There’s generally nothing higher than a refreshing slice of watermelon, particularly on a scorching afternoon.
The fruit is just about ubiquitous at household meals, BBQs, and social gatherings within the summertime, and is grown worldwide. In actual fact, there are over 1,000 totally different types of watermelon!
However what makes for a enjoyable, refreshing snack for most individuals can have blood sugar penalties for folks residing with diabetes.
This text will define the professionals and cons of consuming watermelon for folks residing with diabetes and the way (and if!) you need to incorporate this fruit into your life and day by day food plan.
What are the well being advantages of consuming watermelon?
Consuming watermelon can have many advantages. Under are the well being advantages to often consuming this pink, candy fruit.
Filled with nutritional vitamins and minerals
Watermelon accommodates a wide range of nutritional vitamins and minerals, together with potassium, magnesium, and nutritional vitamins A and C. It additionally has few energy for being a fruit, with solely 46 energy per cup.
It’s also extraordinarily straightforward to bolus insulin for, as a cup of watermelon solely has 11.5 carbohydrates.
The brilliant pink coloration signifies it’s a wealthy supply of antioxidants like carotenoids, lycopene, and cucurbitacin E that aren’t solely good for you, however make you are feeling good, too!
Could relieve muscle soreness and enhance train efficiency
Watermelon additionally accommodates citrulline, an amino acid that will assist enhance train efficiency in athletes. Supplementing with citrulline may assist scale back muscle soreness in individuals who train.
The way it works is that this compound helps to develop blood vessels, relieving the center of additional exertion to pump blood all through the physique, thus bettering train efficiency and restoration.
Watermelon is nice as a result of it offers not solely citrulline, but additionally much-needed hydration throughout train.
One examine gave three teams totally different concoctions: one with simply watermelon juice, one other with watermelon juice supplemented with further citrulline, and a management drink. Each drinks that had watermelon juice in them skilled improved muscle soreness after train and improved coronary heart price restoration than the group that had the management drink.
Watermelon will also be good for folks with diabetes, who when exercising, might require a low blood sugar snack. Watermelon offers simply sufficient carbohydrates to assist deal with the low blood sugar, with out overdoing it on the carbohydrates or sugar.
Plus, it’s a pure supply of power, with no added components or chemical substances.
Could enhance pores and skin well being
The nutritional vitamins present in watermelon are necessary for the well being and upkeep of your pores and skin. Vitamin C, when both eaten, drank, or utilized topically, helps the physique produce collagen, a protein that retains hair sturdy and pores and skin youthful and supple.
One examine discovered the next consumption of Vitamin C was correlated with a decrease likelihood of creating dry pores and skin and wrinkles. Finest but, one serving of watermelon accommodates 14% of your day by day really helpful consumption of Vitamin C!
Vitamin A can be crucial for pores and skin well being, because it helps to restore broken pores and skin cells and create new ones. It additionally promotes wound therapeutic.
One serving of watermelon accommodates 5% of your day by day really helpful consumption of this vitamin.
Could assist in digestion
Along with its plethora of nutritional vitamins, minerals, and wholesome antioxidants, watermelon accommodates 0.6 grams of fiber per serving, which is important for wholesome digestion.
Water and fiber assist meals transfer by the bowels extra simply, and together with loads of wholesome vegatables and fruits in your food plan can forestall diarrhea, constipation, and points with digestion.
Consuming fiber typically can preserve your bowel actions common, too.
One examine discovered that individuals who had low fluid and low fiber consumption had been extra more likely to endure from constipation. All of the extra cause to incorporate watermelon in your food plan!
One other examine discovered that consuming watermelon was correlated with weight reduction and emotions of satiety, which is a welcome signal for anybody trying to shed extra pounds!
The downsides of consuming watermelon
Consuming watermelon may additionally have some downsides, particularly you probably have diabetes. Under are a number of the causes you could select to keep away from this fruit.
Watermelon is generally carbohydrates
Though this candy fruit offers a supply of a wide range of nutritional vitamins and minerals, there aren’t any different macronutrients of notice: watermelon is generally carbohydrates, with no protein or fats.
This could make it a tough meals to eat you probably have diabetes as a result of meals which might be solely carbohydrates are likely to spike blood sugars sooner.
In actual fact, watermelon has a glycemic index (GI) of 80, however as a result of the carbohydrates are fairly low for a fruit, the glycemic load is barely 5.
Pairing watermelon with a fatty or protein-rich aspect may help curb the short rise in blood sugar that you could be see when consuming the fruit.
It isn’t very filling
Watermelon is so scrumptious, however it isn’t a really filling snack. This could lead folks to overeat it fairly often. Take into account that a serving measurement of watermelon is one cup, which is equal to a one-inch-thick slice of a typical melon.
Nonetheless, folks have a tendency to return to seconds and thirds, as a result of the fruit is over 90% water!
Whereas one serving has 11 grams of carbohydrates, having 3 or extra servings can flip this deal with right into a high-carbohydrate, high-calorie dessert fairly shortly.
It might trigger cardiovascular issues
Individuals who endure from critical hyperkalemia (excessive potassium ranges) mustn’t eat multiple cup of watermelon per day.
Potassium is essential for sustaining electrolyte operate within the physique, retaining muscle tissues and bones sturdy, and for coronary heart well being.
Nonetheless, if you have already got excessive potassium ranges, consuming watermelon may cause an overabundance of potassium within the blood, inflicting a weak pulse price, irregular heartbeats, and different cardiovascular issues.
