When Can You Start Eating Watermelons Without Fear Of Poisoning?

A truly ripe watermelon reaches our markets from the fields in the second half of August. That's when you need to enjoy its taste with health benefits without fear of exposure to pesticides. How to avoid watermelon poisoning? The permissible level of nitrates in melons is 60 mg/kg.

Watermelon season in Ukraine has not yet started. When will we be able to try a ripe watermelon without fear of poisoning?

Watermelons, which are sold in markets and supermarkets every July, are grown in unnatural greenhouse conditions. They may contain excess nitrates, dyes. Not to mention the fact that the taste and benefits of a watermelon ripened "under a film" are much inferior to a field-ripened watermelon.

Of course, not all greenhouse watermelons are harmful. The presence of harmful substances in them, which means the danger to health, can be assessed by a laboratory test in each specific case. When growing greenhouse berries, more mineral fertilizers are used. This can lead to excessive accumulation of nitrates and watermelon poisoning. But the melons that grow in the fields are practically not processed. The permissible level of nitrates in melons is 60 mg/kg.

Growing this delicious berry is not easy. Watermelon is very sensitive to changes in temperature, humidity and soil fertility. Melons are grown in open ground, so they are attacked by a significant number of insect pests. The use of various poisonous chemicals (pesticides) is connected with this.

 

There are many types of pesticides. During their growth and ripening, watermelons are treated with herbicides ("Bazudin"), fungicides ("Fentiuram") and insecticides (BI-58″). All of them can affect the human body, causing general weakness, dizziness, headache, symptoms of intoxication (nausea, vomiting). If you deal with these chemical compounds for a long time, there may be disturbances in the work of the endocrine, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

A truly ripe watermelon reaches our markets from the fields in the second half of August. That's when you need to enjoy its taste with health benefits without fear of exposure to pesticides.

How to avoid watermelon poisoning?

You can get poisoned not only with "nitrate" watermelon. Poisoning can also be caused by a bacterial infection that has penetrated into a "healthy" ripe watermelon from the outside. Sliced ​​and cut berries are potentially dangerous. After all, we do not know whether the knife used to make the cut was clean, whether the seller washed his hands, and how long the cut watermelon spent on the street. Therefore, if you decide to buy a watermelon, do not ask the seller to cut it, but take it home whole.

To avoid watermelon poisoning, do not buy it at the flea market. In centralized markets, melon crops undergo a laboratory test, for which a certificate is issued to the seller. If desired, each buyer can familiarize himself with it.

 

Useful properties of watermelon

• one slice of watermelon contains a daily dose of folic acid, necessary for the good functioning of the heart and blood vessels, fat metabolism and hematopoiesis
• contains a large amount of iron, which perfectly contributes to recovery from iron deficiency anemia
• Watermelon contains substances that normalize intestinal microflora, which is useful for dysbacteriosis
• the berry has diuretic and choleretic effects
• it is rich in alkaline substances that neutralize excess acids in the gastrointestinal tract
• has a beneficial effect on the kidneys and liver
• improves skin condition and metabolism
• removes toxins and impurities
• reduces the caloric content of the diet

How to buy the right watermelon? A healthy watermelon is like this

1. regular spherical shape
2. dark green color with white stripes
3. smooth surface without cracks, stains, matte coating
4. the skin is easily scratched with a fingernail
5. the sound when patting a ripe watermelon is dull

Before eating watermelon, wash it with a brush and soap and pour hot boiled water over it. So you will get rid of dangerous bacteria that may be on its skin. If you cut a watermelon, it is better to eat it within a day.

Each of us tries to follow a healthy lifestyle and a certain diet, maybe even a diet. There is also a watermelon diet that can help you fight extra pounds.

Watermelon diet 1

The duration of the diet is no more than 5-7 days, as there are strict restrictions, it is not worth exhausting the body. With this diet, there is only one product for consumption - watermelon, and you can eat it as much as you want. Diet calculation: for every 10 kilograms of your weight, there is 1 kilogram of sweet berry pulp. You should divide the amount of berries into 5-6 receptions and enjoy.

Watermelon diet 2

The duration of the diet is 10 days. With this diet, a sample menu for the day:

breakfast: porridge or muesli, cheese can be with an apple, tea

lunch: vegetable salad with a lot of greens, lemon juice dressing, one egg or 100 grams of fish/lean meat.

dinner: watermelon for 30 kg of your weight, 1 kg of pulp, but dinner should not be late, as the berry has a diuretic effect.

If you want the lost kilograms not to return after the end of the diet, it is necessary to eat vegetables, fruits, various cereals, fermented milk products for breakfast and lunch, and eat watermelon in the evening for the next 10-15 days. It will be an excellent exit from the diet.

Contraindications to this diet are: diseases of the kidneys and genitourinary system - kidney stones, pyelonephritis, diabetic disorders.

Before starting this diet, you should consult your doctor.

Preparing watermelon Watermelon salad with cheese and carrot balls

Ingredients:

• 70 g of carrots
• 200 g of watermelon
• 40 ml of liqueur
• 15 g of flax seeds
• 150 g of pears
• 100 g of raspberries
• 100 g of creamy cheese cream
• a pinch of salt
• vanillin
• 70 g of 20% sour cream
• 150 g of 9% cheese
• 15 honey

 

Preparation

We wash all the fruits and clean them. Cut the pears into equal slices, put them in a container. It is advisable to sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent the pieces from darkening. Next, pour in the washed raspberries. We use a round spoon to scoop out the watermelon pulp so that the balls come out, and send it to the fruit. Pour flax seeds into the salad.

We make cheese mass for balls. Add sour cream and honey to the cheese. Add a small amount of salt. Add vanilla. Knead and shape balls with pre-washed hands. Grate carrots on a fine grater, roll cheese balls in it.

We make a dressing from liqueur and cream cheese. We put our blanks of balls and fruits on a dish. Pour the sauce over. The salad is ready! Bon Appetit.

Watermelon ice cream

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 4 cups of watermelon pulp

 

Preparation

Put the watermelon pulp in a blender, add sugar and lime juice. Grind until smooth. Put the resulting mass in a container with a volume of 1 liter and put it in the freezer. After every 30 minutes, remove and stir the resulting mixture. The whole process will take about 2 hours. We get everything ready and delight everyone with delicious watermelon ice!

Watermelon soup

Ingredients

• 400 g of pitted watermelon
• 2 pieces of cucumbers
• 6 pieces of tomato
• 1/3 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1 spring onion

 

Preparation

We wash all the ingredients under water, clean them from the skin and seeds. Cut the watermelon pulp into cubes of about 3 centimeters. About 8 cups should be obtained: pour them into a blender and grind. In the same place, chop 2/3 of all cucumbers and tomatoes, basil. Add salt and lemon juice there.

We pour it all into one container, cut the remaining watermelon and cucumber into small cubes and add it there. Next, we pour chopped green onions into it. Cover the soup container with a lid and place in the refrigerator to cool. You can eat after 1 hour. Bon Appetit!