What are the varieties, shapes and colors of watermelons: all the most interesting facts about the largest berry. Why is watermelon considered a berry and is it so

Everyone from school knows watermelon as a very large berry, although it belongs to the pumpkin family. Melon, we know it from school, a vegetable. But she also belongs to the pumpkin family. And all pumpkin seeds are vegetables. Perhaps the watermelon is called a berry because of its juiciness and sweetness.

I'll start with what, in fact, fruits and vegetables are. Literally, fruit (or fruit in English) is a Latin word that translates into Russian as fruit, hence the somewhat unusual expressions for our ear - fruit of love (in Russian we know this as fruit of love i.e. child, and in the original there will be fruit :-)), or fruits of sea ( seafood).

Accordingly, vegetable (or vegetable in English) - literally means something vegetable.

Thus, the fruit (fruit) is what was formed when the flower was pollinated. And in this regard, fruits will be watermelons, melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers with eggplants. But real vegetables are root vegetables and stem plants (such as parsley or asparagus).

But ... the Russian language is rich, therefore, in addition to the formal division into fruits / vegetables, we also distinguish berries, and nuts, and root crops, and melons. Therefore, if for a Western person a watermelon is a fruit, then for us it is a traditional melon culture.

Watermelon belongs to the pumpkin family, and its fruit is called pumpkin. The structure of the fruit is similar to the structure of the berry, therefore the watermelon is considered a berry.

Melon belongs to the pumpkin family. Also, a fruit like a watermelon is called a pumpkin. All that sweet is attributed simple people to fruits and berries.

Now I'll confuse you even more!))

A watermelon is not quite a berry, a watermelon is a pumpkin and has only general structure(size not included).

The same goes for melons. Melon is also a pumpkin!

We were never told about this at school. It has always been said that watermelon is a huge berry and melon is a vegetable. So the textbooks lie not only on history, but also on botany.

Melon with watermelon - pumpkin. Pumpkin family. Melon culture.

Watermelon and melon are berries. Watermelon belongs to the pumpkin family, therefore its fruit is called pumpkin. In structure, it corresponds to the berries. Melon also belongs to the pumpkin family and the fruit is also called pumpkin.

Watermelon and melon are sweet, but what is sweet is traditionally a berry.

Watermelon is definitely a berry - juicy, sweet with a lot of small seeds. But melon is sometimes associated with zucchini. Sometimes it is not very sweet, then it tastes like this vegetable. And the seeds are shaped like the seeds of a cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin.

I approach this problem philosophically. Let any garden plant will be a priori vegetable, that is, something that grows in the garden and bears fruit. It doesn't matter if it's root vegetables, leaves or pumpkins. It's just what we grow for food. But from botany we know that any plant has a fruit peculiar only to it or to a group of plants similar to it. All these fruits have their own names - a berry, a box, a pumpkin, even an ear. That is, a vegetable is the name of the plant itself, and a berry is the name of its fruit. Watermelon and melon are classified as melons with a fruit called pumpkin. It is not quite a berry, but a very close fruit. After all, what is a berry - a fruit with a hard and relatively hard shell, juicy pulp and bones. A watermelon has it all - relatively thin in size hard shell, pulp and great amount bones. The same is true for a melon or even a cucumber. So you can call the fruit of a watermelon a berry, like the plant itself, a vegetable.

Watermelon and melon are berries because of their internal structure... The presence of small seeds and quite sweet taste make it possible to classify them as berries. In fact, they are also berries, only large and with a hard skin.

They taught everyone differently. We were taught at school that cucumbers and tomatoes are vegetables, but it turns out that these are unsweetened fruits, since they are formed from the ovary. And vegetables are those that grow in the ground and do not have seeds. These are potatoes, carrots, beets, that is, root crops.

Watermelon and melon are great berries because they grow on bushes and have a lot of seeds.

