What vitamins are in watermelon and how do they affect he alth? The chemical composition of watermelon, calorie content, nutritional value

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Summer offers people a great opportunity to replenish the body's reserves with all kinds of berries, vegetables and fruits, which include a huge amount of vitamins and minerals.

Origin story

Watermelon is a berry, which is a gourd crop of the Cucurbitaceae family and has a large number of useful elements. Until now, they argue about the history of the origin of this product, calling it distant South Africa or India as its homeland. For a long time, wondering what vitamins are in watermelon, the culture was also grown in China, and in the XII century. it began to be cultivated in Europe. On the territory of our country, the berry has been grown since the 13th century. There is an opinion that he got to the northern parts of the country thanks to the Tatars. Today, this gourd plant is grown in almost 100 countries.

Chemical composition of culture

The whole fruit has useful and healing properties, including the peel, seeds and the pulp itself. Not everyone knows what vitamins are in watermelon and what it consists of. Approximately 90% water is included in the product. The highest amount of fiber and solubleThe sugars found in the juicy pulp are fructose, sucrose and glucose. Acids such as folic, nicotinic and ascorbic are present in watermelon pits. The product also contains iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, protein, alkaline and pectin substances, carotenoids and amino acids - tyrosine, citrulline, valine, isoleucine and so on. The chemical composition of watermelon, calories, vitamins, nutritional value - all this indicates that this is a real find and a miracle berry for the human body.

Calories

A lot has been written about the low calorie content of this product. The calorie content of watermelon is only 30 kcal per 100 grams. This has made it very popular in a variety of cleansing and fat-burning diets. The fruit satisfies thirst and hunger well, cleanses the body qualitatively, saturating it with useful substances and water.

Useful properties and characteristics of watermelon

The plant is represented by a variety of species and shapes: round, oval and oblong. The rind is usually green, but light green is also found, with or without spots, stripes. Inside the watermelon has a standard color - red.

However, sometimes you can see pink, crimson and even white. You can often hear the question: “What vitamins are found in watermelon?” Contrary to the opinion of many, there are enough useful substances in this miracle berry. These are B vitamins, ranging from vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, as well as A,C and R. The following details what vitamins watermelon contains:

• B1 takes part in the work of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, helps to eliminate diseases of the joints and is actively involved in metabolic processes. The daily norm is at least 2 mg. One serving of watermelon contains an average of 0.04 mg of this vitamin.
• B2 is also responsible for the above functions, but additionally plays a vital role in the functioning of the liver. The norm throughout the day is also about 2 mg, and a watermelon serving consists of 0.06 mg of this vitamin.
• What other vitamins are in watermelon? B6, which is responsible for the process of assimilation of amino acids and the processing of nicotinic acid in the body.
• B9 takes part in the functioning of blood cells and regulates the state of the blood in general.
• Vitamin A is responsible for the general state of immunity, vision and skin tone. The pulp of 100 grams of watermelon contains about 0.1 mg of the vitamin, with a daily requirement of 2 mg.
• Vitamin PP, which is responsible for the supply of oxygen to organs and tissues, also affects the functioning of the heart. One hundred grams of watermelon contains approximately 0.2 mg (with a daily requirement of 30 mg).
• And finally, vitamin C is an indispensable element required by the body from early childhood. It is responsible for the condition of hair, skin, teeth and nails. A slice of watermelon has about 7mg for a daily requirement of 100mg.

Use in traditional medicine

Many lovers of this culture know what vitamins are contained in watermelon and how toapply in folk medicine. The pulp of gourds is used to treat gout, anemia and cardiovascular diseases. Treatment of liver diseases and cleansing of the kidneys is not complete without this juicy product, which, among other things, is an excellent diuretic. For the treatment of colic, young children prepare a special powder from watermelon peel. The fiber found in the fetus contributes to the removal and normalization of high cholesterol levels in the blood. At home, various jams, conserves, candied fruits and marmalade are prepared from this large berry, and butter is made from the seeds.

Contraindications

Unfortunately, today more and more melon growers fill watermelon with all kinds of nitrates and chemicals that contribute to the rapid ripening of the fruit. How useful is such a berry? What vitamins can be found in this type of watermelon? Alas, the answer to these questions is unlikely to please anyone. In most cases, the harm will far outweigh the benefit. It should be borne in mind that using a special apparatus that measures the amount of nitrates in vegetables and fruits, you can check the quality of the watermelon and its suitability for consumption (which is especially important for children). Therefore, when choosing a watermelon, first of all, it is necessary to be guided by common sense, which will tell you what vitamins are in watermelon and how they affect he alth if the berry is put on the shelves in early July (or even earlier). The right time to buy watermelon is August, September.

Despite the fact that watermelon -a very useful berry, it still has contraindications. With caution, the fruits should be used by those who have problems with edema, the urinary system and the prostate gland. People with diabetes should also be careful with this product.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the benefits of watermelon are very high, you can enjoy it without fear of ruining your figure. The main rule for consuming this juicy and large berry is not to abuse it and carefully choose it.