There are probably no vegetables, fruits, or berries in the world that overweight people don't try to use for the purpose of losing weight. Watermelon is no exception. Many sites say that it helps reduce weight, cleanses the body of toxins, supplies it with vitamins, minerals and other useful substances. Is this true or fiction? Let's reflect on this issue.
Watermelon properties
Watermelon is a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals that provide enormous benefits to your body. Have you ever come across those phrases while browsing the Internet? Probably yes. But in fact, a watermelon is not a treasure. Rather, a small puddle. It contains few vitamins and minerals. To receive at least some of them in daily doses, the watermelon will have to be absorbed in kilograms.
Watermelon has a pronounced diuretic effect. Surely, lovers of this product know that you can enjoy a good watermelon only if you are not far from the bathroom. Some sources claim that due to its diuretic effect, watermelon "flushes the kidneys" and reduces the likelihood of urolithiasis. Forced to disappoint you, this is unlikely.
The buds are "washed" regularly without watermelon. There is a small chance that with its help you can actually reduce the risk of developing urolithiasis. But first of all, to be convinced of this from your own experience, you would have to eat a watermelon every day for several years. Second, no one knows for sure whether watermelon prevents urolithiasis, as this information can only be obtained in the course of clinical studies, which no one has done yet.
Benefits of watermelon for weight loss
Watermelon is a food product. It has little nutritional value. It contains carbohydrates, although there are not many. Therefore, it would be silly to say that watermelon contributes to weight loss. No, you can also improve with it, as with any other food. If you eat a watermelon in kilograms, you will not see a slender figure.
Of course, watermelon does not burn fat. The more you eat it, the rounder your belly will become. But if you consider that watermelon is not a means of losing weight, but a dietary product, you can find some undeniable advantages.
- Low caloric content.Obviously, the fewer calories a food contains, the more attractive it is to obese people. Even a sweet watermelon contains less than 30 kcal per 100 g, less than most fruits or berries. The nutritional value of watermelon is less than that of some vegetables. Having eaten a kilogram of watermelon, you probably will not feel hungry, but at the same time, only 300 kcal will enter your body.
- High water content.Why is this good? First, the water provides a large volume of watermelon. When you eat it, you feel like there is something in your stomach. Therefore, it satisfies hunger, even for a short time. Second, a person who is trying to lose weight needs to drink a lot of water, but often forgets about it. The lack of fluid in the body causes a decrease in the effectiveness of the diet. Along with a watermelon, a person receives a sufficient amount of water.
Disadvantages of watermelon for weight loss
As mentioned above, watermelon has a very low energy value, which gives us reason to call it a diet product. But it must be remembered that most calories enter the body from carbohydrates. In addition, they are simple sugars that are easy to digest and pose the greatest threat to your figure.
Watermelon contains glucose, fructose, sucrose. All of these carbohydrates are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and stimulate the release of insulin, which converts glucose into fat. Watermelon has one of the highest glycemic indexes of all fruits and berries. This is its biggest flaw. And this is the only reason why watermelon should not be consumed in too large quantities.
Among the disadvantages, we also note the low content of insoluble dietary fiber. Watermelon cannot satisfy hunger for long. It fills the stomach only for a short time, since it consists mainly of water, which quickly enters the intestines, and then the blood. There is very little fiber in watermelon, which could create the necessary bulk and retain fluid in the digestive tract.
Watermelon can be a quick snack to kill your appetite. The simple sugars contained in its composition enter the systemic circulation almost immediately, interact with vascular receptors and quench hunger. But the feeling of satiety passes quickly, as the concentration of glucose in the blood quickly returns to normal.
Production
With the help of watermelon, you can lose weight, but only if you use it instead of other foods that are higher in calories. You should not abuse watermelon, as it contains simple sugars and has a high glycemic index. It has a low nutritional value, but consuming watermelon in large quantities can provide you with a lot of calories. Also, these calories will enter the body with simple carbohydrates, the most dangerous nutrients for the figure.