There are very few people who do not know that watermelon is a berry and what useful properties it has. Although, if you look at where this botany berry belongs, it may surprise some people - this is a pumpkin family.
Watermelon was already known in the time of the Pharaohs, as evidenced by his drawings inside the Egyptian pyramids. In South Africa, watermelons grow wild. And in ancient China, they celebrated a holiday in honor of the watermelon, it is called “Watermelon Day”. In our countries, watermelons began to grow from the second half of the 17th century.
Useful properties of watermelon.
What is the benefit of watermelon? The benefits of watermelon lie not only in the popularity of this dietary product, but also in the many useful substances and properties that make up this berry.
What is the benefit of watermelon?
The beneficial properties of watermelon include the presence of magnesium in its composition. It is enough to eat about 150 grams of this wonderful berry, and you are provided with a daily intake of magnesium. What is useful watermelon for people suffering from blood pressure? The benefits of watermelon is to remove cholesterol. Therefore, the beneficial properties of watermelon are to be eaten by people who have problems with the systems of the heart and blood vessels.
And in order to save a watermelon for the winter, you can make blanks from it, for example, pickled watermelon for the winter, or jam from watermelon peels or pulp.
The beneficial properties of watermelon are continued by its juice, which contains almost no acids and salts of natural origin. But it contains alkali. And this, in turn, makes watermelon very useful for the human urinary system. Therefore, doctors advise watermelon to those people who are prone to the formation of kidney stones. If you suffer from such diseases as: nephritis, pyelonephritis, cystitis, as well as bile - stone diseases, then eating watermelon will benefit. In such cases, doctors advise using a watermelon treat in food up to three kilograms per day. Doctor's advice: the daily intake should be about two kilograms per day. Or use watermelon juice with honey, the ratio is two glasses of juice and one teaspoon of honey.
What is useful watermelon for people who have problems with the heart and kidneys?
The benefit of watermelon is the possession of its strong diuretic properties. For these purposes, not only the pulp, but also the peels are used. Of these, you can make a decoction, which is used for diseases associated with the appearance of edema. And by drying the watermelon bark in the oven, you can make a decoction for a whole year. In order to prepare a decoction, it is necessary to fill the bark with water in a ratio of one to ten, then boil the brew for five minutes. Cool the broth, strain and take half a glass three times a day. Such a decoction on the bark of a watermelon has quite strong beneficial properties. Therefore, it is advised to use it in diseases such as gout and rheumatism. The removal of excess fluid from the body is the benefit of watermelon for people with heart and kidney diseases.
Due to the useful diuretic property of watermelon, it can serve as an antipyretic, and the advantage of this medicine is that it has practically no contraindications.
Useful properties of watermelon seeds.
The use of watermelon in food is also recommended during pregnancy, for the first months and breastfeeding. You just need to make sure that the child does not have an allergic reaction after the mother consumes watermelon.
But watermelon helps us not only with diseases and saturation of the body with useful substances. It is also used for cosmetic purposes. Here is one of the recipes: take the pulp of a watermelon mashed with a fork, apply a mask on your face, wash off the mask after twenty minutes. The result is a rejuvenated face.
What is the calorie content of watermelon?
And now we will try to consider the question: how is watermelon useful for people who are trying to get rid of fat folds that are unnecessary to us. Why, you say, should it be useful? Yes, because watermelon helps in reducing appetite and one more thing: the calorie content of watermelon is low. In general, this gives a person a feeling of satiety, while not negatively affecting weight. Another plus is the calorie content of watermelon pulp. It consists in the fact that one hundred grams contains about thirty-seven calories. Also, to combat excess weight, watermelon helps the folic acid contained in it, which normalizes the metabolic processes of fat in the body. Folic acid has an anti-sclerotic effect. For those who decide to use the low calorie content of watermelon for weight loss, there is a special watermelon diet. Nutritionists also recommend using low-calorie watermelon pulp for a fasting day. With therapeutic starvation, watermelon is also used.
Calorie melon and watermelon.
Those who do not like watermelon or, in doubt, lean towards melon, let's compare the calorie content of melon and watermelon. One hundred grams of melon contains eight grams of sugar, while watermelon has only six. This suggests that the melon is higher in calories. And accordingly, diabetics should not eat it. Another minus of melon is that you can’t eat other food with it, as indigestion will immediately follow.
