What is the calorie content of a watermelon, and how is it useful for the human body
It is recommended to eat watermelons every day during the season. Fresh fruit pulp is a valuable source of micro and macro elements useful for the human body. Watermelon is ideal for those who want to eat deliciously and maintain body proportions.
In the article, we will consider what are the health benefits and harms of watermelon, calorie content and nutritional value, what a watermelon consists of and contraindications to its use.
The content of the article
Chemical composition
Watermelon composition - 91% water, and the remaining percentages are amino acids, carbohydrates, pectin, ash, alkaline substances.
Minerals in the composition:
- calcium;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- sodium;
- phosphorus;
- selenium;
- copper;
- manganese;
- iron;
- fluorine;
- zinc.
Watermelons contain lycopene, beta-carotene, B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, folates, pyridoxine, choline), ascorbic and nicotinic acids, alpha-tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), phylloquinone (vitamin K), betaine.
KBZHU watermelon
Watermelon has a low calorie content - only 30 kcal per 100 g of pulp, it is also poor in fats.
Serving (100 g) of watermelon:
- proteins - 0.6 g;
- fat - 0.2 g;
- carbohydrates - 7.2 g
BJU watermelon for 1 kg: calorie content of fruit pulp - 300 kcal, proteins - 6 g, fats - 2 g, carbohydrates - 72 g.
Is it possible to use the berry as a weight loss product
It is difficult to think of a more enjoyable and easier way to lose weight than the watermelon diet. Watermelon is advised to be used for weight loss by many world nutritionists due to a number of its beneficial properties:
- removes excess fluid from the body;
- removes puffiness;
- cleanses the intestines from toxins, toxic substances;
- improves digestion;
- activates metabolism;
- normalizes the water-salt balance;
- contains an enzyme that breaks down fats and lowers blood sugar;
- has a laxative effect;
- improves intestinal peristalsis.
Fruit pulp quickly saturates at a low calorie content, thus reducing portion size and avoid snacks. Regular consumption of watermelon increases endurance and performance, which stimulates physical activity and additional calorie burning.
For everyone who intends to lose weight on a watermelon diet, experts advise buy fresh and high-quality fruits exclusively in season: early August - late September. If you buy them ahead of time, then there is a high probability of getting a product with nitrates.
For reference. You can determine the ripeness and quality of a watermelon by external signs. The fruit should be large, weighing 6-10 kg, without cuts and cracks, have a small yellow earthen spot on the side, a dry peduncle, a shiny top layer without a matte coating, a clear striped pattern. When squeezed, it pops, when tapped, it makes a booming sound.
Glycemic index of watermelon
Watermelon has a high glycemic index - in the range of 65-70 units, which is associated with the presence of easily digestible carbohydrates in the composition. Despite the fact that foods with a high index cannot be consumed on a diet, watermelon is widely used for body shaping.
The berry contains a lot of water, and carbohydrates are represented by fructose and glucose, and only during storage of the fruit does harmful sugar accumulate in them.
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Useful properties of watermelon for the human body
Watermelon is a valuable food product that saturates the body with useful substances, provides prevention of a number of diseases, relieves the body. It is good for the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, liver and kidneys.
Fruits contain high doses of B vitamins, citrulline, lycopene... The latter lowers cholesterol levels, limits the likelihood of cancer, delays skin aging, protects the body from oxidation, works for the benefit of the heart and blood vessels, and serves as the prevention of myocardial infarction and atherosclerosis.
Citrulline improves muscle blood flow and nutrition, maintains a positive nitrogen balance in the body, increases energy potential, increases endurance. It also removes urea and uric acid from the body, which is important for people suffering from gout, rheumatic diseases, or predisposed to them.
Fruit are beneficial in the treatment of liver and kidney pathologies due to the diuretic action. This does not create an additional burden on the kidneys, which helps to avoid the occurrence of stones.
Fruits contain a lot of fiber, which improves bowel function, removes toxins and excess water, relieves constipation.
Watermelon has a beneficial effect on the nervous system: improves mood, reduces the effects of stress, has a positive effect on metabolic processes in the tissues of the brain, increases mental performance.
Watermelon is good for vision, protects against influenza, upper respiratory tract infections, neutralizes dangerous free radicals, is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. Folic acid creates favorable conditions for the digestive system to function. Calcium is necessary for normal growth and formation of bone tissue, mineralization of teeth, prevention of osteoporosis.
For men
Regular consumption of moderate doses of watermelon warns the occurrence or suppresses the activity of inflammatory phenomena, improves blood circulation in the prostate gland. Citrulline improves erectile function, lycopene protects against prostate cancer.
Although there is a small amount of zinc in watermelon pulp, it will also benefit men's health. It is involved in the production of testosterone - the main male sex hormone that affects the development of bone and muscle tissue, which is responsible for sexual health and libido.
For women
For women, watermelon is also healthy. is he contains vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on skin condition: it acquires a healthy appearance, uniform color, fine wrinkles are smoothed out.
