HEALTH: New Miracle Drug: Watermelon (RECIPES, REMEDIES, FUN!)

[Guest guest]

New Miracle Drug: Watermelon

By Janet Ford - Diet Power Senior Editor

Watermelon has the power to strip man of his morality. Mark Twain

recalled that the first thing he ever stole was a watermelon, and it

gave him cause to reflect on his crime. The melon wasn't ripe, and he

thought he should pay restitution to the farmer he swiped it from.

" I carried that watermelon back, what was left of it, " he said, " and

made him give me a ripe one in its place. "

The fruit of the Citrullus lanatus vine has had this power for thousands

of years. Watermelon was recorded in ancient Egypt, and has been a

staple of both food and water in Africa and Asia. (With a water content

of 92 percent, it's not called watermelon for nothing.)

Watermelon has witnessed many changes and discoveries in the past 20

years, however. Thanks to scientific advances, it's being touted as so

healthful it should be stored in your medicine chest. It won't fit, of

course, but even that's about to change: Before long, you'll see

watermelons so small you'll be tempted to shoplift them. In the

meantime, you're stuck with (or blessed with, depending on how you feel)

the larger ones, which are most abundant just about this time of year.

Diet Power has declared watermelon one of " The 10 Best Foods. " Its

delectable flesh has no cholesterol and virtually no fat (almost none of

which is saturated)-a stellar accomplishment for a food often served as

a dessert at picnics. Watermelon is an excellent source of potassium

and vitamins A, C, and B6. It's also a good source of water (that's why

the things are so heavy), so you can chew your way to getting your

daily H20 requirement.

Move Over, Tomatoes!

But recent research shows another wonderful characteristic: Watermelon

contains more lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable.

Lycopene, besides being the red pigment that gives the flesh its color,

is an antioxidant known to prevent cancer. Studies have shown that

people who get lots of lycopene have a lower risk of prostate, uterine,

and esophageal tumors.

Tomatoes have received the lion's share of attention when it comes to

lycopene, even though there is less per serving (4 milligrams in a cup

vs. 9 in the same amount of watermelon). Watermelon is also listed by

the American Heart Association as one of the best foods for

cardiovascular health.

" Watermelon is practically a multivitamin unto itself, " says

Winters, a spokeswoman for the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Watermelons are still on the kitchen counter instead of the medicine

chest because they're bulky, but that's changed over the years.

Although the Japanese recently created a cube-shaped watermelon (click

here to see it), in America the trend is toward smaller and smaller. In

part, this stems (no pun intended) from the craze to make watermelons

seedless. Melons without seeds are smaller and rounder than their seedy

cousins.

The technology to grow seedless melons has been around for half a

century, but popular for only the last 15 years or so, says Warren

, a watermelon expert and an associate professor of horticulture

at Oklahoma State University. Today, one-third to one-half of all

watermelons sold in this country are seedless, and in California the

rate is seven in eight.

Spitters' Foe

Making the seedless variety involves cross-pollination, whose side

effects include smaller seeds in the seeded types. And that's why Jim

Dietz, of Chicago, can rest assured that his singular accomplishment may

last longer than Joe DiMaggio's 56-game batting streak. Dietz, you see,

holds the world record for watermelon-seed spitting: 68 feet, 11 inches,

which he set in New Orleans in 1978. OK, he admits that the feat was

wind-aided, but no one has come close since. Today, a good spit travels

only 28 to 38 feet.

" I think spitting was just something natural that I was bestowed with, "

he says. And it runs in the family: He broke the record held by his

late father, Bob, and has won the spitting contest eight times. He

attributes his expectoratorial prowess to no special technique. " I kind

of put the seed towards the tip of my tongue, " he explains, " and just

try and shoot it with as much air as I can muster up. "

Dietz, whose family business distributes watermelons, says the record is

likely to stay intact partly because of the seedless melons. " They've

cross-bred them so many times, " he says, " the seeds just don't have the

mass. " Because a smaller object has a higher surface-to-mass ratio than

a larger, it's far more susceptible to that enemy of all seed-spitters:

wind resistance.

Is That Melon Ripe?

The melon miniaturist movement continues. In California, one of the

leading producers of watermelons (Florida is the biggest), stores will

soon be stocked with melons the size of cantaloupes. " As family size

decreases, consumers want something smaller, " says Dana Abercrombie,

director of the California-Arizona Watermelon Association.

The " personal " watermelon will weigh about two or three pounds. " It's

just a one-meal melon, " Abercrombie says " -something you can cut in

half and say, 'Here, honey, you eat this.' "

Until the tiny melon gets a foothold, you'll have to keep looking for

the best larger ones. But how do you tell when a watermelon is ripe?

Most experts agree start with the color of the rind. It should be a

dull green, depending on the variety-but more importantly, the side that

has lain on the ground during ripening should be creamy yellow. If it's

white, it's not ripe.

Another major clue is the vine. If a stem is still attached, it should

be brown. If it's green, put the melon back.

Its density should also give it away. " You should pick it up and say,

'Oh, that's heavier than I thought it should be,' " says Abercrombie.

Heaviness means the melon has absorbed a goodly amount of water.

Kicking the Tires

There is no consensus about the " thump " test. Abercrombie recommends

slapping with the palm of your hand, not your knuckle. " You should hear

a hollow, reverberating sound, like in a basketball. " If the melon

pings, it's not ripe, she says.

Many people swear by the acoustic method, but others say it's like

kicking the tires on a car. " It makes you feel good when you do it,

but you don't know what it will accomplish, " says , the Oklahoma

State expert. Only an experienced ear can tell the difference, he says.

" A lot of people talk about that, but they can't really tell you what

they're listening for, " says Winters of the national board. If you're

not sure, you can always ask the grocer to cut it for you.

Once you have the melon home, it will keep at room temperature for two

to three weeks. After you've cut into it, however, it needs to go in the

fridge. Or you can take care of it the way does. " I like to cut

it open, eat the heart out, and then go on to another melon. "

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