What is a watermelon: what family the fruits belong to, what are they and how are they useful?

Watermelon, whose beneficial properties are combined with exotic taste and delicate aroma, are loved by children and adults. The juicy pulp is excellent for quenching thirst on hot summer days and is used in weight loss diets. However, in some cases, watermelon can bring not only benefits, but also serious harm to health.

The article will tell you about which family it belongs to, how it grows, about the beneficial properties of the fetus and contraindications to eating it.

What is it - watermelon: berry, fruit or vegetable

Watermelon is an annual herb of the genus Watermelon of the Pumpkin family. It belongs to melons and gourds. Botanically speaking, the fruit of a watermelon is berries.

However, due to the discrepancy between the characteristics of the fruit and the standard description and photo of berries (too thick peel), watermelons are called pumpkin or "false" berries.

What does it look like, what are, what color

Fruits in shape, size and color differ from each other depending on the variety. The pumpkin is spherical, oval or flattened... Weighs from 2 to 25 kg. The color of the hard crust is most often green with darker streaks or spots.

The surface is smooth in most cases. Between the rind and the juicy pulp there is a white interlayer with a thickness of several millimeters to 5 cm. The pulp of watermelons is red, pink or raspberry in color, juicy, sweet and aromatic. Seeds in the form of seeds, ranging in size from 5 to 14 mm, are flat, bordered, dark brown or white in color, located in the pulp.

Thanks to selection, a large number of varieties and hybrids of watermelon have been obtained. Their fruits by weight can be from 10 g to 125 kg. The color of the fruit rind can be not only dark green or striped, but also black, white, yellow, spotted or with a marble pattern. The pulp is also white, yellow or creamy orange.

There are also unique varieties of watermelons. For example, the Densuke variety has a rich black color without a single stripe; it is grown only on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Seedless watermelons are also common, including those with yellow flesh. This variety is bred for those who get tired of extracting seeds.

Interesting! Currently, breeders in Japan have developed new varieties with a traditionally dark green striped color, but square in shape and in the form of a pyramid.

Origin and distribution

South Africa is considered the birthplace of watermelon. Scientists believe that its ancestor is Citrullus ecirrhosus (Tsamma melon), which grows in the Kalahari Desert and still serves as a source of water for the Bushmen. These small wild fruits have bitter flesh. Watermelons were grown 4 thousand years ago in northern Africa, in the Nile Valley. Over time - in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and China.

In the 20th century BC in Ancient Egypt, the fruits were placed in the tombs of the pharaohs, believing that they would be a source of food in the afterlife. The seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Watermelon was depicted on the walls of tombs and was often mentioned in ancient medical recipes.

In the 10th century, watermelon began to be grown in China, the seeds were brought by merchant merchant ships. The Chinese called it the melon of the West and considered it a remedy.More watermelons are grown in China today than anywhere else in the world.

Watermelons were brought to medieval Europe during the era of the Crusades. On the territory of modern Russia, fruits began to be grown in the 13-14 centuries.

Now watermelons are cultivated in China, America, Japan, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Features of the plant and its root system

The stem is thin, creeping and strongly branching, long (up to 5-6 m), from it there are shoots of the first, second order and clinging antennae. The main structural elements of the stem are powerful vascular bundles that perform an aquifer function.

Leaves are gray-green, hairy, cut into seven broad lobes.

Flowers are often hermaphrodite, but there are female and male, have a yellow-field color, consist of five petals.

The root system is powerful, consists of the main root, lateral roots, bearing a mass of thin branches. The main root usually grows vertically down to 1 m, the side roots are located horizontally at a depth of 20-30 cm, reaching a length of 4-6 m. The root system covers up to 8-10 m³ of soil, and the total length of the main roots is 60 m. The horse system has a large suction power.

Composition and properties of fruits

The juicy pulp has an impressive chemical composition in terms of the amount of vitamins and minerals, which contains vitamins: groups B, A, C, E, H, PP, as well as minerals: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, iron, lycopene and plant fiber.

Attention! A watermelon contains a large amount of water: 100 g of pulp contains 90 g of water.

The fruit has numerous positive properties:

• helps to remove toxins and toxins from the body;
• enhances intestinal peristalsis;
• relieves swelling;
• without irritating the urinary tract, removes sand and small stones from the kidneys;
• prevents the development of gout, arthritis, atherosclerosis and some cardiovascular diseases.