One of the most beloved summer fruits is watermelon. Let's try to figure it out, is a watermelon a fruit or a vegetable or a berry? Some refer to it as a fruit, others as a berry, and still others call it a vegetable. In fact, none of them are one hundred percent right. Most botanists would say that a watermelon is a berry, since in science a berry is understood as a single or multi-seeded fruit that has a juicy pulp and thin skin. However, according to the last criterion, watermelon cannot be confidently attributed to berries, since it has a thick peel. Therefore, scientists have identified a separate category - pumpkin berry.

What is watermelon

It is an annual herb, a species of the genus Watermelon (Citrullus), the Pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae). The wild fruit of a watermelon weighs no more than 250 grams, has a round shape and does not at all look like what we are used to seeing on store shelves. The weight of the fruit of a cultivated plant can reach 16 kg. What a watermelon looks like depends on the variety. The shape can be round, oblong and even cubic. The color of the peel of the fruit, depending on the variety, can be green, white or even black. But most often the watermelon has a green striped skin.

The pulp of a ripe berry is pink, red, and in some varieties it is yellow or white. Watermelon seeds are flat, ovoid.

Note! Seed germination lasts up to 5-8 years.

The birthplace of watermelon and its distribution

It is believed that the birthplace of watermelon is South Africa from where it spread throughout the world. In those places occurs wild plant colocynth, which today serves as one of the important sources of water for the Bushmen. Scientists have carried out genetic studies, which have shown that this plant may be the ancestor of the watermelon. In the twentieth century BC. watermelon has already been cultivated by people like cultivated plant... This is evidenced by the seeds found in the buildings of the Twelfth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt.

Interesting! The watermelon was revered as a food source in the underworld, it was often placed in the tomb of the pharaoh. This is indicated by pictures and found seeds.

In ancient Rome, they were also familiar with this plant. According to the verses of Virgil, one can determine that the watermelon was eaten fresh, salted, or jam was made from it. By the 10th century, the Chinese also met him. They loved this fruit so much that in September every year they organized a "watermelon holiday", where the main treat was this juicy fruit.

Watermelon Festival in China

The watermelon got to the territory of Russia during the crusades in the XIII-XIV centuries. There is also a version that overseas merchants brought it even earlier, in the VIII-X centuries. Be that as it may, both versions point to the spread of culture to the territory of the Volga region. The watermelon will become more widespread in 1660, when a royal decree was issued on the delivery of fruits to the royal court from Astrakhan, where "watermelon and melon gardens" were located. In those days, watermelons were not consumed raw, but cooked in an unusual way: the pulp was soaked in soda, and then molasses with spices and allspice was prepared from it.

Later, Peter I, while traveling to the Caspian Sea, was cured of ailment with watermelons. Then he issued a decree on growing the plant on the lower Volga, since Turkish and Iranian fruits cracked during transportation and therefore were not stored for a long time. The peasants could not disobey the tsar's decree and sowed watermelons for a long time until they bred the right varieties that would be drought-resistant and had the right sweetness. It was these varieties that became the ancestors of the famous southern Ukrainian and Russian (Astrakhan and Volgograd) varieties. Today, agronomists manage to grow pretty good fruits even in the suburbs.

The most famous varieties of watermelon in Russia

In total, more than 1000 varietal varieties of watermelon are known. Therefore, we will consider only those that are most suitable for the climatic conditions of Russia and the CIS.

A twinkle. One of the tastiest watermelons grown in middle lane Russia. A distinctive feature of the variety is the dark green color of the peel, without any stripes and spots. The fruit is not large, does not exceed 3kg. The advantages include unpretentiousness, resistance to temperature extremes, minimal maintenance, short term maturation and transportability.

Producer. The territory of Moldova and Ukraine is ideal for its cultivation. The fruits are large, oblong, reaching a weight of 12 kg. The rind is light green in color with distinct stripes. The advantages of this variety include the ability to grow on sandy and sandy loam soils, long-term storage, resistance to diseases and pests, high yield.

