There is probably no vegetable, fruit or berry in the world that an overweight person would not use for weight loss purposes. Watermelon is no exception. Many sites say that it helps to 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 topic.
Watermelon properties
Watermelon is a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals that provide incredible benefits to your body. Have you come across such phrases while surfing the Internet? Maybe yes. But the truth is, watermelon is not a treasure. On the other hand, small puddles. There are several vitamins and minerals in it. In order to receive at least some of them in the daily dose, watermelon must be absorbed in kilograms.
Watermelon has a pronounced diuretic effect. Of course, lovers of this product know that you can enjoy a delicious watermelon only if you are not far from the toilet. Some sources claim that due to its diuretic effect, watermelon "rinses the kidneys" and reduces the chances of urolithiasis. Forced to disappoint you - this is impossible.
Shoots are regularly "washed" 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 from your own experience, you have to eat watermelon every day for several years. Secondly, no one knows for sure whether watermelon prevents urolithiasis, because this information can only be obtained during clinical studies, which have not been carried out by anyone.
Benefits of watermelon for weight loss
Watermelon is a food product. It has little nutritional value. It contains carbohydrates, although there are not many of them. Therefore, it would be foolish to say that watermelon contributes to weight loss. No, you can get better from that too, like from other foods. If you eat 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 stomach will be. But if you consider watermelon not as a tool for weight loss, but as a dietary product, you can find some undeniable advantages.
- Low calorie content.Obviously, the fewer calories a food contains, the more attractive it is to obese people. Even sweet watermelon contains less than 30 kcal per 100 g, this is less than most fruits or berries. The nutritional value of watermelon is lower than some vegetables. After eating a kilogram of watermelon, you may not feel hungry, but at the same time, only 300 kcal will enter your body.
- High water content.Why is this good? First, water provides a large amount of watermelon. When you eat it, you feel something in your stomach. Thus, it satisfies hunger, even if for a short time. Secondly, a person trying to lose weight needs to drink a lot of water, but he often forgets about it. Lack of fluids in the body causes a decrease in the effectiveness of the diet. Together with watermelon, a person receives a sufficient amount of water.
Lack of watermelon for weight loss
As mentioned above, watermelon has a very low energy value, which gives us reason to call it a food product. But it must be remembered that most of the calories that enter the body with carbohydrates. What's more, they are simple sugars that are easily digested and pose the biggest threat to your figure.
Watermelon contains glucose, fructose, sucrose. All of these carbohydrates are quickly 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 weakness. And this is the only reason why watermelon should not be consumed in too much quantity.
Among the disadvantages, we also note the low content of insoluble dietary fiber. Watermelon can not satisfy hunger for a long time. It fills the stomach only for a short time, because it consists mostly of water, which quickly enters the intestines, and then into the blood. There is very little fiber in watermelon, which can create the required volume and retain fluids in the digestive tract.
Watermelon can be a quick snack to kill your appetite. The simple sugars contained in its composition immediately enter the systemic circulation, interact with vascular receptors and dull hunger. But the feeling of fullness quickly passes, because the concentration of glucose in the blood quickly returns to normal.
Output
With the help of watermelon, you can lose weight, but only if you use it as a substitute for other, more high-calorie foods. You should not abuse watermelon, as it contains simple sugars and has a high glycemic index. It has low nutritional value, but consuming large amounts of watermelon can burn you a lot of calories. Moreover, these calories will enter the body with simple carbohydrates - the most dangerous nutrients for the figure.