But let's not underestimate the melon, it also has good properties. For example, melon contains substances that help produce serotonin, a substance that elevates mood. Therefore, it is advised to eat it for people to cheer up. So, studying the question of the calorie content of melon and watermelon, we can talk on this topic endlessly, since each product has both pros and cons.
But back to the benefits of watermelon. Perhaps you have a question: Is it possible to save watermelon until winter? Can! To do this, we ferment it with a composition of one hundred grams of sugar, fifty grams of salt and one hundred milliliters of vinegar. In this mixture, we sterilize the pulp of watermelon for fifteen minutes. In pickled watermelon, the calorie content increases. And it should not be eaten by diabetics.
The benefits and harms of watermelon.
With so many benefits of watermelon, a pertinent question arises: is there any harm in eating watermelon. Unfortunately there is. If you eat watermelon, then you need to give up food containing a lot of salt (chips, salted fish, salted nuts). Why shouldn't this be done? Everything is very simple, the liquid is retained in the body due to salt, and watermelon is saturated with water. One hundred grams of watermelon has 92.6 grams of water. Fluid retention in the body puts additional strain on the heart and can cause edema. Therefore, try to limit yourself to salty foods if you are going to eat watermelon. Moreover, this must be done two to three hours before the expected moment.
If you have bowel problems, you should limit your consumption of watermelon, as it can harm you, not benefit you. Overeating can cause bloating.
And to refuse the use of watermelon should be people suffering from severe diabetes and girls in the last months of pregnancy, if swelling is observed. And also, to all people who have problems with the pancreas and prostate glands.
How to choose a healthy watermelon?
Now, having learned all about the benefits and harms of watermelon, you need to choose the most ripe, tastiest, juiciest fruit. How to do it? First, do not buy watermelons before August, as some varieties ripen only by July, these are early ripening.
Second, you need to listen to the watermelon. Yes, just listen. To do this, tap on the peel. If you hear a dull sound, then this fruit is not yet ripe. If the call is too high, then, unfortunately, it is already overripe. You need something in between, the so-called booming sound. This method is not for everyone. Therefore, we offer, as an option, a couple more signs that will tell us about the ripeness and benefits of watermelon. The third is the crunch of watermelon. Ripe will crunch even with light squeezing.
Also consider the size of the watermelon. Choose the middle one better. Small watermelons are often underripe, and large ones can tell us that they are overripe.
If you notice a large white spot on a watermelon, then this may indicate that the watermelon is not ripe. Or that he did not receive enough sunlight, which may result in the fact that he will not be sweet. The spot may be, but small in size and yellow or orange in color. In general, the peel should be shiny, glossy, without damage, pay attention to the stripes. The brighter they are, the riper the watermelon. One more fact. A ripe watermelon can be scratched, but not pierced.
The tail of a ripe watermelon is yellowish and dry. The benefits of choosing a ripe and good watermelon will not keep you waiting. After all, you will get a lot of useful trace elements.
In no case should you choose a watermelon by sampling, the so-called reception of the seller, when he cuts a small pyramid out of a watermelon. It is not known whether this knife was washed or not, and even if it was washed, when was the last time. Thus, introducing bacteria into the watermelon itself that can harm a person (for example, E. coli). And if you consider that the watermelon is an incubator for the development of these bacteria, then by the time you bring it home, it can turn into a time bomb. Even worse in this regard is the sale of sliced watermelon or halves.
Even when choosing a watermelon, we need to pay attention to the content of nitrates. Watermelon will cause harm if caught with nitrates. The result of eating such a watermelon will be vomiting, diarrhea. Especially such a watermelon is dangerous for people with kidney problems and children.
If you cut open a watermelon and see yellow fibers, this indicates a high nitrate content. Also, you need to check the watermelon for tinting. To do this, dip a small piece of watermelon into the water, if it turns pink, then you cannot eat such a watermelon.
It is best to give children the middle of a watermelon, since most of the harmful substances accumulate in the peels and stalks. For them, you can cook a delicious watermelon gazpacho - if you don’t want to eat watermelon. And such a delicious summer soup will appeal to both children and adults.
It is not advised to buy watermelons near roads, because after a breakdown, he continues to breathe, thereby instantly absorbing all harmful substances. In this case, the benefits of watermelon can be forgotten.
Unfortunately, we cannot use watermelon peels in the preparation of decoctions and jams. They are processed too much, and all harmful substances accumulate under the crust and in the crust itself.