Producer

Astrakhan. This variety is most widely distributed in the southern territories of Russia. The fruit is round or oblong, has a very juicy, aromatic red pulp. The mass of one watermelon reaches 10 kg. The peel is green, has a clear pattern. The advantages of the variety include drought resistance, good yield, long-term storage and transportability.

Astrakhan

Photon. One of the most early varieties grown in our territories. The ripening period for this watermelon is at the end of July. Fruits are medium in size, up to 6 kg, slightly elongated. Has a thick rind with distinct stripes. The advantages include fast ripening, disease resistance, high yields and transportability.

Gift from the Sun. This variety is grown in Russia and the CIS, but in greenhouses. Delicious fruit weighing no more than 4 kg. It has a distinctive feature - a bright yellow peel with dark yellow stripes. The advantages include good yield, disease resistance and portability.

Gift of the Sun

Lunar watermelon. This variety was bred quite recently, in 2007, but has already gained popularity. It has one unusual property - the pulp of a rich yellow color... The fruit is round, up to 4 kg, with a thin skin, light green with stripes. The advantages include fast ripening, high yield, disease resistance, portability, unpretentiousness in agricultural technology.

Watermelon Lunar

Interesting! The legendary watermelon, which entered the Guinness Book of Records, weighed 121.93 kg, it was grown in 2005.

Root system feature

The ability to extract moisture in arid areas is realized due to the powerful root system. The root of the watermelon goes into the soil as deep as the soil type and structure allows. On heavy and loamy soils, the root penetrates to a depth of no more than 0.25-0.7 m, on light sandy loam and loamy soils, the root can reach a depth of 1 m or more.

Root system

In the ground, at a distance of 1–2 cm from the plow horizon, the root thickness sharply decreases, but it has strong lateral branches. The lower the main root, the shorter and weaker the lateral ones. The radius of the root system of a watermelon can reach 3.5 meters. It is because of this feature of the root system that the cultivation of the soil where watermelons grow occurs very rarely and not deeply.

Why is watermelon useful?

First you need to find out what vitamins are present in watermelon. The nutritional value of watermelon is only 25 kcal. It is due to such a low energy value that those who are losing weight love it so much. In addition, the berry contains 92-95% water.

Why is watermelon useful?

The pulp of watermelon contains vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Watermelon seeds also contain enough nutrients. Especially there is a lot of cholecalciferol (vitamin D), which is involved in strengthening teeth and bones. It also contains B vitamins, carotenoids, zinc, selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Useful properties of watermelon for the body:

Prevention of kidney ailments. Due to the high water content in watermelon, it has a diuretic property, which is the best prevention of urolithiasis and nephritis. In addition, the potassium content is able to break down and move kidney stones, reducing pain and eliminating the disease altogether.

Normalizes blood pressure.
Maintaining water balance in the body in hot weather.
Prevention of eye diseases.
Reduces the risk of cancer.

Prevention of ailments

Contraindications to the use of watermelon

In the absence of individual intolerance, the use of a small watermelon will not lead to any serious consequences. You should refrain only in the following cases:

impaired renal function;
violation of the outflow of urine;
kidney stones over 4mm;
with diarrhea and colic.

Contraindications for use

Pregnant women, especially in the last months, should also limit the use of watermelon. Otherwise it will lead to very frequent urination and general discomfort.

Diseases and pests of watermelon

In fact, there are a lot of diseases and pests. Below are just a few of the most common diseases in our territories.

Fusarium. A disease caused by a fungus that invades the root system. This is precisely the danger of this disease. While amazed root system, it is impossible to recognize it, and when visible lesions have already appeared, the watermelon cannot be treated. Sick plants are pulled out, and the rest are sprayed with fungicides.

