Watermelon can cool you down and act as a diuretic. Is it a great product for weight loss? Nutritionist Jin Meilin: 5 mistakes you should avoid when eating watermelon

The weather is very hot in summer, and when it comes to consumption, many people will think of eating watermelon. According to media reports, a 30-year-old housewife believed that eating watermelon could relieve heat and promote diuresis, and help her lose weight. So she ate watermelon as a main meal at noon every day, and as a snack at night. As a result, she gained 3 kilograms in half a month. Nutritionist Jin Meilin pointed out that eating too much watermelon or replacing regular meals with watermelon can easily lead to excessive sugar intake, causing increased body fat. In addition, watermelon has a cold nature, and eating too much can also cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

In order to cool down and lose weight, many people think that eating more watermelon, which is both cool and a fruit, will not make them gain weight easily. However, Jin Meilin, a nutritionist at the Linsen Branch of Taipei United Hospital, mentioned that if you only eat large amounts of watermelon for three meals, it can easily cause muscle loss and electrolyte imbalance in the body, and excessive sugar intake can increase body fat, which may not necessarily have a weight loss effect. It is recommended to pay attention to 5 principles when eating watermelon and eat it in moderation.

Five principles for eating watermelon

1. Don’t eat watermelon as a main meal

Nutritionist Jin Meilin reminds that you still need to pay attention to a balanced diet for main meals. If you eat watermelon as a main meal because it is too hot or you want to lose weight, you will get half the result with twice the effort. Just like the housewife in the case, she consumes a lot of watermelon for three meals, which not only maintains the muscle loss caused by metabolism, but also supplements a lot of sugar, which causes the body fat to increase and makes the whole person fatter.

If you only eat large amounts of watermelon for three meals, it can easily cause muscle loss and electrolyte imbalance, and excessive sugar intake can increase body fat, which may not necessarily have a weight loss effect.

2. Don’t eat too much fruit after a meal

If you have three meals a day, it is not advisable to eat too much watermelon as a snack after the meal. For example, a 250-gram serving of red watermelon contains 15 grams of sugar. If you eat three servings of watermelon at a time, that's equivalent to 45 grams of sugar, which is about 180 calories. If you eat it twice a day (360 calories), it's equivalent to consuming 2,500 more calories a week, which may cause you to gain about 0.3 kilograms in weight.

3. Don’t eat watermelon as a midnight snack

Watermelon is cold in nature. If you eat it as a midnight snack before going to bed, it may affect your gastrointestinal function. Watermelon is also a fruit with a high glycemic index (food is digested and absorbed and converted into blood sugar at a faster rate). Eating too much before going to bed at night will increase the insulin level and accelerate fat synthesis, which will cause a belly to appear over time.

4. Do not leave watermelon for too long

Taiwan's summer temperature is high and humid, which is just right for bacterial reproduction. If watermelon is left at room temperature for too long, it is easily contaminated by bacteria in the air. If children or people with poor gastrointestinal systems eat it, it will cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, when eating watermelon, you should pay attention to choosing ripe and fresh watermelon, and eat it quickly after cutting it open.

If watermelon is left at room temperature for too long, it can easily be contaminated by bacteria in the air. If children or people with poor gastrointestinal systems eat it, it will cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases.

5. Diabetics should eat less

Watermelon is a high-sugar fruit, containing about 5% sugar. For people with diabetes, if they eat too much watermelon, it can easily lead to consequences such as increased blood sugar and increased urine sugar. In severe cases, ketoacidosis and coma may occur. It is recommended that diabetics eat watermelon in moderation and not exceed one serving (about 250 grams) at a time.