There may be typically 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. Actually, there are over 1,000 completely different styles 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!) it is best to incorporate this fruit into your life and day by day eating regimen.
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 quite a lot 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 simple to bolus insulin for, as a cup of watermelon solely has 11.5 carbohydrates.
The intense pink colour signifies it’s a wealthy supply of antioxidants like carotenoids, lycopene, and cucurbitacin E that aren’t solely good for you, however make you’re feeling good, too!
Might relieve muscle soreness and enhance train efficiency
Watermelon additionally accommodates citrulline, an amino acid which will assist enhance train efficiency in athletes. Supplementing with citrulline can even assist scale back muscle soreness in individuals who train.
The way it works is that this compound helps to broaden blood vessels, relieving the guts of additional exertion to pump blood all through the physique, thus enhancing train efficiency and restoration.
Watermelon is nice as a result of it supplies not solely citrulline, but additionally much-needed hydration throughout train.
One examine gave three teams completely 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 charge restoration than the group that had the management drink.
Watermelon may also be good for folks with diabetes, who when exercising, might require a low blood sugar snack. Watermelon supplies 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 vitality, with no added components or chemical compounds.
Might enhance pores and skin well being
The nutritional vitamins present in watermelon are essential 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 robust and pores and skin youthful and supple.
One examine discovered a better consumption of Vitamin C was correlated with a decrease probability of creating dry pores and skin and wrinkles. Finest but, one serving of watermelon accommodates 14% of your day by day advisable consumption of Vitamin C!
Vitamin A can also 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 advisable consumption of this vitamin.
Might 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 critical for wholesome digestion.
Water and fiber assist meals transfer by means of the bowels extra simply, and together with loads of wholesome fruit and veggies in your eating regimen can stop diarrhea, constipation, and points with digestion.
Consuming fiber usually can maintain your bowel actions common, too.
One examine discovered that individuals who had low fluid and low fiber consumption have been extra prone to undergo from constipation. All of the extra purpose to incorporate watermelon in your eating regimen!
One other examine discovered that consuming watermelon was correlated with weight reduction and emotions of satiety, which is a welcome signal for anybody seeking to reduce weight!
The downsides of consuming watermelon
Consuming watermelon may additionally have some downsides, particularly when you’ve got diabetes. Under are a number of the causes you could select to keep away from this fruit.
Watermelon is usually carbohydrates
Though this candy fruit supplies a supply of quite a lot of nutritional vitamins and minerals, there are not any different macronutrients of word: watermelon is usually carbohydrates, with no protein or fats.
This could make it a difficult meals to eat when you’ve got diabetes as a result of meals which are solely carbohydrates are likely to spike blood sugars sooner.
Actually, 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 just 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’s not very filling
Watermelon is so scrumptious, however it isn’t a really filling snack. This could lead folks to overeat it fairly often. Needless to say a serving dimension 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 rapidly.
It could trigger cardiovascular issues
Individuals who undergo 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, preserving muscle mass and bones robust, and for coronary heart well being.
Nonetheless, if you have already got excessive potassium ranges, consuming watermelon could cause an overabundance of potassium within the blood, inflicting a weak pulse charge, irregular heartbeats, and different cardiovascular issues.