This vitamin slows down the aging process, participates in the formation of new cells and the production of steroid hormones, restores and maintains epithelial tissues, accelerates the healing process in burns and wounds.
Pectin is also valuable for the female body.... Its functions:
- absorbs fats and acids in the small intestine;
- reduces the content of harmful cholesterol in the blood;
- removes heavy metals, salts, radioactive substances;
- breaks down body fat;
- suppresses appetite.
For pregnant women, watermelon pulp is a source of vitamin B9 (folic acid)... Without folate, the growth and normal development of fetal tissues and organs is impossible. If during pregnancy the acid is supplied in insufficient quantities, then there is a high probability that the embryo will develop pathologies from the nervous system: cerebral hernia, hydrocephalus, absence of the brain.
Defects from the cardiovascular system are not excluded... In women, vitamin B9 deficiency is manifested by weakness, increased fatigue, headaches, there is a threat of miscarriage, placental abruption, stillbirth.
During this period, the fruit pulp is recommended to be used as a diuretic. to neutralize puffiness: it cleanses the blood, liver, kidneys well, removes excess fluid from the body.
While breastfeeding, watermelon will benefit both mother and baby, provided that the woman ate it during pregnancy and did not cause any side effects. However, its use should be limited to a nursing mother for the first 2-3 months after the birth of the baby.
Important! You should not eat watermelon if the child is worried about colic. Frequent consumption of large portions can worsen the general condition of the child, cause increased gas production, bloating, dyspepsia, and other problems with the digestive tract.
Slimming application
Due to its taste and availability, watermelon has won a large number of fans around the world as a weight loss aid. The rave reviews of girls and women who painlessly lost a few extra pounds confirm the effectiveness of the watermelon diet. With the right exit from it and the subsequent observance of the principles of a healthy diet, the results can be permanently consolidated.
In order to cleanse the body and correct body weight, fasting days are carried out on fruit pulp, which involve the use of watermelons and water in an amount of 2-3 liters. Despite the fact that the berry itself is juicy, free liquid is necessary to normalize the water-salt balance, to activate the process of removing toxins and toxins from the body as a result of the decomposition of fatty deposits.
Usually practice one- and two-day fasting diets... Their frequency varies widely, but the most optimal frequency of fasting days is once every 7-10 days.
The stricter version of the diet is designed for five days and includes only permitted watermelon pulp in the amount of 1 kg per 10 kg of body weight + 2 liters of still purified water. This type of weight loss is not balanced, the body is deficient in calories and other essential micro- and macroelements, vitamins, and is difficult to tolerate.
Possible negative consequences in the form of rapid weight recovery, slowing down the metabolism. Only people who do not have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can practice this method of weight loss.
It is more rational to spend a ten-day sparing watermelon diet, in the menu of which the pulp of fresh ripe watermelons is supplemented with water and unsweetened green tea, whole grain, rye or bran bread. The maximum result that can be achieved is minus 10 kg. Average figures vary between 5-7 kg.
During the diet, completely exclude pasta, alcohol, energy drinks, bread, sugar-containing foods, snacks, snacks... To consolidate the result, for a few weeks after completing the diet, it is important to consume low-calorie dairy products, cheese, lean salads and vegetable soups, low-fat meats and fish.
After that, watermelon pulp is included in the diet at the rate of 1 kg per 30 kg of human body weight.
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Possible harm and contraindications
Watermelon tends to accumulate nitrates in fruits. Their excess is toxic to the human body, negatively affects the condition and functionality of the digestive system, provokes the onset of hypoxia and, worst of all, increases the risk of cancer.
Eating fruits against the background of diarrhea can lead to an imbalance in the water-salt balance, dehydration of the body, leaching of calcium, which will negatively affect the condition of the musculoskeletal system and the strength of bone tissue.
Due to the pronounced diuretic effect, watermelon should be used with caution when detection of large salt stones in the parts of the urinary system (liver, kidneys, ureter, urethra).There is a possibility that the increased outflow of urine can move stones and disrupt urodynamics, which will cause soreness, blockage of the urinary tract, and kidney dysfunction.
Contraindications to the use of large portions of watermelon pulp are relevant in the presence of such diseases and pathological conditions as:
- allergy to the product;
- diarrhea;
- stones of the ureter, urethra in the kidneys, liver;
- increased acidity of gastric juice;
- diabetes mellitus of the second and third type;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract of an erosive and ulcerative nature, especially in the acute stage.
Conclusion
Now you know how watermelon is useful for the human body. It is a product that can improve overall health, increase endurance and performance, alleviate the severity of symptoms and improve prognosis in the treatment of diseases of the heart, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.
The calorie content of watermelon is low, but it provides a quick feeling of satiety, which lasts for a long time, so it is also used for weight loss. It is worth remembering about the existing contraindications to its use, so as not to harm the body.