Health Benefits of Watermelon

Watermelon, Citrullus lanatus is a plant specie in the family Cucurbitaceae.

This delicious, appetising fruit is good for you especially during hot summer days.

Nutritional values	Health benefits
93% of watermelon is water	Prevents dehydration
Low calorie and	good for weight watchers. So you are consuming a good volume of food with low calorie content
high fibre content
Minerals : potassium	Lowers blood pressure prevents heart attack and stroke.
magnesium	is  essential for calcium absorption maintaining healthy bones ,prevents osteoporosis
Vitamin C	is an antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage from free radicals
Vitamin A	Alfa –carotene and beta –carotene are turned into vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A and C are important for skin and hair health.
Carotenoids; lycopene	maintains healthy eyes and protects against age-related macular degeneration. Lycopene with vitamin C are  anti-inflammatory  antioxidants
Vitamin B1   thiamine
B5   pantothenic acid
B6

Watermelon cake:

 Cut a circular thick slice of watermelon and top it up with different cubed fruits and berries and serve it sliced as a cake.

Diet for Preventing Dehydration

Ms H

It is time to be prepared for the hot summer days. In this place you learn about the symptoms of dehydration, the action to prevent dehydration and the essential foods for keeping hydrated.

Symptoms of dehydration:

·      increased thirst.

·      dry mouth.

·      tired or sleepy.

·      decreased urine output.

·      headache.

·      dry skin. And

·      dizziness.

Action to prevent dehydration:

·      Drink plenty of water. Take a container of water or sports drink with you when you exercise, and try to drink at least every 15 to 20 minutes.

·      Avoid high protein diet

·      Avoid any alcohol, they increase dehydration

·      Wear lightweight and light colour clothing.

Foods that can contribute to your fluid intake:

·      Cucumber contains 95% of water. It also provides you with dietary fibre vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. Example: a cup of cucumber slices is nearly as thirst quenching as a glass of water.

·      Strawberries contain 91% of water, vitamin C also provide folate, a vitamin B that’s essential for the healthy growth of new cells.

·      Watermelon contains 92% of water. It is a good source of vitamin C and, also has lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against heart disease and some types of cancer.

·      Salad greens contain more than 90% of water and nutrients such as dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, beta- carotene, vitamin K, thiamine, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

·      Regular plain yogurt is 85% to 88% water. You’ll get calcium, vitamin B12 riboflavin and probiotics.

Recipes:

Cucumber salad:

Ingredients:

Cucumber	1 sliced
Lettuce	sliced
Ruccola	Handful
Roasted buckwheat	½ cup
Pumpkin seeds	½ cup
Yogurt	½ cup

Melon and strawberry salad:

Ingredients :

Strawberries halved	200g
Melon cubed	200g
Lemon juice freshly squeezed	½
Walnuts	Handful

Buckwheat Pancakes with Spinach and Feta Cheese

Buckwheat and spinach enrich the blood, helping to increase the red blood cells and restore metabolic balance.

Ingredients for 4 persons

130g -140g 4 medium ½ cup 60ml 2 tbsp 1tsp 150g 100g 100g 3tbsp

buckwheat flour eggs milk corn oil salt spinach finely chopped Feta cheese Ricotta cheese Greek yogurt water

Method:

·      Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt add the egg and the milk. Using a wooden spoon stir in well.

·      Gradually add around 100ml water, little by little, stirring continuously until all the flour has been incorporated and the mixture is lump-free. Then stir a ½ tablespoon oil into the batter.

·      Preheat the oven to 180⁰C

·      Place the crumbled feta cheese, 3 eggs ricotta cheese, Greek yogurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl mix them well, then add the chopped spinach to the mixture and combine them.

·      Make 8 pancakes

·      Spread some of the filling over a pancake and roll it up. Repeat with the rest of the pancakes.

·      Arrange the pancake rolls in a greased baking dish. Pour the remaining filling over the pancakes and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Serving:

Serve them hot with salad.