It has anti-inflammatory, choleretic and tonic effect on the human body, normalizes metabolic processes.

Attention! If the fruit contains nitrates, then its pulp is bright red with yellow veins, the seeds are white, and the rind is soft.

Calorie content and BZHU

Calorie content is 25-30 kcal per 100 g of product: proteins - 0.6 g, fats - 0.1 g, carbohydrates - 5.8 g.

Why is watermelon useful for men, women and children

The main property of watermelon juice is its cleansing effect. It removes toxins, moisture and fats from the body, which women actively use. The use of watermelon relieves puffiness of the legs, removes bags under the eyes, relieves heartburn. During the menstrual period, it helps to cope with general weakness, pain and cramps in the lower abdomen, headaches, and reduces blood loss.

The components citrulline and lycopene have a stimulating effect on male sexual function: watermelon juice increases sexual desire.

The fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals that children need. It has a general strengthening and immunostimulating effect on the child's body. Low calorie intake is important for overweight children.

During pregnancy and hepatitis B

Watermelon during pregnancy should be consumed environmentally friendly, without nitrates. A small slice of the fetus for breakfast in the first trimester of pregnancy reduces the unpleasant signs of toxicosis (vomiting, nausea, heartburn).

Regular use at a later date, it helps to fight leg cramps. Pregnant women need to consume up to 800 g of this product per day, since exceeding this norm can lead to problems with the genitourinary system.

When breastfeeding a baby watermelon should be excluded from the diet if there is no certainty that the fruit does not contain nitrates.

When losing weight

Watermelon diet Is an effective method that allows you to lose weight in a few weeks... Due to its low calorie content and the appearance of a feeling of fullness for a long time, it is used in mono-diets and in the form of fasting days once a week.

Such a diet is usually well tolerated due to the presence in the watermelon of a large amount of water, natural sugars and an abundance of nutrients. The optimal food intake for people who are losing weight is 1 kg of pulp per 10 kg of weight.

Rules and norms of consumption

Despite the usefulness of the fruit, its excessive consumption can negatively affect the state of health, therefore, the rules and norms of consumption are observed:

• eat in the morning or afternoon, as eating before bedtime can lead to frequent toilet visits and sleep disturbance;
• do not eat watermelon before or after the main meal, as digestive problems may occur, optimally two hours before or after meals;
• watermelon is not combined with other products;
• healthy adults eat watermelon in unlimited quantities until they feel full.

Babies and children under 3 years old are prohibited from eating watermelon due to the possible development of allergic reactions.

Children from 3 to 5 years old are recommended to give no more than 200 g of pulp per day, as the fetus can cause indigestion or harm the child's genitourinary system. In this case, the pulp is cut out from the middle of the fruit, since nitrates accumulate there the least. In addition, the product is given only during its ripening period - the end of August - mid-September.

Children 5 years and older can eat 200 to 800 g of pulp.

Contraindications

There are diseases in which it is worth completely excluding the fetus from the diet:

• serious violations of the liver and kidneys;
• problems with urination;
• kidney stones with a diameter of more than 4 mm;
• diarrhea and persistent colitis;
• type 2 diabetes mellitus;
• increased acidity or gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer;
• individual intolerance.

Most popular varieties

We bring to your attention an overview of the most famous varieties of watermelon.

Astrakhan

This variety has been popular since Soviet times. It has a round, slightly oval shape, light yellow, slightly blurred stripes on a dark green background. It has a sweet, rich taste, rich vitamins, excellent thirst quencher.

Twinkle

Variety can also be grown in northern regions. Differs in a spherical shape and a dark, green, uniform color of the peel. Weighing up to 2 kg. Very sweet, with a delicate grainy pulp, almost seedless.

Chill

One of the most famous late varieties, it can only be purchased at the end of September. Differs in huge dimensions (up to 25 kg). It has an elongated oval shape, thick striped skin and bright red sugary pulp.

Lunar

An original, memorable hybrid with a bright lemon-colored pulp. The main difference lies in the color and tenderness of the pulp, the unique taste, in which notes of lemon, honey and vanilla are mixed.

Conclusion

Watermelon is rich in vitamins and nutrients, but it will benefit, and not harm the human body only if all the rules and norms for its use in food are observed.