Fusarium

Anthracnose. Also fungal disease which manifests itself on initial stage yellow and brown spots on the leaves. Then yellow-pinkish pads appear, which gradually turn into dark ulcers. The disease spreads to the stems and fruits. The leaves dry out, rot, and the fruits become deformed and stop growing. Anthracnose especially spreads in rainy weather. The plant can be cured by spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid. The bush is processed evenly with a break of 7-10 days. The drug works only where it gets.

Anthracnose

Root rot. Also a fungal disease that can be caused by a sharp drop temperatures, high humidity, diligent watering with soil solutions. Signs of root rot are black-brown spots on the stem of the shoots. The roots get thicker and burst, and top part the plant breaks up into filaments and dies. The plant can be cured only at the initial stage. The frequency and volume of watering is reduced, the water is replaced with a solution of potassium permanganate. The roots are taken out of the soil and processed copper sulfate... At an advanced stage, the bushes are destroyed.

Root rot

So, now we know exactly which family the watermelon belongs to, what is a watermelon - is it a berry or a fruit? In addition, it is now clear how it is useful and what varieties are grown in our country.

Not much exist food products, Whose "personality" is difficult to determine straight away. These are tomatoes and eggplants, which are mistakenly ranked among vegetables, avocados, with the identification of which even a specialist will get confused, but much more often questions concern watermelon and melon. Is it a berry or a fruit? Or a vegetable? Why is there such a confusion at all, how can you unambiguously understand the essence of these products?

The historical roots of the melon

This culture, strange from the point of view of botany, is one of the most ancient: it was grown in Egypt more than 6 thousand years ago, which was determined by the preserved antique drawings. Presumably, the main homeland of the melon was Africa (its northern part) and northwest India. However, there was no need to breed it in these regions, due to the abundance wild plants... What culture gave birth to such interesting product, today it is no longer known, however, in some areas there are still uncultivated varieties of Cucumis melo (the Latin name for melon), which primarily differ from the familiar variant in taste and size.

Wild melon varieties are like ... cucumber. The fruits are as small, have similar taste qualities, contain almost no sugar in the chemical composition, which explains the lack of the usual sweetness.

The cultivation of these varieties was taken up in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran, as well as in Asia Minor - even today these areas are the main suppliers of melons, albeit in climatic conditions Russia also manages to get an equally tasty harvest. Although, of course, each region produces its own rare local species, which are possible only here due to climatic and soil characteristics. In particular, a Chinese or Japanese melon differs significantly from both Iranian and Russian - an uninitiated habitual product does not recognize in it.

Melon: botanical characteristics

The study of history made it possible to establish only the primary associative (in taste and appearance) chain with a cucumber, however, what does science say? Surprisingly, most of the open sources contradict each other: you can find both the recognition of the melon as a vegetable, and its introduction into the category of fruits or berries. The dry facts look like this:

Common melon has the name Cucumis melo, which is consonant with Cucumis mella and is translated as "honey cucumber".
It is a dicotyledonous melon crop, belongs to the Pumpkin family and belongs to the genus Cucumber.
The average weight of the fetus ranges from 1.5 to 10 kg.
The fruit is polyspermous, formed in the lower ovary with three carpels. The shape is a circle or a cylinder.
The standard color is pale yellow, but there are green, bright yellow, brown varieties, mostly "decorated" with white longitudinal stripes.
Melon fruits ripen up to six months.
An ordinary melon bush can have up to 8 fruits, while wild varieties produce up to 100 pieces.

In botany, the melon was given the name pumpkin: morphologically it is related to berries, but with several differences. First, there are too many seeds (seeds for melon) in it. Secondly, the structure is not typical for berries: outer layer(skin) too hard, medium thick but fleshy, and center very juicy. In some varieties of melon, the outer surface is almost wooden at all, although not as much as that of its relative, the watermelon.

How to take a melon?

