Juicy, sweet and aromatic watermelon is famous not only for its delicious taste: regularly including it in the diet, you provide vitamin support to your body and improve health.
Useful substances contained in watermelon:
- vitamin C;
- vitamin B1;
- vitamin B2;
- vitamin PP;
- folic acid;
- carotene;
- cellulose;
- potassium salts;
- carbohydrates.
Watermelon and its healing properties
Eating watermelon in food has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular diseases, intestinal atony, nephrolithiasis and other kidney diseases. Possessing a powerful diuretic effect, watermelon removes toxic substances from the human body.
Watermelon seeds, ground with a small amount of milk, are used in folk medicine as an antihelminthic agent, as well as for the treatment of uterine bleeding.
Watermelon is an excellent food for people suffering from diseases of the nervous system, diabetes, arthritis, gout, hypertension and sclerosis. The juice of this berry supplies the body with easily digestible sugars, and also perfectly quenches thirst. This drink is especially effective for edema associated with heart disease, as it promotes the rapid elimination of unnecessary fluid.
The most useful is the juice from the white pulp of the watermelon, which is under the crust. You can mix it with apple juice to enhance the taste. However, you should not drink such juice in large quantities (more than 100 ml per dose) in order to avoid unwanted reactions.
According to nutritionists, a person can consume 2-2.5 kg of watermelon every day, and it is better to eat it in small portions.
With hypertension, kidney, liver and gallbladder diseases, it is very useful to arrange watermelon fasting days, during which only watermelon is eaten: 1.5 kg of pulp per day in 5-6 doses. However, it should be noted that such treatment, carried out without the supervision of a doctor, can be hazardous to health.
Due to its high fiber content, watermelon improves intestinal motility, removes excess cholesterol. For acute and chronic inflammation of the large intestine, traditional medicine recommends drinking an infusion made from dried watermelon peels.
Contraindications to the use of watermelon
Due to unfair cultivation and improper storage, watermelon often becomes a source of nitrates and nitrites, which can lead to severe forms of poisoning and allergies. Not being sure of the quality of the watermelon, you should not give it to young children.
The use of watermelon is contraindicated in diarrhea, colitis, urinary outflow disorders, and urolithiasis (if the stones are large).
