Emma Miller
If you wash the berries, you can protect yourself from various infectious diseases and food poisoning.
Watermelons and melons should be washed with warm water and soap, as there is a risk of germs getting into the flesh when cut, which can lead to an intestinal infection. If you wash the berries, you can protect yourself from various infectious diseases and food poisoning said nutritionist Antonina Starodubova.
“Do not eat watermelon or melon if they are damaged during transportation or storage or if their flesh has an uncharacteristic color, flavor, or texture,” the nutritionist warned.
She added that it is necessary to protect the surface of melons from contamination and from flying insects that can carry pathogens.
“Watermelon and melon should not be eaten with seeds. The peel of watermelon and especially melon seeds is very hard, so eating melon seeds without peeling them can cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract,” the nutritionist said.
Maria Rozanova, a nutritionist, also warned about the dangers of eating watermelons with seeds. According to her, if you accidentally swallow a few pieces, nothing terrible will happen, but in large quantities, seeds can cause clogging of the digestive tract and the development of certain pathologies.
How to choose a watermelon
Experts advise paying attention to its appearance when buying a watermelon. In particular, the presence of a white or yellow spot indicates that the berry has ripened in the sun on its own.
If there are two or more such spots, it means that the watermelon was especially moved and more fertilizers could be added to accelerate the growth of the fruit. It is better not to buy such a watermelon without a special check for nitrates.