In the 19th century, this fruit was consumed with bread, paying tribute to its sweetness and tender pulp. Now it is often eaten singly, without subjecting it to heat treatment, previously only removing the peel and cutting the middle layer of the fruit into slices. For long-term harvesting, the pulp is dried, dried, sweet preservation is made - honey, jam, jam. Candied melon fruits are also popular. Thus, in cooking, it found application mainly as a berry or fruit, however, the presence of a melon in the same category with a cucumber, as well as with a pumpkin, perceived as vegetables, often affects the subsequent attitude towards it. How to properly classify pumpkins and melons in particular?

If you absolutely need to decide whether to consider a melon a berry or a fruit, or still include it in a group of vegetables, you should try to find a match or reasons to refute each of these points:

For a fruit, a melon has an uncharacteristic way of growing: not a shrub, not a tree, which give rise to fruits, but a herbaceous bush, which is more characteristic of vegetable crops. And the obvious family ties with the cucumber are doing their job. And given the existence of unsweetened varieties (for example, Japanese), melon has the right to belong to vegetables.
However, it is still difficult to call most of its varieties and varieties vegetables because of the increased sweetness of the pulp, which will give odds even to carrots or beets, which are considered quite sugary. And the scent to match her - delicate, honey. For this reason, culinary experts often call the melon a dessert vegetable.
The structure of the fruit, which is characteristic of it, speaks in favor of the “berry” group, but the pericarp is three-part, there are too many seeds inside, they do not have a protein base, and the size of the melon for the berry is too large. Moreover, this applies to all melons and gourds.

Thus, the melon can be considered equally as a berry, and a fruit, and a vegetable, in fact, belongs to the group of pumpkins. Some botanists call it a false berry, which, in general, may also be true. In cooking, melon is used mainly as a fruit, which determines the attitude of most people who are not associated with botany towards it.

What is a watermelon?

Today, watermelon is cultivated mainly in China, as well as Turkey and Egypt. You can also find fruits from Uzbekistan, Africa, America, Russia (Crimea and the Volga region). Grocery stores define it in the fruit section. But how reasonable is that?

If there is at least some visual certainty with the melon, albeit shaky, then with this main summer miracle everything is much more complicated: it cannot be called a fruit, and it does not look like a berry because it does not correspond to the main botanical characteristics. Although even in schools, teachers persistently explain to young children - “a watermelon is a berry!”, Misleading them. However, it is not just difficult to imagine a watermelon as a vegetable, but about the same as finding a relationship between potatoes and cocoa beans.

A completely logical and correct answer is given by Big Soviet Encyclopedia(which is surprising, since the information presented in it, at least in Soviet schools, was used to train teachers):

V general outline the definition of watermelon (Citrullus) in this scientific publication sounds like "pumpkin".

In fact, this product is almost the same as a melon, which means that history repeats itself, and for a complete understanding you have to go through the main features of not representatives of this group, but the watermelon itself:

A herbaceous plant of the Pumpkin family, cultivated in the tropics and temperate regions. It grows mainly in Asian countries, as well as in Africa.
It is a melon crop, the fruits are green varying degrees saturation color with vertical stripes. Some varieties are "decorated" with a net or even spots. The flesh is predominantly pink or scarlet, some Asian species are yellow or white.
A high proportion of sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose), as well as pectins, in terms of their content, bring watermelon closer to fruit.

The morphology of the pumpkin is close to the berry (a lot of pulp, there are seeds), however, in view of a number of differences, among which are too large the size of the fruit, hard skin (almost wood, denser than other pumpkins), as well as a high number of seeds and a different structure of the pericarp, a berry is a watermelon cannot. In addition, most berries grow on trees and shrubs rather than originating from a herbaceous plant.

Interestingly, in the Turkic language, the Ukrainian and Belarusian names for watermelon "kavun" are translated as "melon", which indicates their clear relationship. At the same time, the Turkic kapruz is associated with the Persian xarbuza, which translates as ... "donkey cucumber", and again brings thoughts back to the group of vegetables. However, there is much less justification for it than for a melon.

