How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon: 5 Key Tips To Pick The Freshest Fruits, Everytime

Most people don’t know how to choose fruit that’s properly ripe. There’s a huge variety of fruits and the methods for determining their ripeness are as varied as their flavors and textures. Here are some helpful tips and tricks, things you can look out for when trying to find the freshest fruits.

1. WATERMELON

• Pick It Up: Big or small, the watermelon should feel heavy for its size.
• Look for the Yellow Spot: Watermelons develop a splotch where they rest on the ground. When this splotch is creamy yellow, it’s ready to be eaten.
• Tap the melon with the palm of your hand. A ripe one will have a deep hollow sound. Under-ripe or over-ripe melons will sound dull.

2. APPLE

• Picking ripe apples is pretty simple: It should be firm all around and heavier in size.
• Dents, wrinkles, and bruises are signs you have an over-ripe apple. Press on it, if it leaves a mark, you should definitely pass.
• Leave the ones with brown marks at stem’s base.

3. CITRUS

• Oranges, sweet lime, tangerines,—they’re all variations on a single theme, and the rules for all of them are the same.
• You want to find ones that have smooth and firm skin but not hard.
• The rind should be stretched tightly, like the fruit inside is trying to burst out. Overripe citrus has skin that’s wrinkled.

4. POMEGRANATE

• A good, ripe pomegranate should feel heavy, as if it’s very full of juice and the skin should be firm and taut.
• The skin color varies from medium red to deep red with a fresh leather-like appearance
• Ripe ones have slightly angular sides; perfectly round means unripe
• A small crack is a sign of ripeness
• If the petals at the crown are slightly inwards, it’s ready to eat.

5. STRAWBERRIES

• Look for a dark red color and a glossy skin. If there’s white around the stem, it’s unripe
• Smell it for the sweet strawberry scent. Ripe strawberries smell sweet and fragrant.
• The farther the seeds (the dots on the skin), the sweeter.
• Also note that larger berries usually suffer in flavor compared to smaller ones.

6. BANANAS

• Bananas are ripe when they are yellow.
• Contrary to some common beliefs, brown spots aren’t signs of over-ripeness. But if the peel is more brown than yellow, then it’s over-ripe.

7. GRAPES

• The plumper the better, but avoid leaky, wrinkled clusters.
• Bunches that are firmly attached to the stem are best.
• Green varieties should have a slight yellow tint.
• Red grapes should take on a rich, red shade.

8. PAPAYA

• Look for mostly yellow with a bit of green
• The base/stem area should smell nice and sweet
• Avoid fruit that is overly soft, has blemishes or soft spots.
• Ripe ones will yield a little when gently pressed. Source

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, Your POOP Can Tell If You Are Healthy or Not!

Although a lot of people find it uncomfortable to talk about their poop, it’s very important to know certain aspects of it because it can reveal a lot about one’s well-being. Defecation is a crucial bodily function. When there is a change in bowel movements, it may be a consequence of changes in one’s diet; however, it could also be a sign of the body’s fight against an infection, or, a sign of a more serious disease or condition.

The stool is around 75% water, whereas the rest is a combination of fiber, dead and living bacteria, different cells, and mucus. A normal poop is usually smooth and soft, elongated, and whole. The texture should be uniform and the poop should be S-shaped. This shape comes from the shape of the lower intestine. When it comes to healthy poop color, it is definitely medium to light brown.

• Small and hard lumpy poop-this may be a sign of acute inflammation of the small intestine. This type of stool is usually small, abrasive, and solid, with a diameter of 1 to 2 centimeters. This type of stool may occur in people who have been taking antibiotics and it usually causes anal bleeding.
• Sausage shaped poop with lumps-this stool is very difficult to pass and may also cause anal bleeding. The diameter is between 3 to 5 centimeters and it is common among people who suffer from IBS.
• Sausage shaped stool with cracked surface-this poop is very similar to the previous one. The main difference is that this one is processed faster.
• Sausage-shaped poop, smooth, and soft-this kind of poop is normal and it’s common among people who defecate once in a day.
• Soft blobs of stool with defined edges-this type of poop is present in people who defecate more than once per day after major meals.
• Fluffy poop with ragged and torn edges-this stool has a soft texture and it may be a potential sign of high blood pressure and stress.
• Diarrhea type of stool-this poop is similar to ordinary diarrhea; however, it happens in conjunction with constipation. Depending on the odor and color, this type of poop may be showing that the body is suffering from some disease or condition.
• Black or bright red stool-this poop is a sign of bleeding in the GIT.
• Pale brown or white stool-this may be a symptom of hepatitis, cirrhosis, or pancreatic disease.
• Yellow-colored poop-usually, the poop is yellow when a person has gallbladder issues.

Here are a few easy tips that we suggest to support your gut:

• HYDRATE. Unless you have a renal or cardiovascular issue that limits your water intake, most adults need to be drinking, at least, 68oz (2L) of fluid each day. This helps to soften the stool and enables fibre to work properly so that poop can move through your insides and evacuate easily.
• USE A GOOD QUALITY PROBIOTIC. The friendly probiotic bacteria in our gut play a big role in digestion, immune function and keeping our intestines healthy. However, pesticides, antibiotics and many other factors affect our probiotic populations. A probiotic supplement can help to replenish our friendly gut bacteria and keep our digestive system happy!
• FIT IN ENOUGH FIBER. There are two types of fiber that we need in our diet; insoluble fiber is the ‘roughage’ that bulks up our stools and ‘sweeps’ through our insides. Soluble fiber absorbs water and softens the stool. Getting enough of both types of fiber is important for making perfect poop!
• SQUAT IT. Before artificial toilets were created, humans once squatted to void their bowels. This position naturally compresses the bowel walls and assists with gentle pressure to move bowel motions through. While we don’t suggest that pooping in the wild again is by any means a solution, propping your legs on a small stool under your toilet seat can help to mimic this natural process.