As a nutritionist I could not help but watch-these past few weeks — with some sympathy and concern — our political class traversing our vast and glorious nation in the summer heat and dust while campaigning.

The chief reason for the debilitating effect of the heat is its ability to dehydrate our bodies so that natural cooling — through perspiration — does not happen. The heat also makes us lose precious nutrients through sweat.

In this dry heat, melons should be the preferred food. Melons come in various shapes and sizes and the most familiar ones are the watermelon (tarbuz) and the muskmelon/cantaloupe (kharbuza) and abound with nutritive value. For starters, the nutritional content of a cup of diced watermelon slices (150 g) is just 50 calories with no fat, zero cholesterol; low (3 mg) sodium and one gram of fiber (mostly pectin, a soluble fiber). Additionally, melons are a very good source of potassium. The potassium content of one cup of melon ranges between 160 mg to 405 mg (depending on the variety).

The low sodium, low fat, high potassium combination makes melons a perfect food for those with high blood pressure. And finally, melons have plenty of Vitamin A and Vitamin C as well as Lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against some forms of cancer.

Of course, one must not ignore that greatest of nutrients – water — which is abundant in melons and varies between 90 per cent and 92 per cent of the weight depending on the variety. Could there be a better fruit to quench thirst and fight dehydration? Actually the nutrient story is not over yet.

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