They began to grow watermelon on the ground Ancient egypt, but the homeland is considered to be the South of Africa, where wild varieties or colocynts still grow. Moreover, it is still unclear whether to consider them the ancestors of the watermelon, or whether they rather have a common ancestor with it. Alternative names for this plant are "bitter cucumber", "bitter apple". Colocynthum is not used for food, but it is used to create laxatives and liver stimulants, and oil with a strong nutty flavor is squeezed out of the seeds. The fruits themselves are small, slightly larger than a lemon.

An important point concerns the genus of the same name to which this plant culture belongs - unlike the melon with its unusual pedigree, the watermelon is itself the founder of the flowering group. It is an annual or perennial, depending on the variety, produces round or slightly elongated fruits that do not open. Polyspermous.

The attitude to a particular product of the plant group is often determined by culinary experts: it was they who introduced the tomato into the category of vegetables, even with the botanical approval of their berry. And, accordingly, a similar story should happen with a watermelon, but even here it was not without ironic situations:

In cooking, watermelon is used to create both desserts and first and second courses.
In ancient Rome, watermelon, despite the sweetness of the pulp, was pickled: it was cooked like cucumbers or tomatoes today.
Some countries used watermelon to make honey, similar to melon.

But still, most of recipes that include this juicy large fruit are focused on creating light fruit salads, juices, cocktails, baked goods, which again brings it closer to fruits and berries.

In everyday life, berries are called any small fruits with juicy pulp: they include cherries, strawberries, raspberries, rose hips, although from a botanical point of view they are not. So, rose hips and strawberries are false berries, raspberries are drupes. And larger fruits are rarely associated with berries, although they can be considered them in botany: these are tomato, eggplant, kiwi.

A berry is a fruit with a thin skin, many seeds with a hard seed coat, juicy intercarp. The berries develop from the upper and lower ovaries: in some cases, a dried perianth (currant) remains on top of them.

False berries are those fruits that have the same structure, but are formed not only from the ovary, but also from other parts, for example, the receptacle.

Watermelon

Useful properties of watermelon

It contains a large amount of trace elements and vitamins necessary for the normal well-being of a person. It enriches the body with potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins, vitamin A, E, PP, ascorbic and folic acid. It is especially useful to eat it in hot weather, as it helps not only to quench your thirst, but also to replenish all the listed substances, some of which are excreted from the body during perspiration.

Having a diuretic effect on the body, watermelon helps to remove accumulated toxins and toxins. It helps cleanse the kidneys, urinary tract and gallbladder. And the low acidity of the juice of this berry allows you to use it even for those who suffer from chronic gastritis or gastroduodenitis. But, of course, only not during the period of exacerbation of these diseases.

It is not recommended to eat watermelon late at night or in combination with salty foods, as this can lead to edema and salt deposition in the body.

Low watermelon (27 kcal per 100 g) allows those who watch their figure to enjoy this berry calmly. And the content contained in the watermelon is perfectly absorbed by the body, and its content in it is extremely small.

Cucumber

The original homeland of the wild cucumber is northeastern India, where it grows, twining its shoots around tree trunks. It was brought to Russia from China, Byzantium and Western Europe - it quickly gained popularity in Russian cuisine and began to be actively grown and used for preparing vegetable salads and other main dishes. But botanical scientists have identified cucumber in the category of false berries - this is due to the fact that it is an overgrown juicy fruit bed, on the surface of which fruits and seeds are located.

According to the botanical classification, in addition to cucumber, strawberries and garden strawberries are also classified as false berries.

Cucumber "berries" are known for their low calorie content, so they are ideal for fasting days, as well as a healthy addition to sandwiches with fish, cheese or lean meat. Overripe cucumbers weaken well, and a decoction of them has proven itself well for jaundice and liver diseases. However, the main advantage of a cucumber is that it is 97% water, which has "live" and environmentally friendly properties bestowed upon it by nature itself. Cucumber juice dissolves the poisons accumulated in the body, removing them through the kidneys along with sand and stones.

