Standing under the scorching sun and wondering what to have to quench your thirst? Then the first thing that comes to your mind will definitely be watermelon. Apart from letting you quench your thirst, it also provides some health boosting Vitamins and antioxidants good for your body. The water content in the fruit definitely makes it a good go during summers
The fruit originated from South Africa and gradually spread to the majority of the tropics as well as subtropical parts of the world. The fruit has a hard covering, mostly in dark green, light green or even yellow color. It is got stripes in vertical fashion. The fruit is extremely fleshy and juicy to the core. One bite of the flesh and there comes out the oozing goodness of the sweet juice that is able to tingle our taste buds. The soft and crunchy flesh holds the water content just the right way. There are a lot of varieties of the fruit, with various shapes, sizes and color of flesh.</p<
Health benefits-Watermelon
- It helps in quenching thirst during hot summers as it contains electrolytes as well as a good amount of water.
- Calorie count in the fruit is very low and it has only a small amount of fat in it. Apart from that, there are antioxidants and phyto nutrients that help in making us healthy
- The fruit is very much rich in B-carotene, lutien, cryptoxanthin, which are antioxidant flavanoids. They protect from cancers that can affect lung, prostate, colon, endometrial and pancreas. The cells of the body are protected by the phytochemicals that are found in watermelons.
- Carotenoid pigment named lycopene is found in watermelon. Even a small amount of watermelon has a good amount of lycopene, which is much higher than the amount found in other fruits like tomatoes. This pigment helps in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays.
- Potassium is found in abundance in the fruit. Potassium helps in regulating the blood pressure and also controls heart rate. It is very essential since it protects us against coronary heart diseases as well as stroke.
- Vitamin B6 named pyridoxine; vitamin C, thiamin or vitamin B-1, as well as manganese is found in watermelon. Vitamin C is very essential for the body, as it helps in fighting against oxygen free radicals as well as other agents that spread infection.
Selecting and storing the fruit
Choose watermelon that has thick skin and. Lighter skins show that the fruit is ripe and sweet, but is very difficult for us to find out the ones that are fully ripe. Maybe we should ask the assistance of the store assistant.
Eating fresh watermelon directly without any kind of seasonings is a real tasty experience that you can ever have. You can cube it and add to fruit salads or use it for wedging along with ice creams. They are perfect for jams, cocktails, juices and more. The seeds can be roasted and consumed as a snack. In some countries in South America, the rind is used as a vegetable. In short, each and every part of the fruit can be enjoyed without fear of any kind of toxicity.
Adding watermelon to your daily diet is a real healthy option for boosting your health. The vitamins and minerals present in the fruit are really good for both kids as well as adults.
