(NAPSA)—While kids want great taste, you want to give them thevitamins, minerals andfiber their grow- ing bodies need. Serve watermelon and you can both be happy. Watermelon is a fun, nutritious way to makesure active kids don’t get dehydrated; it’s 92 percent water. A two-cup serving of watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and it provides 7 percent of the recomPivonka ————— mended daily value of potassium, with only 80 calories. Watermelonis fat-free and also contains fiber. Its beautiful red color comes from all-natural lycopene, an antioxidant that can help keep kids’ bodies healthy. Watermelon can be eaten at any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it’s a wonderful snack for the whole family. Delicious on its own, watermelon is a fantastic ingredi- ent in recipes, too. Previously just a summertimetreat, tasty watermelon is now available year-round. A watermelon carving makes a great addition to a kids’ party buf- fet, and the birthday boy or girl can help makeit. The salad inside can be as simple as a mixture of blueberries, seedless green grapes and balls of watermelon, can- taloupe and honeydew melon.It’s colorful and kids loveit. watermelon in a rectangular shape, remove andset aside. This piece will be used for the top fin andtail. Scoop out the flesh. Cut out the tail shape and the melon balled fin-piece from the rectangular piece set aside earlier. Attach the fin and tail with sturdy, round toothpicks. Cut out eyes using a melon baller. Trim around the outside of the eye socket, then place it back in, rind side out. For the mouth, point a par- ing knife at a downward angle above the stem and slice through 3 incheson either side of the stem, cutting through the rind. Push out the mouth from the inside. For the side fin, cut 3 cuts into the side using the Slice % inch off the bottom melon baller to make the curves on the back of the fin. Then slice straight cuts to form the top and bottom of the fin. For more information about watermelon, visit the National Watermelon Board Web site, base. With a melon baller, cut half circles over half the top of the information about a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables, go to www.bdaday.org. Carving Instructionsfor Watermelon Fish lengthwise to provide a stable www.watermelon.org. For more Note to Editors: Eighty-eighth in a series of columns by Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation. More stories at www.napsnet.com. Search: “Pivonka.”