The beneficial substances of cucumber

Cucumbers are high in sulfur, silicon, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium, which support healthy teeth, hair and skin. They also contain an easily digestible form of iodine - scientists have long noticed that cucumber lovers practically do not suffer from problems with the thyroid gland. Fiber of cucumber relieves the body of excess cholesterol, and in combination with pectins, it significantly improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, cucumbers are extremely popular with raw foodists as they do not require cooking.

V folk medicine compresses from crushed cucumbers are applied to inflamed or burnt skin.

Cucumbers also contain vitamins C, B1, provitamin A, thiamine and other elements necessary for better absorption of protein and other foods. That is why nutritionists recommend supplementing all main dishes with a salad of fresh cucumbers and other vegetables, while avoiding their combination with milk. The largest amount of vitamins is found not in overripe, but in young cucumbers. The slimming effect of the cucumber diet is due to tartronic acid, which prevents carbohydrates from being converted to fats.

Calorie content of fresh watermelon per 100 grams and 1 kg

The calorie content of watermelon per 100 grams is 28-38 calories. Subject to healthy eating it is necessary to keep records of the calorie content of watermelon in kg. The berry usually weighs more than 2 kilograms. The daily dose of a normal fetus will be 760 kcal. A large one contains 3,000 calories. The calorie content of a yellow watermelon in 100 grams is identical to a green one. The norm of calories for weight loss is no more than 1000 per day. This aspect must be taken into account when following a diet. When composing a nutritional formulation, it is best to seek the help of a dietitian. The specialist will certainly include melons in the diet.

Mineral composition

The giant berry contains phosphorus, iodine, fluorine, cobalt, magnesium, potassium and many different vitamins. All of these substances are essential for the body to function properly. What vitamins are in watermelon the most? Fruit pulp is rich in retinol, thiamine, pectin. The fruit also contains a rare vitamin B9, folic acid.

Nutritional composition:

0.7 g protein
0.1 g fat
7 g carbohydrates
90 g water
0.5 g fiber.

The berry has a different amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Chemical composition watermelon causes beneficial features fetus. A large percentage of carbohydrates provide a person with the necessary energy. Carbohydrates are essential for the body for heat exchange and blood circulation.

The benefits of watermelon for the human body

Berry possesses great benefit... It replenishes the deficiency of iron, magnesium and other minerals in the body. It contains a lot of liquid, therefore it improves the quality and flow of milk during lactation. Taking into account the benefits of watermelon for the body is necessary for every woman and during pregnancy. Fruit pulp relieves puffiness and helps to remove excess fluid.

The benefits of watermelon for the intestines are based on the normalization of the organ. The berry cleans the cavity of toxins, toxins, improves the nutrition of the mucous tissue. Long-term use of the product helps to improve the organic structures of the gastrointestinal tract with gastritis and ulcers.

The product is useful for diabetes mellitus, its components stabilize glucose in the bloodstream. Also, the berry removes harmful cholesterol along with urine. Natural antioxidant prevents aging, rejuvenates the body. Berry helps to survive psycho-emotional stress and eliminate stress.

Properties and uses of watermelon

V melons and gourds many phenylalanine substances that prevent the development of Parkinson's disease. It is enough to regularly consume the fruits during the seasonal period to saturate the body with useful elements.

Berry pulp helps to cope with frequent nosebleeds, anemia, and poor blood formation. It improves the properties and composition of blood, increases hemoglobin. The berry strengthens the immune system, increases protective forces, helps to cope with colds.

The product is useful for male potency. It affects male functions and is a natural aphrodisiac. The giant berry is also necessary for diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Fruits prevent the development of stroke, have a beneficial effect on blood vessels and heart function. But the main property of fruits is excretion excess water, sand and stones from the body.

The fruit promotes weight loss. It is useful to use it regularly for obesity. If you want to lose a lot of extra pounds, the berry will be an effective assistant in this process. Treatment of any stage of obesity (disease) - weight loss, diets, folk remedies and medication. The energy value of the product allows it to be used for fasting days.

