FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD EAT WATERMELONS

Thanks to everyone who joined the tweet chat today. I do hope you have a better knowledge of Zumba fitness and what it entails. I definitely look forward to another tweet session.

Today I would be writing on a fruit I love. It’s red on the inside and very juicy. “Watermelons”, yay! I really cannot believe I have not written a post on this. Cold watermelon juice has always been my favourite when I need to refresh from a hot day. Well, it’s been really hot in Lagos these past few days, so I guess that's why I have watermelons on my mind. We would be looking at the health benefits of watermelon, if any, as many may think that the fruit is only made up of water and sugar. Water in itself, is very beneficial, so that’s a good start!

Made up of 92% water and full of important electrolytes, watermelon is a great fruit to have on hot days to prevent dehydration.

Watermelon is a great source of Vitamin-A, which is a powerful natural anti-oxidant. It is also rich in anti-oxidant flavonoids like beta-carotene and lutein which promote healthy vision/eyes and prevents degeneration of the eyes.

Watermelon is also a good source of potassium which helps to retain calcium in your body, resulting in stronger bones and joints.

Lycopene, an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes and certain other fruits and vegetables their color, improves cardiovascular functions. Research shows that watermelons have more lycopene content than tomatoes.

Watermelons are rich in vitamin-C which helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

From personal experience, watermelons help me relief stress and drinking a cold glass of watermelon juice has on several occasions cured a headache.

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NUTRITIONAL/HEALTH BENEFITS OF PLANTAINS

P lantains are widely eaten in West Africa. Plantains are similar to bananas but larger in size. While bananas are termed fruits, plantains are vegetables. Bananas are mostly eating raw, while plantains are usually cooked before consumption. Plantains can be eaten unripe, ripen or over-ripe. When unripe, plantains are usually green in colour, when ripen, they turn yellow. In Nigeria, for example, unripe plantains are usually used to cook plantain porridge, ripe plantains are mostly fried and used as a supplement to main dishes like rice and beans. Over-ripe plantains are used to make snacks like plantain fritters.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF ZOBO/SORREL DRINK

z obo/sorrel was a must have during family gatherings. As children, we loved drinking it, not only because of how nice it tasted, but also because it coloured our lips and tongues red. Zobo (Nigerian) or Sorrel (Jamaican) is a red coloured drink made from a flower called Hibiscus sabdariffa. The sorrel plant contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and a group of compounds called flavonoids. Flavanoids not only gives the sorrel plant its deep red colour, but, are also rich in antioxidants which rids the body of toxins. The sorrel plant also contains nutraceleuticals, which are said to be helpful to the health. Nutraceleuticals can help prevent and treat several diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF LIME AND HONEY

L ime and Honey are two must haves in my house. I use honey as a substitute for white sugar. I remember a friend of mine visited me once and she wanted to drink garri (drinking garri is local to Nigerians, i.e. eating dried cassava with cold water as opposed to hot water), she was astonished when I told her to use honey to sweeten her garri. I'm not a tea person, but my parents are, and a cup of tea for them is not complete without limes.

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