Almost all dietary restrictions prescribe the consumption of vegetables and fruits. At the same time, experts emphasize that fruits are in season, because they are the healthiest. At the end of summer comes the time of the giant sweet berry that the watermelon diet is based on.
Watermelon - history and brief description
Long before the beginning of our era, people ate watermelons. Of course, where the climate allowed their cultivation. Since this thermophilic crop does not tolerate long-term transportation, watermelons were eaten for thousands of years only where they were grown. No one ate watermelon to lose weight; it was a somewhat sacred food. The ancient Egyptians, for example, placed watermelons in the tomb because the fruit was considered a worthy food for the afterlife.
As trade links developed, watermelons became more widespread, notably in the Roman Empire, where they were used as both a confection and a pickle. Centuries later, the striped fruit reached China, where it has been actively cultivated since the beginning of the 10th century.
Watermelon appeared in Europe even later, only in the 17th century, and from there it was brought to our country as an overseas curiosity. It was only in the 19th century that watermelon began to be cultivated in the southern regions of our country, especially on fertile black soils.
Mineral composition and pharmacological properties
Despite the fact that watermelon contains a lot of water, this fruit is very valuable for a healthy diet. After all, it contains almost all the microelements and vitamins necessary for humans. Most of these substances, necessary for the normal functioning of the body, must be supplied in milligrams and micrograms, but this is impossible without them.
A ripe watermelon, ripened under the scorching sun, contains a rich set of not only vitamins, but also mineral elements, as well as the most important biochemical compounds. The table shows the approximate content per 100 grams of pulp. This is a very small piece, about half a slice. Typically, no one is limited to this amount, especially on a watermelon diet, which means nutrient intake will be significantly higher.
Table of macro and microelements in watermelon
Item name |
Quantity, 100 g |
Daily norm |
% of daily value |
Vitamin A |
17. 00mcg |
900mcg |
1. 9% |
beta carotene |
0. 1mg |
5mg |
2% |
Vitamin B1, thiamine |
0. 04 mg |
1. 5mg |
2. 7% |
Vitamin B2, riboflavin |
0. 06 mg |
1. 8mg |
3. 3% |
Vitamin B4, choline |
4. 1mg |
500 mg |
0. 8% |
Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid |
0. 221 mg |
5 mg |
4. 4% |
Vitamin B6, pyridoxine |
0. 09 mg |
2 mg |
4. 5% |
Vitamin B9, folate |
8mcg |
400mcg |
2% |
Vitamin C, ascorbic acid |
7mg |
90mg |
7. 8% |
Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol |
0. 1mg |
15mg |
0. 7% |
Vitamin K, phylloquinone |
0. 1mg |
120 mg |
0. 1% |
Vitamin PP |
0. 3 mg |
20mg |
1. 5% |
Potassium, K |
110mg |
2500 mg |
4. 4% |
Calcium, Ca |
14 mg |
1000mg |
1. 4% |
Silicon, Si |
12mg |
30 mg |
40% |
Magnesium, Mg |
12mg |
400 mg |
3% |
Sodium, Na |
16mg |
1300 mg |
1. 2% |
Sera, S |
6. 1 mg |
1000mg |
0. 6% |
Phosphorus, P |
7mg |
800mg |
0. 9% |
Chlorine, Cl |
24. 7 mg |
2300mg |
1. 1% |
Iron, Fe |
1 mg |
18mg |
5. 6% |
Cobalt, Co. |
2mcg |
10mcg |
20% |
Manganese, Mn |
0. 038mg |
2 mg |
1. 9% |
Copper, Cu |
42mcg |
1000mcg |
4. 2% |
Molybdenum, Mo |
1. 8mcg |
70mcg |
2. 6% |
Selenium, Se |
0. 4mcg |
50mcg |
0. 7% |
Chromium, Cr |
0. 23mcg |
50mcg |
0. 5% |
Zinc, Zn |
0. 1mg |
12mg |
0. 8% |
As with any natural raw material, data may vary slightly depending on the variety and location of cultivation.
Calorie content and BZHU
But the content of microelements is not the most important thing. Many people focus on the sweet taste of watermelon and therefore avoid it regardless of dietary restrictions. This is fundamentally wrong: watermelon will absolutely not harm those who are losing weight. After all, its main component is water, which contains zero calories. And it contains 97% striped fruit.
So to the question, is it possible to eat watermelon on a diet, the answer is definitely positive. As for the nutritional composition, the pulp of a ripe watermelon will provide the body.
KBZHU table
Nutrient Name |
Quantity per 100 g |
Squirrels |
0. 7g |
Fats |
0. 1g |
Carbohydrates |
5. 8g |
Alimentary fiber |
0. 4g |
Water |
93g |
Calorie content |
27 calories |
How to choose a ripe watermelon
The season for these berries generally opens in mid-July; the sooner the watermelons will not be the most delicious and, most importantly, less healthy. If the watermelon is local, an unscrupulous grower could overfeed it with fertilizers and growth stimulants. If the fruit arrived from distant lands, it may well have been treated with chemicals to withstand the long journey. Such watermelons will be of no use either on the watermelon diet or in your normal daily diet. On the contrary, you may suffer from serious digestive disorders.
It is quite simple to choose a tasty and sweet watermelon, the main thing is to carefully examine the fruit and not be fooled by the seller's persuasion. Signs of watermelon ripeness:
- A fruit ripened on the ground always has a slightly flattened yellow side. It is as hard as the whole crust and may be covered with a network of shallow cracks.
- In addition, the tail of a ripe watermelon dries up, it should become dry and hard. If green and soft, such a fruit may be sweet, but it may be completely immature.
- If you hit a ripe watermelon with your knuckles, the sound should resonate, as if there was a void inside. A dull pumpkin, as if there were cotton inside a large pumpkin, shows that it is either an unripe specimen or one that has begun to deteriorate.
But, as a rule, at the height of the season, watermelons are sold everywhere and are already ripe, so if August is in full swing, you can safely take almost any, it willwill definitely turn out to be tasty and suitable for the watermelon diet.
General rules of the watermelon diet
The watermelon diet will give excellent results if certain provisions are followed. To lose 3-5 kilograms of excess weight that appeared after summer barbecues and ice cream, you need to remember the main rule: per 10 kg of body weight, you need to eat 1 kg of watermelon pulp per day. That is, if you weigh 63 kg, you should eat 6. 3 kg of watermelon per day.
- Juice cannot be used to replace the pulp, it contains much less fiber and therefore can cause intestinal upset.
- Despite the large amount of liquid contained in watermelon, additional consumption is necessary. The diuretic effect of striped fruits can cause a loss of electrolytes in the body.
- Before the mass sale of watermelons, it is better not to eat them, so as not to be poisoned by nitrates, which farmers often "feed" their melons in order to get a marketable harvest as quickly as possible.
As you can see, the watermelon diet for weight loss is not complicated at all, it is easy and tasty to follow for the required time.
Advantages and disadvantages of the watermelon diet
Before you start practicing restricted eating, it is advisable to study not only the positive aspects, but also the negative ones. The watermelon diet in this regard is no exception. Despite its effectiveness, it has certain disadvantages, due to which it may not be suitable for a particular person.
Benefits of the diet
One of the reasons why the watermelon diet has many fans is the excellent taste of the main component of the daily diet. The red pulp quenches both thirst and the desire to eat, so it is an excellent source of energy on a hot summer day. In addition, fans of the watermelon diet note several other advantages:
- The watermelon diet really works and helps you get rid of a significant amount of body fat.
- There is no need to stand by the stove and count your daily calories.
- A large amount of watermelon pulp helps eliminate swelling, even if it is chronic.
- If you complete the period of restrictions correctly, the result will last a long time.
Disadvantages of the diet
Of course, the watermelon diet not only has benefits, it also has negative aspects. First of all, this is a significant load on the kidneys due to abundant fluid intake. So you need to be sure about your health before experimenting with watermelons. As a rule, the watermelon diet collects negative reviews for the following reasons:
- Insufficient saturation of the diet with the necessary nutrients - proteins and fats. Therefore, you cannot practice this method for a long time and it is also better to repeat it rarely. Considering the seasonality of sweet fruits, once a year unloading watermelons for several days would be a good decision. One day of fasting with watermelon will not give such obvious results, so after 2-3 weeks it can be repeated.
- Not everyone can follow such a diet, so before finding out whether you can lose weight with watermelon, you need to check your own health.
- If you "skip" the diet and do not exit it gently, the lost pounds can return.
Who is the watermelon diet contraindicated for?
The abundant amount of fluid entering the body and decent doses of sugars make the watermelon diet an unsuitable option for certain categories of people.
- First of all, these are those who have kidney problems. There are many chronic inflammatory processes that require careful analysis and normalization of the incoming fluid.
- Chronic intestinal diseases can get worse with such amounts of fiber and moisture, you need to watch this aspect.
- Being too young or too old is a contraindication to any mono-diet, as it requires a balanced and complete diet.
- People allergic to striped berries should not follow this diet. In this case, it can be dangerous for health.
It should be noted that a strict watermelon diet is not suitable for all of the above. If you eat one or two slices of sweet and aromatic watermelon, it will bring only benefit and pleasure.
Is the watermelon diet allowed for pregnant women?
The watermelon diet deserves special mention for women in delicate situations. The fact is that often, especially in the later stages, pregnant women experience severe discomfort from swelling. In this case, your doctor may limit the amount of fluid you consume per day.
You can try a watermelon fasting day to remove excess water from the body. In addition, the pulp will contain a lot of vitamins and fiber, which is also useful during pregnancy.
You should not make such a decision yourself, the agreement of a gynecologist is required, since a specialist can determine from tests and during an examination whether such unloading will not be harmful.
