[RECETTES RAFRAICHISSANTES] Packed with benefits, watermelon has no equal to refresh during hot weather. Normal: this fruit is made up of 90% water, which makes it the ideal food during this heat wave. Discover the different varieties of watermelon with Mathilde Gibeaux, dietitian nutritionist and president of Miam, an association encouraging the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
Composed of 90% water, watermelon is perfect for hydrating and pleasantly quenching your thirst when it’s hot. “Its water content also has an effect on the feeling of satiety”, explains Mathilde Gibeaux, dietitian nutritionist and president by yum. “And its fibers help fight against small hollows.” Much better than an ice cream to cool off after the beach, unless you choose to consume it in the form of homemade popsicles.
In video: the recipe for watermelon popsicles
The different varieties of watermelon
- Classic: green with red flesh studded with black pips. There are several varieties: Sugar Baby, with a beautiful plain green skin; Crimson Sweet, striped; Charleston Gray, with rather mottled bark; Golden Crown with yellow skin. Their flavor is essentially the same.
- Seedless: iComing from a natural genetic mutation, the Apyrene watermelon has the particularity of being seedless. We find it more and more on our stalls (Queen of hearts, Jupiter, Reina…). But the dietician tempers: “The seeds are edible and provide a significant amount of vitamin C, excellent for the immune system, and vitamin B3 (niacin) necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system. They also contribute to good iron intake and in magnesium. Finally, they have a slightly laxative effect.” The condition for benefiting from their advantages? Chew them well or crush them (without abusing them…). Another tip, grill them in a pan to give a touch of crunch to salads .
- With yellow flesh: surprisingly, with a slightly sweeter taste. To be served with its red cousin in alternating wedges.
>> You can also drink it. After coconut water, here is the madness of watermelon water. Well endowed with minerals such as potassium, it also contains lycopene, vitamin C and L-citrulline, an amino acid that would boost physical performance and reduce muscle pain. The singer Beyoncé was not mistaken, who invested in the start-up WTRMLN WTR (name imagined from the consonants of “watermelon water”, or “watermelon water” in English). A company that distributes cold-pressed watermelon juice in bottles. To enjoy it, you can also mix the flesh and press it through a sieve.
Watermelon: a fruit rich in antioxidants
Low in calories (34 Cal per 100 g), watermelon is the slimming ally par excellence. Watermelon is also a good source of beta-carotene. This precursor of vitamin A helps, among other things, to maintain good vision and beautiful skin.
It is also a fruit rich in antioxidants. “Its flesh is stuffed with it. It contains lycopene, which gives it its pretty color (yellow watermelon contains less of it) and helps fight against certain diseases, including high blood pressure.” According to American studies, a daily consumption of watermelon would also be beneficial for preventing cardiovascular disease.
To note : “Watermelon is one of the foods that can be implicated in oral allergy syndrome (itching in the mouth), affecting some people sensitive to pollen and almost always preceded by hay fever,” points out Mathilde Gibeaux. Avoid if so.
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Watermelon granita
Cut the flesh of 600 g of watermelon into pieces, remove the seeds and mix with 1 punnet of raspberries. Place the preparation in a plastic container and set in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring the preparation to obtain a granita texture. Decorate with a few raspberries and sprinkle with fresh mint.
