin Condition

One lime contains 25% of your daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can improve the condition of skin from the outside in (2), and from the inside out.

In fact, vitamin C from foods like limes is important to the function of collagen, wound healing, and the strengthening of connective tissue (3).

Additionally, studies have found most people drink more water each day when they add flavor to it through fruits, like limes, or vegetables, like cucumbers.

By adding lime slices to water, you can increase your water consumption which further improves skin condition.

2. Limes May Reduce Cancer Risk, Specifically Esophageal Cancer

Citrus fruit intake has been linked with reduced cancer risk.

For example, a 2015 study showed a possible link between increased citrus fruit consumption and a diminished risk of esophageal cancer (4). A 2018 meta-analysis of this study and others stated, “This meta-analysis indicates that intakes of citrus fruit significantly reduce the risk of esophageal cancer (ESCC)… Further studies about constituents in citrus fruit and its mechanism are warranted (5).”

3. Reduces Inflammation & Heart Disease

Another great benefit of limes’ vitamin C is its anti-inflammatory action, which is crucial to reduce chronic inflammation to fight the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and more.

One study from Oregon State University found that vitamin C reduced inflammation (6) while another has shown limes reduce kidney cell stress and inflammation (7).

In addition, limes contain a good amount of magnesium and potassium.

Magnesium and potassium are minerals that are both important for heart health. Specifically, they promote optimal blood pressure.

Further, magnesium reduces the risk of heart arrhythmias, palpitations, mineral imbalances, and more (8).

4. Limes Boost Immune Function

We all want better immune function. One way to support it is to consume foods, like limes, with high vitamin C.

In studies, vitamin C has been shown to reduce the frequency and duration of colds and improve defective immune systems.

How?

Vitamin C enhances the proliferation of B- and T- immune cells via gene regulation. When vitamin C is deficient, the cells display impaired immunity and higher susceptibility to infections. When infection occurs, vitamin C levels drop as it’s used to fight them, and then requires higher consumption rates to continue to be effective (9).

What’s all this mean? Eat more limes to get these benefits of limes!

5. Promotes Weight Loss & Improved Blood Sugars

The benefits of limes extend to blood sugars.

Limes can reduce blood sugar levels after a meal, and improve overall HgbA1C according to this study of 70 patients with diabetes (10). That’s great news!

Improved blood sugars, in turn, can promote fat loss as cells become more sensitive to insulin.

What’s more, since adding limes to water can help you drink more, you can take advantage of adequate hydration for weight loss!

Bottom Line

Limes offer a refreshing, delicious, and nourishing flavor for summer drinks. Try our Watermelon Lime Slushie today, and improve the health of your cells, tissues, systems, and whole body!

Free Challenge · 21-Day Keto Zone Challenge

Ready to put this recipe to work? Dr. Colbert’s free 21-Day Keto Zone Challenge gives you the meal plans, shopping lists and daily coaching to get your body burning fat for fuel. Join the Keto Zone Challenge Free →

Made with MCT Oil Powder

This recipe calls for Dr. Colbert’s MCT Oil Powder from Divine Health — the same formula he recommends to his own patients.

MCT Oil Powder

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Don Colbert, MD

Don Colbert, MD, has been board-certified in family practice and in anti-aging and integrative medicine for more than 25 years. He is the medical director of the Divine Health Wellness Center, where he has treated more than 50,000 patients, and a New York Times bestselling author of books including The Seven Pillars of Health, What Would Jesus Eat?, Deadly Emotions and Keto Zone Diet, with more than ten million books sold. He hosts Dr. Colbert's Broadcast with his wife Mary and son Kyle, where faith meets functional medicine. He and Mary live in Orlando, Florida and Dallas, Texas.

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