What are the benefits of eating watermelon?

Eating watermelon in hot summer has many benefits.

In hot summer, eating watermelon is a great pleasure. These days, although watermelons are on the market in all seasons, only in this season do people eat the most heartily. People love to eat watermelon not only to appreciate its delicious taste, but also because it can cool and quench their thirst, relieve summer heat and make people feel comfortable. First of all, watermelon pulp is 94% water, as well as sugar, vitamins, various amino acids and a small amount of inorganic salts, which can most effectively supplement the water and nutrition needed by the human body in high temperature season; Secondly, the intake of water and inorganic salts can be metabolized into urine, and can also take away excess heat to achieve the effect of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat and benefiting qi.

In Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen described the benefits of eating watermelon in great detail. He said that watermelon is sweet in taste, cold in nature and non-toxic, which not only "relieves annoyance and thirst, relieves summer heat", but also "soothes middle warmer, promotes diuresis, cures bloody dysentery, hangover and aphtha". Watermelon is also called "natural white tiger soup" in medical books. Baihu decoction is an effective prescription for treating excess heat such as high fever and polydipsia in traditional Chinese medicine. It is said that eating watermelon can achieve the effect of this prescription, which shows the doctor's attention. Today, symptoms such as fever, thirst, oliguria, hyperhidrosis and irritability caused by heatstroke or other acute fever in summer can be treated by eating watermelon.

In addition, the medicinal part of watermelon also has the skin called "watermelon Cui Yi" by TCM. In fact, the effect of clearing heat, diuresis and promoting fluid production of melon peel is far better than that of melon pulp, but few people know it. With a little repair, melon skin can become a rare summer delicacy in summer. The simplest way is to cut off the rough green husk and the residual melon pulp, cut them into strips and mix them with sesame oil, refined salt, sugar and vinegar; It can also be fried with sliced onions, ginger and other things, which will make people's appetite open after tasting.

It should also be stated that watermelon is good, but it is always a cold product. If people with weak body, cold stomach and weak stomach are gluttonous, it is easy to cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Not suitable for eating with greasy things; If watermelon is eaten with warm food or drink, cold and heat are incompatible and it is easy to make people vomit. Watermelon should be eaten as soon as possible after being cut, otherwise its sweet and juicy pulp will easily become an ideal "culture medium" for bacteria; When eating watermelons stored in the refrigerator, be sure to leave them at room temperature for a while before eating, so as not to damage your body.

What are the taboos for eating watermelon?

Ms. Wang, Zhoukou City, Henan Province: I have high blood pressure. Some people say that eating watermelon can lower blood pressure, while others say that you can't eat more watermelon. Can eating watermelon lower blood pressure? Is there any taboo to eat watermelon?

Professor Zhang Guoxi from Xiyuan Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Chinese medicine believes that watermelon is sweet and cold in nature, and enters the heart, stomach and bladder meridian, which has the effects of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, relieving vexation and quenching thirst, diuresis and lowering blood pressure. Clinically, it has certain curative effect on high fever and thirst, sweating due to summer heat, nephritis and oliguria, and hypertension.

Watermelon belongs to cold food, which is easy to hurt the spleen and stomach. Therefore, patients with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold and loose stool should eat less. Normal people should not eat more, otherwise it will damage the spleen and stomach and cause indigestion or diarrhea. Watermelon is sweet and cold, so it is not suitable for colds and early colds, especially those who are afraid of cold and sweat. Moreover, watermelon is an antidiarrheal and diuretic food, and people with weak spleen and kidney should not eat more. In addition, people with renal insufficiency should not eat too much watermelon, because watermelon contains more water. If the kidneys can't excrete water in time, water will remain in the body, causing edema. Diabetic patients should not eat more watermelon, because its high sugar content will cause blood sugar to rise.

Watermelon should be cut and eaten, and it should not be stored for too long to avoid deterioration. It is best not to eat the watermelon taken out of the refrigerator directly until the temperature of the watermelon rises, otherwise it will damage the spleen and stomach because it is too cold.