In folk medicine

The seeds and peel of the product are widely used in folk medicine.

Decoction of the peel helps to cope with migraines. Lotions from watermelon peels - effective folk remedy to restore blood pressure and eliminate headaches. For the preparation of decoctions and infusions, the peels are dried, brewed and insisted. A piece of clean cloth is moistened in a decoction of watermelon peels and applied to the temples, back of the head, and forehead. This compress helps to quickly get rid of the headache.

It is useful to use watermelon for urolithiasis. The berry is necessary to remove excess fluid. Some fresh pulp should be eaten three to four times a day. The delicacy has medicinal properties, removes sand from the ureters. With an ailment, a decoction of watermelon peels is prepared and taken, too, three times a day. The crusts are harvested for future use and used even in winter. Berry seeds also have a diuretic effect. With edema, the fetus actively removes fluid and regulates metabolism.

Considering the health benefits of watermelon, the fruit should be consumed regularly. The berry is good for treating nephritis and kidney failure. WITH therapeutic purpose eat one large chunk before breakfast. The berry helps in the treatment of hepatitis, colitis, sunburn... For diarrhea, it is recommended to grind dry watermelon peels - the powder is taken in a teaspoon with water.

The juice of the peels is used to eliminate boils with skin... They lubricate the affected areas several times a day. Helps the product to quickly get rid of acne. Vitamins in watermelon nourish the skin, improve its condition and make it healthy.

In cosmetology

The plant extract, its pulp and rind are actively used in cosmetology. Pulp delicious berries used in home masks. However, large cosmetic companies have long been interested in the usefulness of watermelon. In hair and skin care, the fruit brings many benefits. The components of the pulp penetrate deeply into all layers of the dermis, actively nourish it, rejuvenate and inhibit wilting. After applying the product, the skin becomes velvety, soft, tender, like a baby's. The watermelon mask gives her a delicate, pleasant, healthy shade.

Melon culture eliminates bags under the eyes, smoothes crow's feet near the eyes, tightens the skin frame. It is a great product for skin rejuvenation. You should regularly rinse your hair with a decoction of watermelon peels. The product helps to strengthen hair follicles, the appearance of silkiness, easy combing.

With age, the skin of any person becomes flabby. Wrinkles and age spots appear on it. The pulp helps prevent aging, reduce skin folds and improve complexion.

In cooking

The taste of the product allows it to be widely used in cooking. The product can not only be consumed fresh. Fruit:

canned
make jam from them
salt
prepare candied fruits.

Delicious is prepared from watermelon healthy drinks... The zest is added to the juice and a delicious, tonic fresh juice is obtained. Very nutritious watermelon jam has a delicate pleasant taste. Also, marshmallow is prepared from the product, and even alcoholic beverages.

This is the optimal product for large table... He is able to saturate all household members and is an appropriate dessert after breakfast or dinner. The properties of watermelon will help the whole family become healthier.

Watermelon harm

How harmful the fruit is depends on the variety and growing conditions. The main harm of watermelon lies in a large number nitrates. If melons grew in an unfavorable environment, they can be poisoned. Fruits are filled with nitrates for their early ripening. You should refrain from buying watermelons in the early summer. Better to wait until they start to appear in markets and stores in large quantities, their season will begin.

To exclude poisoning with poisonous substances, you can conduct a study of watermelon pulp for the content of nitrates in the sanitary and epidemiological station. The analysis will determine if there are harmful substances in the fruit pulp.

You can not eat the fruit for patients who suffer from increased acidity of the gastrointestinal tract, gastritis and ulcers. Green-striped fruits are contraindicated in diseases of the pancreas. The use of the product in such situations can aggravate the course of the disease and cause a relapse. In any case, you need to be careful with watermelon. It is required to take into account the number of slices eaten, the quality of the product, and your chronic ailments.

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