"A healthy mind resides in a healthy body." This universal truth is recognized by all and sundry no matter how clichéd it might sound. The secret to a healthy body resides in a healthy lifestyle. Diet pattern of individuals is highly important to determine one's fitness level. Besides, the stress of our daily lives takes its toll on our body fitness, resulting in a number of ailments unknown to earlier generations. In order to cope with the tremendous pressure of work, domestically as well as professionally, one needs to maintain a proper balance of exercise and good diet.

Apart from the regular meals consumed, incorporation of fruits is essential in order to make up the deficiency for some of the essential vitamins and minerals. Loaded with the goodness of nature, fruits are the ideal food made for man since time immemorial. Fruits possess the potential to nourish our bodies without taking recourse to any other artificial source of nutrition. Nature has gifted us with an amazing range of fruits; each fruit loaded with at least a particular nutrient in significant quantity. It's not just that fruits carry only a single nutrient; rather a few of them are a storehouse of nutrients, enough to suffice our daily nutritional requirements.

However, consumption of fruits in raw form is not quite appeasing to most of us. That's the reason why people resort to experimentation while cooking or preparing any dish. To get the best out of fruits, we can try out varieties lip-smacking/delectable fruit recipes. Drinks, smoothies, ice creams, fruit salads are some of the most common recipes that can be tried out. One can also combine smoothies with ice creams and top them up with fruits and nuts. Fruit custards are an excellent way to enjoy the benefits of milk and fruits at the same time. Fruits like bananas, apples, pineapples are excellent for preparing a variety of desserts. However, there is one fruit that can be consumed not only as a dessert but also as an excellent snack item. This fruit is none other than watermelon.

Watermelons are one of the most 'versatile' of all fruits. Deep-fried watermelons or the crispy roasted watermelon seeds form a perfect evening snack. When pickled, watermelon rinds serve to spice up your daily meals. However, the real taste of watermelons is savored in the form of some of the most delectable desserts and drinks like watermelon pie, watermelon pudding, watermelon sundae, watermelon juice, watermelon granita, etc. For those who prefer something simple, a bowl of chilled watermelon cubes with a dash of lime and powdered sugar would just be as heavenly to taste. Watermelon basket, in combination with other fruits, would just be as nutritious and tasty as any other food item.

An unbelievable thirst quencher, watermelons re-hydrate the body during hot summer. This sweet red fruit contains one of the most essential nutrients, lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant. Packed with vitamin A, Vitamin C and minerals, watermelons provide nutrition to the core. So chill out with a cool refreshing watermelon drink to drink the cup of a healthy life to the lees!

Suzanne Macguire is an Internet marketing professional with keen interest in agricultural science and cultivation. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew