Belly fat isn’t appealing, but its worst quality enhances your risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and other fatal diseases.
In most of us, belly fat influences us to be stubborn, but some foods could provide you with a benefit in your battle to expel the swelling. Watermelon, for example, is a perfect food to burn belly fat, according to the American Dietetic Association.
This article describes everything you are required to know about watermelon. Does watermelon cause belly fat? Does watermelon help burn belly fat? All answers to these questions will be discussed here.
Table of Contents
Does Watermelon Cause Belly Fat?
No, That’s not true. Even Watermelon helps you lose belly fat. How, here is the research,
Research conducted at the University of Kentucky established that drinking two glasses of watermelon juice every day for eight weeks helped people lose weight, specifically belly fat, and didn’t decrease muscle mass.
Also Read: Amazing Tips: How to Get Rid of Loose Belly Fat Fast?
The magic ingredient could be the amino acid arginine. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition found that putting arginine into the diets of obese mice reduced body fat by 64 percent in only three months.
Fruits such as watermelon are vital to a healthy diet, as they contain vitamins, minerals, and beneficial antioxidants.
Watermelon is a perfect source of vitamins A and C and the antioxidant lycopene, which is admired for its cancer-fighting properties and cardiovascular health advantages. Although, you could be careful about overeating fruit. Overeating anything, including fruits, could have some undesirable side effects.
Also Read: How does Pineapple burn belly fat?
This article centered on the side effects of consuming too much watermelon and removed certain myths about watermelon’s impact on your diet.
The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a big, sweet fruit from southern Africa. It’s linked to cantaloupe, zucchini, pumpkin, and cucumber.
Watermelon is loaded with water and nutrients, contains very few calories, and is exceptionally rejuvenating. What’s more, it’s a tremendous dietary origin of citrulline and lycopene, two powerful plant ingredients.
This juicy melon could have several health advantages, including lower blood pressure, improved insulin sensitivity, and decreased muscle soreness.
Also read: Easy Ways: How to Lose BELLY FAT while Sleeping
While watermelons are primarily eaten fresh, they could also be frozen, made into juice, or put into smoothies.
Nutritional Facts
Watermelon contains mostly water (91%) and carbs (7.5%). It gives entirely no protein or fat and is very low in calories.
The nutritional value of 2/3 cup (100 grams) of raw watermelon is:
- Calories: 30
- Water: 91%
- Protein: 0.6 grams
- Carbs: 7.6 grams
- Sugar: 6.2 grams
- Fiber: 0.4 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
Carbs
Watermelon consists of 12 grams of carbs per cup (152 grams).
The carbs are mainly simple sugars, like glucose, fructose, and sucrose. Watermelon also yields a small amount of fiber.
Also read: Do Eggs Burn Belly Fat- A Magical Food!
The glycemic index (GI) — an estimate of how rapidly foods hike blood sugar levels after meals of watermelons scale from 72–80, which is high.
Although each serving of watermelon is comparatively low in carbs, consuming it must not significantly impact blood sugar levels.
Fibers
Watermelon is of poor fiber origin, giving only 0.4 grams per 2/3 cup (100 grams).
Although, due to its fructose content, it is regarded as high in FODMAPs or fermentable short-chain carbohydrates.
Consuming high amounts of fructose could lead to unpleasant digestive symptoms in people who cannot fully digest them, like those with fructose malabsorption.
Vitamins and Minerals
Watermelon is a good origin of vitamin C and a subsiding source of several other vitamins and minerals.
- Vitamin C – This antioxidant is vital for skin health and immune function
- Potassium – This mineral is significant for blood pressure control and heart health
- Copper- This mineral is present mainly in plant foods and is often lacking in the Western diet
- Vitamin B5 – It is also termed pantothenic acid; this vitamin is present in almost all foods to some level.
- Vitamin A – Watermelon consists of beta carotene, which your body could turn into Vitamin A.
Other Plant Compounds
Watermelon is a poor source of antioxidants in comparison to other fruits. Although, it’s good in the amino acid citrulline and the antioxidant lycopene, which have several health benefits.
Citrulline
Watermelon is the best-known dietary source of the amino acid citrulline. The most significant amount is present in the white rind that covers the flesh. In your body, citrulline is transformed into the vital amino acid arginine.
Both citrulline and arginine play a significant role in forming nitric oxide, which helps lower blood pressure by amplifying and relaxing your blood vessels. Arginine is also essential for many organs like your lungs, kidneys, liver, immune and reproductive systems and has been highlighted to facilitate wound healing.
Research note that watermelon juice is an excellent source of citrulline and could significantly enhance blood levels of citrulline and arginine. Though watermelon is one of the great dietary sources of citrulline, you would have to eat about 15 cups (2.3 kg) at once to fulfill the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for arginine.
Lycopene
Watermelon is a fresh source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant accountable for its red color. In fact, fresh watermelon is a better source of lycopene than tomatoes. Human research shows that fresh watermelon juice is efficient at lifting blood levels of both lycopene and beta carotene. Your body utilizes lycopene to some extent to form beta carotene, which is then transformed into vitamin A.
Health Benefits of Watermelons
Watermelons and their juice are connected to several health benefits. These are mentioned below:
1. Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a major hazardous factor for chronic disease and premature death. Watermelon is an excellent source of citrulline, which is transformed into arginine in your body. Both of these amino acids help in nitric oxide production.
Nitric oxide is a gas molecule that leads the tiny muscles around your blood vessels to relax and amplify. This causes a reduction in blood pressure. Supplementing with watermelon or its juice could decrease blood pressure and arterial rigidity in people with high blood pressure.
2. Decreased Insulin Resistance
Insulin is an essential hormone in the body and involves blood sugar control.
Insulin resistance is the condition in which your cells become contrary to the impacts of insulin. This could cause raised blood sugar levels and is connected to metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes.
In some research, watermelon juice and arginine consumption are linked with decreased insulin resistance.
3. Decreased Muscle Soreness After Exercise
Muscle soreness is a familiar side effect of strenuous exercise.
One study highlighted that watermelon juice efficiently reduces muscle soreness following exercise. A survey of watermelon juice (or citrulline) and training performance yielded mixed results. One study found no effect, while another highlighted improved performance in untrained but not well-trained people.
4. May decrease the risk of preeclampsia
Watermelon is excellent in lycopene, the compound that produces tomatoes and similarly colored fruits and vegetables in their rich red color.
One older research recommends that supplementing with 4 mg of lycopene per day or around 60% of the lycopene present in one cup (152 grams) of watermelon may aid in lowering preeclampsia hazards by up to 50%.
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy problem stricken by high blood pressure, enhanced swelling, and protein loss in the urine. It’s a severe condition and a significant reason for preterm birth. Depending on the finding that lycopene supplementation could decrease preeclampsia hazards, lycopene-rich watermelon is primarily recommended to protect women from forming preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Although, two more recent studies fail to find a connection between the two. It’s significant to note that these studies utilize high-dose lycopene supplements to produce lycopene, not watermelon. Lately, no studies have connected watermelon intake with a lower risk of preeclampsia. More research is required before solid results can be drawn.
5. May lower the risk of side effects or complications in pregnancy.
During pregnancy, a woman’s daily fluid condition increases to support maximum blood circulation, amniotic fluid levels, and an overall elevated blood volume. Simultaneously, digestion leads to slowing down. The mixture of these two changes may enhance a woman’s harm from poor hydration. One at a time, this increases her risk of constipation or hemorrhoids through pregnancy. Suboptimal hydration through pregnancy could also be linked to poor fetal development and a higher risk of preterm delivery and birth deformity. Watermelon’s rich water content could help pregnant women better meet their increased fluid requirements, decreasing their risk of constipation, hemorrhoids, and pregnancy difficulty.
Although, this could be known for all water-rich fruits or vegetables, comprising tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, zucchini, and even broccoli. Hence, although technically correct, this benefit is not entirely to watermelon.
Side Effects Of Eating Too Much Watermelon
Summers are here, and so is the requirement to fuel ourselves with a good amount of cooling foods. The perfect way to do this is by taking one of the season’s most hydrating and cooling fruits, i.e., watermelon. This watery fruit has about 92 percent water. It exists in the Cucurbitaceae family, with other members such as pumpkin, squash, and cucumber. Watermelon is unique because it is regarded as a fruit and a vegetable. It not just tastes fantastic but also has several health and beauty advantages to offer.
It is fat-free and is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, and C, consisting of potassium and beneficial plant chemicals such as lycopene and citrulline. Fineness lovers, are you hearing? This red-fleshed fruit is known for all the good things, but what goes wrong with eating it in large quantities? Overeating watermelon has many side effects. You heard us! Despite its tremendous benefits, consuming watermelon in large amounts could actually lead to harm to your body.
Here are some side effects of consuming watermelon in large amounts.
1. May Cause Diarrhea and Other Digestive Issues
Watermelon is a good source of water and an equally great source of dietary fiber. Although, eating in large quantities could give rise to digestive problems such as diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, gas, etc. The fruit consists of sorbitol that is a sugar compound, which is said to initiate loose stools and gas problems. Another common cause of such concerns is the lycopene content, a pigmented antioxidant that imparts the watermelon its bright color.
2. May Up Glucose Levels
If you have diabetes, acquiring too much watermelon could increase blood sugar levels. It could be a healthy fruit but has a high glycemic index. Always make sure to consult a doctor before you eat it daily.
3. May Enhance The Risk Of Developing Liver Inflammation
People who consume alcohol daily must avoid having large amounts of watermelon as the high level of lycopene could react with alcohol, further leading to liver inflammation. Excessive oxidative stress on the liver could be hazardous.
4. May Cause Overhydration Or Water Intoxication
Water intoxication or overhydration is when your body possesses excess water, which causes a loss of sodium content. Eating large quantities of watermelon could enhance our body’s water level. If the extra water is not removed, it could cause an increase in the volume of the blood, further leading to swelling in the legs, exhaustion, weak kidneys, etc. It could also cause a loss of sodium levels in the body.
5. May Cause Cardiovascular Problems
Watermelon is a good origin of potassium, an essential nutrient that plays several functions in maintaining body health. It helps regulate electrolyte function, keeps our heart healthy, and strengthens our bones and muscles. Although, too much potassium could cause cardiovascular problems such as irregular heartbeat, weak pulse rate, etc.
How Many Watermelons Should You Consume In A Day?
As per Nutritionist and Physiologist Ritesh Bawri, “100 grams of watermelon contain about 30 calories. Knowing that it is mostly water, it is elementary to eat even 500 grams, meaning you just consume 150 Calories. Because it is light on the stomach, you cannot feel full, so you tend to consume more.
Additionally, it has 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams, so the same amount of watermelon would take 30 grams. Primarily, most individuals must eat between 100 to 150 grams of sugar daily from all their food mixture. The sugar from the watermelon is afflicting your count.” Consuming watermelon is not bad, but adding anything could be unhealthy, even if it is as healthy as a watermelon. A moderate amount of fruit would ensure a healthy and hydrated mind and body.
Conclusion
Watermelons are a healthy and rejuvenating fruit, but consuming too much could cause high blood sugar levels or gastrointestinal discomfort among those who are reactive to FODMAPs.
As with anything else in nutrition, the limitation is critical. Try to restrict your watermelon consumption to two cups (300 grams) per day if that’s the only fruit you’ll be taking.
Watermelon is an unexpectedly healthy fruit.
It’s packed with citrulline and lycopene, two potent plant compounds joined to lower blood pressure, enhance metabolic health, and reduce muscle soreness after exercise.
Moreover, it’s sweet, healthy, and loaded with water, making it excellent for regulating good hydration.
For most people, watermelon is a perfect inclusion to a healthy diet.
