Happenings 07
MAy 2015
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Wonders of watermelon
Watermelons are the
summer refreshers one
savours while the Sun is
shining bright. Everyone,
from kids to oldies love
this red and juicy fruit.
Watermelon is one
natural coolant, writes
Pradnya Karnik, resident
of Paranjape Schemes
W
atermelon is a vine-like trailer flowering plant
originally from southern Africa. Along with
cantaloupe and honeydew, watermelons are a
member of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae. It is
a large, sprawling annual plant with coarse, hairy,
pinnately-lobed leaves and white to yellow flowers.
It is grown for its edible fruit which is a special kind
of berry referred to by botanists as a pepo. There
are five common types of watermelon: seeded,
seedless, mini (also known as personal), yellow and
orange. 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 watermelon is
made up of only water and sugar, watermelon
is actually considered a nutrient dense food. It
provides high amount of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5,
B6, B9), A, C, minerals like magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and
antioxidants (lycopene) for low amount of calories.
During summer our body gets dehydrated due
to sweating .Watermelon has 92% of water and
electrolytes. So, watermelons hydrates body and
skin when water and minerals
are lost in sweating, thus
reducing the chances
of dehydration. The
four great fatigue
fighters - Potassium,
The first recorded
Vitamin C, lycopene
watermelon harvest
and iron found in
watermelon drive
occurred nearly 5,000
away any feeling of
years ago in Egypt.
Fun facts
Watermelon's official
name is Citrullus Lanatus
of the botanical family
Curcurbitaceae. It is
cousins to cucumbers,
pumpkins and squash.
By weight, watermelon
is the most-consumed
melon in the United
States, followed
by cantaloupe and
honeydew.
fatigue you may experience.
Plenty of water and mineral contents in
watermelon clean kidney through frequent
urination. Watermelon contains potassium that
removes toxic elements from body and abandons
renal calculi which is produced in the body, and
it reduces the percentage of uric acid present in
blood.
The best nutritional benefit of watermelon is
that it is a delicious sweet with low calories, and
percentage of water content is high in it. This helps
in reducing weight. Watermelon is really helpful
for students for increasing their brain power as it
contains good amount of Vitamin B6 that is helpful
in increasing brain power. According to the National
Watermelon Promotion Board, watermelon
contains more lycopene than any other fruit or
vegetable. Lycopene is a carotenoid (bright red
colour) having antioxidant activity. It neutralizes
free radicals in the body and thereby wrinkles,
pimples and scars get cured.
The content of Vitamin A in watermelon is good for
eye sight. It creates immunity, increases eye sight
power and protects eyes from different infections.
Watermelon contains a good amount of
potassium which helps in curing heart disease
keeping heart healthy. As watermelon contains
Vitamin B6, B1, C and manganese, it gives a kind of
protection shield against outer infections.
Japanese farmers
have been growing square
shaped watermelons for last
decade. The shape helps in
packaging. The cost of such
square shaped watermelon
How to
choose a
watermelon?
is 100 US Dollars. Last month these farmers got
success in growing heart shaped watermelons. So
in near future we may find watermelons of various
shapes, out for sale in the market.
Record:
The Lloyd Bright family grew 2 world record
breaking watermelons in the summer of 2005.
Saturday, September 3rd, 2005, a melon was
weighed in at 268.8 pounds at the Hope Farm
Store. This melon was certified by Guinness as the
world record in the spring of 2006.
1. Look the watermelon over:
You are looking for a firm, symmetrical watermelon that is free from
bruises, cuts or dents.
2. Lift it up:
The watermelon should be heavy for its size. Watermelon is 92% water;
most of the weight is water.
These three steps will help you 3. Turn it over:
The underside of the watermelon should have a creamy yellow spot from
make the right choice.
where it sat on the ground and ripened in the Sun.