Watermelon - calorie, beneficial properties, benefit and harm, description

Useful properties of watermelon

Watermelon is the name of a grassy annual fruit of the Pumpkin family called pumpkin. A pumpkin is a berry, the largest known, can have a different shape - a regular ball, an oval, a cylinder and even a cube. According to the culinary classification, watermelon refers to fruit. The color of hard peel is found in various versions, from light to dark green with almost black stripes, spots or mesh. Between the crust and bright red juicy pulp there is a white layer of different thickness, from a few millimeters to 4-5 cm (from these crusts, jam is made and candied fruits are prepared). The flesh is traditionally red, but breeders can boast yellow or orange watermelons inside. Watermelon seeds vary from small (0.5 cm) to medium (1-1.5 cm), also vary in color - white, dark brown or combined.

Origin of watermelons

The history of watermelons dates back to the 20th century BC, the first mentions of round green berries are found in documents telling about the life of the tribes of South Africa (calorizator). In ancient Egypt, proof of the use of watermelons are perfectly preserved bones found in Tutankhamun’s tomb (it was believed that watermelons should be sent with the deceased person to serve as food in the afterlife).

Calorie watermelon

Calorie watermelon is 25 kcal per 100 grams of product.

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The composition and beneficial properties of watermelon

Watermelon has a rather impressive chemical composition in terms of vitamins and minerals, which contains: vitamins A , B1 , B2 , B6 , B9 , C , E , H and PP , as well as potassium , calcium , magnesium , iron , phosphorus and sodium . Dietary fiber contained in watermelon helps to normalize metabolism, fructose makes the fruit an excellent option for the nutrition of people with diabetes. A well-known property of watermelon - cleansing the kidneys and liver due to its strong diuretic and choleretic properties. In the season of watermelons, if you set a goal to improve your health, you can, without much straining, even get rid of sand and small stones in the kidneys. Drinking watermelon lowers cholesterol in the blood, strengthens the body.

Harm of watermelon

It should be remembered that watermelon perfectly absorbs nitrates, so it can cause not only allergic reactions, but also cause significant harm to health. Diabetics and people suffering from renal insufficiency should not be consumed uncontrollably with watermelon. Watermelon contains a lot of sugar.

Watermelon varieties

Watermelons grown in Russia are divided into several varieties, among which the most famous are Astrakhan, Ogonek, Gift of the Sun, Skoryk, Kherson, Sugar Kid. Watermelons grown in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are highly valued, such fruits can be stored for a long time without losing taste.

Watermelon growing

For full ripening of watermelon you need a lot of sun, heat and moisture, so the most suitable climate is tropical. But even in central Russia it is quite possible to grow a sweet and juicy watermelon - however, the size of such a berry will differ significantly from its Astrakhan counterparts.

Choosing a watermelon - a girl or a boy?

There is no clear evidence that feminine watermelons - “girls” - are sweeter and juicier than “boys”, but for many it matters, therefore, we recall once again that the difference according to “gender” is a different kind of watermelon ). The "girls" ass is lighter, larger in size and has fuzzy borders, the "boys" - neat, pulled in and dark color. Often, choosing a delicious watermelon helps a close look at the tail - the drier it is, the more ripe the watermelon is. Many knock on the watermelon and listen - a ringing sound speaks of juiciness and ripeness, deaf - that the watermelon waited a long time in its hour and has the consistency of a sponge for washing dishes.

Watermelon and weight loss

Watermelon perfectly quenches thirst, so it is great for fasting days and even for a mono-diet . But it should be remembered that a large amount of watermelon only for some time dulls the feeling of hunger, so you should be wise to approach the decision to lose weight due to watermelons and just enjoy the magic taste of juicy berries.

Watermelon slicing

The most correct thing is to hit the watermelon on the edge of the table a little, so that it cracks and breaks itself into halves, take spoons and devour the juicy flesh, dripping with sweet juice. Such happiness rarely falls, so there are several ways to accurately cut and feed watermelon (kalorizator). For an elegant dessert, you need to clear the watermelon from the crusts and cut it into small pieces “for one bite”, make small forks so that guests do not get dirty. At home, everyone chooses the method that is convenient and depends on the sharpness of the knife. You can cut the two tops, it is convenient to install a watermelon on the flat side of a dish or a flat plate and cut from top to bottom into slices of a convenient width. You can immediately divide the watermelon along in half and cut further across arbitrary slices. Special knives for cutting watermelons resembling apple ones appeared on the market.

Watermelon has a good effect on heart health

Scientists from the universities of Purdue and Kentucky (USA) have established experimentally that mice that were given watermelon juice have less weight, lowered cholesterol and fewer arterial plaques.

Presumably, a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health has citrulline.

Researchers were interested in citrulline, as previous work revealed the ability of this amino acid to lower blood pressure. The experiments were carried out on mice divided into two groups: one received water containing 2% watermelon juice, and the other - the same amount of water with the addition of a solution, a carbohydrate composition similar to watermelon juice.

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Animals consuming water with watermelon juice gained 30% less weight and had 50% less blood in the blood than bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) than rodents from the control group. In addition, in mice from the experimental group, the amount of deposits in the arteries was reduced by 50%, and the level of citrulline in the blood increased significantly.

Scientists intend to continue to study how the concentration of citrulline and lycopene, another biologically active ingredient in watermelon, affects human health. It is also planned to test different varieties of watermelons in order to detect the most "effective".