How many of you knew that the
watermelon seed was as equally essential as the fruit itself? KELECHI BENITA
tells us about the Watermelon as well as the usefulness of the seed (rind).
Water melon is a vine-like flowering
plant originally from southern Africa and an extremely popular fruit. It is a
large sprawling annual plant with coarse, hairy leaves and white to yellow flowers. It is grown for its
edible fruit also known as water melon which is a special kind of berry
referred to by botanists as pepo. The fruit has a smooth hard rind, usually
green with dark green stripes or yellow spots and a juicy sweet interior flesh,
usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow or white with many
seeds. Despite popular belief that water melon is made up of only water and
sugar, it is actually considered a nutrient dense food, that is a food that
provides high amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of
calories.
Water melon have become synonymous
with picnics and for good reasons. Their refreshing quality and sweet taste
help to combat heat and also provides a guilt free low maintenance dessert for
kids and adults to enjoy. Studies have suggested that increased consumption of
water melon decreases the risk of obesity and overall mortality, diabetes and
heart disease. The risks of developing asthma is drastically lowered in people
who consume a high amount of certain nutrients like vitamin C which can be
found in many fruits and vegetables including water melon. Water melons with
their vitamin C content helps combat the formation of free radicals known to
cause cancer. Also because of its high
water and fibre content, it helps prevent constipation and also keeps the digestive
tract healthy. Its high water content makes it a good fruit to take during the
hot season to prevent hydration. Choline in water melon aids our body in sleep,
muscle movement, learning and memory. Water melon and water melon juice is also
known to reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery time after exercises in
athletes. Watermelon is also great for the skin because it contains vitamin A,
a nutrient for sebum production that helps keep the hair moisturized.
While we all enjoy eating this sweet
refreshing fruit, we usually discard the tiny seeds scattered in it without any
knowledge of their health benefits. These seeds are loaded with nutrients like
fatty acids, essential proteins and lots of minerals and therefore should not
be discarded. These seeds have a hard outer covering so they should be chewed
before swallowing to get their nutritional content. Watermelon seeds are
effective in recovering health after illness. Watermelon seeds are high in
protein and can be extremely beneficial in combating protein deficiencies.
Watermelon seeds also prevents sign of
ageing because they contain antioxidants and oils which makes the skin look
younger. Our bodies require amino acids but there are some which the body
cannot produce on its own and have to be gotten from food sources. Watermelon seeds contains some of these essential amino
acids. Water melon seeds are also good sources of magnesium which is necessary
for normal heart functioning and maintenance of blood pressure. They also
contain lycopene which helps in improving male fertility. Most times, we
discard the watermelon skin or rind because we consider it unhealthy [am guilty
of that] but it is not true. Research has shown that watermelon rinds leads to
less muscle fatigue which therefore allows people to extend the duration of
their workouts and in turn manage their weight. Watermelon rind can also help
with erectile dysfunction. It's obvious that watermelon is an amazing fruit
because there is no part of it that needs to be discarded so we are free to
takes as much as we want.
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My mum used to tell me about how the seed cures headache. I dont know how true it is but largely speaking, I knew there was something good about the seed too. After all, the water melon is simply too medicinal not to. Good write-up dear.
ReplyDeleteOrange coloured water melon? Very seriously? How can I get that? I stay in Ibadan.
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia. Sorry dear, but the orange water melon isn't very available in our country. They are usually found in foreign lands. Thanks for commenting.
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