27/12/2022 / Health and Fitness
What Is the Watermelon Diet, and Is It Safe?
One of the cheapest and most delicious diets of all time is the simple watermelon diet which will surprisingly benefit your health.
Juveriya Anwar Momin
Table of Content
What is a diet?
Diet! As we hear it, the foremost thought that comes to our mind is bland boiled vegetables, soups, eggs, and a big compromise on our favorite food cravings.
These days people are more and more focused on their health and peace, and most of us are familiar with the health and fitness terms via diet language that has a fuss about the keto diet, vegan diet, low-carbohydrate diet, paleo diet, duke diet plan, the ultra-low-fat diet, Atkins diet, and the zone diet are few among the long popular list.
Diet is not only about restricted portions and sacrificing the favorite meal; it includes a specific intake of nutrition for health and weight-management purposes.
There is no ideal diet for everyone, it is different for different individuals, and benefits in a different way for everyone. Diet is not an ideal plan to be chased, it is a choice to recognize which type of nutrient-rich diet will benefit your body the most.
Diet definition continually changes with evolving food and its benefits.
A healthy diet is a balance of micronutrients and macronutrients, which is usually found in the same regional diets as the Mediterranean diet, dash diet, and Flexitarian diet. These diets are recommended by doctors most of the time.
What is the watermelon diet?
This is the simplest and easiest diet to start your workout and health journey.
The watermelon diet is as clear as it sounds with just eating watermelon for a few consecutive days with pre-set time periods, usually between three to seven days.
The two greatest known functions of watermelon are detox and hydration, but little did you know that watermelon has exceptional proven health benefits! (let’s have a word about this later).
Health benefits of watermelon
Belonging to the cucurbitaceous family, it is native to Africa Deserts. According to two researchers, Obio and Sogi, it yields 55.3% of juice, 31% of rind, and 10.4% of pomace (pulp). Its sweetness is due to a combination of three sugars namely glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
Following is a list of “health benefits of watermelon” with their respective components responsible for the same.
1. Watermelon acts as a potent antioxidant: Lycopene is a lipid-soluble carotenoid with the highest unsaturation responsible for the attractive red pigmentation of watermelon. Lycopene is a very strong antioxidant for free radical scavenging action.
We all have heard tomato is rich in lycopene content among all fruits, but a recent study by Oberio and Sogi reported watermelon with the highest amount of lycopene about 60% higher than found in tomatoes. Lycopene to carotene ratio in watermelon is 1:12, this yields great antioxidation potential.
2. Watermelon may improve immunity: Beta-carotene is a fat soluble vitamin micronutrient which includes organic compounds such as retinol, retinal, etc. It is one of the functional food ingredients. This plays a role in maintaining the integrity of the immune system.
It plays a vital role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, and cancer growth.
Synthetic antioxidants are full of potential side effects if consumed in large quantities, hence consumers prefer the natural antioxidants containing food. A lot of researchers have proven that eating watermelon is a very good approach to lower the risk of chronic diseases.
3. Watermelon is rich in Vitamin c: It is one of the essential nutrients the human body cannot synthesize. Hence we take this from our diet.
It is a water-soluble nutrient, which is commonly added to various food products as a supplementation as it is important for the biosynthesis of collagen and some hormones.
Fresh watermelon contains about 3.72gm/100g of vitamin C. its concentration varies with the cultivation and environmental factors. Daily one cup of watermelon juice will give you 20% of your daily vitamin C value.
It has been proven that vitamin C improves the quality of cancer patients via several potential mechanisms. It prevents the oxidation of LDL and HDL. It lowers blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
4. It may help to decrease insulin resistance: Studies have shown watermelon’s component citrulline converted to arginine which helps to lower insulin stress.
5. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the key players in the onset of atherosclerosis (heart disease). Watermelon reduces inflammatory mediators like COX-2 and serum C reactive protein production. Consumption of watermelon on a regular basis reduces the risk factors associated with chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases.
6. Watermelon is a good source of Beta-carotene: Watermelon is a rich source of ß-carotene that acts as an antioxidant and precursor of vitamin A.
7. Watermelon hydrates your body: Almost 90% of watermelon has water in it.
8. Watermelon helps to reduce muscle soreness: Citrullin, an amino acid present in watermelon is a potential component for sore muscle relief.
9. Watermelon balances blood sugar! Its glycaemic index is 80, you can enjoy your slice peacefully without worrying about your sugar levels.
How effective is the watermelon diet? Is it safe?
Despite the potential benefits of a diet it does not provide all the essential nutrients required by the human body. Proteins and fat concentration is negligible in the watermelon.
Can I lose weight with a watermelon diet?
Yes! With low calories, you can achieve your desired weight goal (Before starting the watermelon diet consult your physician). This diet alone is not sufficient to maintain the body weight, you will regain your weight after a few days, and to avoid all these you can combine your watermelon diet with the following:
Regular exercise
Have full portioned meals with protein and carbohydrate
Hydrate yourself
Meditate if you like to
This combination will keep you strong and healthy.
According to the international journal of food property, 100g of watermelon juice contains:
Is it safe? The watermelon diet is not one of the ideal diets recommended by a dietician for anyone. It is a risky diet for those having a history of eating disorders, type 1 and type2 diabetes, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and under age 18 or above age 65 people.
Always consult your physician before starting any diet for your health and the prevention of diseases.
It is a safe diet to start with a doctor’s consultation as an add-on benefit for your diet plans.
Watermelon diet 3 days weight loss
As it was a popular diet recently, see the facts here. Does it really help to lose weight in just three days? Let’s have a look.
This diet lasts for three days only where, in the beginning, the dieter only eats a whole watermelon for the next three days with a relatively strict and short period of deprivation then returns to your regular diet.
After three days you can go back to your original diet plans including watermelon as a daily snack.
As per the experts, this kind of diet sounds more appealing because it requires very small commitments. People often do this because they get to eat what they love! And this comes with benefits.
All these taglines sound more approachable, “Watermelon diet three-day weight loss!Watermelon diet five days weight loss!” as it asks for painless commitments and the smallest duration one cannot resist saying no!
Watermelon diet 3 days weight loss results
It helps to flush out all toxins and gives you a clear intestinal environment.
It will hydrate your body.
Eating watermelon only never guarantees permanent weight loss, as a result, you will feel cleansed, hydrated, detoxified, and healthy; but to lose weight you have to exercise daily for at least 20 minutes.
Along with your exercise and proper diet plan you can add watermelon as an add-on snack which will keep you healthy.
You can start with a 3-day diet plan, 5-day plan, and 7-day watermelon diet plan and you will surely see changes in your body then you can try 14-day watermelon diet fasting.
Side-effects of the watermelon diet
High potassium levels in watermelon could cause digestive and heart problems if consumed in higher quantities.
It has a higher amount of fructose sugar which few people can’t digest properly.
Take-Home Points
Watermelon is a very healthy and nutritious fruit with a lot of benefits. Having a bowl of watermelon daily is much better than any other fast food.
Always consult a physician before starting any diet plan.
The watermelon diet does not reduce your weight, you have to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day and eat healthy food.
Watermelon is the best fruit for detox and cleansing purposes.
Reference
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