Diet Options
The diet to follow during the watermelon diet depends above all on its duration. If a few days can easily be devoted solely to mono-nutrition, then longer options require an additional intake of calories into the body. We must therefore focus on deadlines.
Watermelon fasting day
If the watermelon diet lasts only 24 hours, the entire menu consists only of the pulp of the ripe fruit. You can add a few slices of whole grain bread, and additional drinks include water and unsweetened tea. The water can be mineral or slightly salty. Everything else is strictly prohibited.
Diet for 2 days
If in one day the numbers on the scales became more pleasant on the watermelon, and the day itself passed easily, then you can continue cleansing the body and extend it for 24 hours with the same diet. Watermelon pulp at the rate of 1 kg per 10 kg of body weight, divided into 4 or 5 parts and consumed at approximately equal intervals.
At two meals, you are allowed to eat small toasts made from wholemeal bread or rye bread.
For 3 days
More than 48 hours without the intake of proteins and fats will no longer benefit the body, so the three-day marathon must be diversified with complementary products.
The best option for this is cottage cheese. It contains a lot of protein and a little milk fat. In addition, fermented dairy products are easily digestible and help improve digestion.
For another three-day diet, it is allowed to eat a small amount of cereals such as rice to slightly strengthen the intestines. The menu for three days looks like this:
- Have breakfast – a cup of cottage cheese with a fat content of 1. 5-5%, no more than a few slices of watermelon;
- Snack – 2-3 slices of striped berries;
- Lunch – a plate of steamed rice and a few pieces of watermelon;
- For an afternoon snack - 2-3 tablespoons of cottage cheese and 2 large slices of watermelon;
- Dinner: rice water and watermelon.
In three days of such nutrition you can notice a good weight – up to 3 kilograms.
During 5 days
If the motivation is strong enough and the body perceives all restrictions quite normally, then you can increase by 3 days for 5 days, with approximately the same diet. The only thing is that it can be slightly diversified with products from the same group.
For example, for those who do not like cottage cheese, boiled chicken breast will be a complete source of animal protein. If you are tired of rice, oatmeal porridge with water will do just as well. Once a day, you can treat yourself to a hard-boiled egg, this will provide the fats necessary for the absorption of certain vitamins.
For 7 days
With a watermelon diet for a week, slightly different mechanisms begin to work. The red pulp itself acts to remove breakdown products from fatty deposits, and weight loss is achieved by reducing daily calorie intake. In this way, the body receives complete nutrition with few deficiencies, which helps to lose weight without losing muscle mass. And all unnecessary comes out of the body with the help of watermelon.
For a period of seven days, it is advisable to approximately adhere to the following menu:
Breakfast: A cup of green tea and a portion of porridge steamed with boiling water, a boiled egg;
Second option: Unsweetened tea or coffee, a bowl of cottage cheese, fresh fruit.
Lunch: Slices of fresh raw vegetables lightly seasoned with olive oil and a portion of steamed fish;
Second option: Vegetable soup with dill and green onions, 200 grams of boiled chicken or beef breast, a few tomatoes.
Dinner: Strictly watermelon pulp, for 30 kilos of body weight you need to eat 1000 grams of berries. This should be done at least 3 hours before bedtime so that the urge to urinate does not affect your night's sleep.
For 10 days
The watermelon diet for weight loss is very well tolerated in most cases. Since the season of these fruits falls during the hottest time of the year, during which the appetite is already attenuated. So many people quite calmly tolerate several days of restrictions and are ready to continue in the same spirit in order to achieve even more visible results and find out from their own experience whether it is possible to lose weight with watermelon.
The ten-day challenge principles are similar to what the weekly routine suggests:
- Have breakfast - brown rice or oatmeal porridge steamed with boiling water, a few pieces of cheese;
- Lunch - a portion of protein, it can be lean meat or fish, cooked in a double boiler, vegetable salad or slices are added to it;
- For dinner you need to eat watermelon pulp, according to the same calculation as for the seven-day diet.
If the endurance is enough to completely get through this period, the numbers on the scales will be 6-8 kg less than before starting the watermelon diet.
Mixed Watermelon Diet Options
The watermelon diet is not limited to this melon crop. There are other varieties in which new ingredients are added to the watermelon. In some cases, these are additional vegetables or fruits that have approximately the same calorie content and similar effects.
For those who are hungry on a mono-diet, adding a protein component is appropriate so that the body does not lose muscle mass and the person does not feel a loss of strength. Ecto-fermented dairy products are usually cottage cheese or plain yogurt.
The third option is suitable for those for whom an overdose of watermelon causes problems in the gastrointestinal tract. A large amount of fluid can disrupt its functions, and to avoid this, you can try adding carbohydrates to your diet, which will slightly strengthen the intestines.
Watermelon and melon
This is a popular combination of two Southern guests that arrive on our shelves almost simultaneously. Melon also has a fairly low calorie content, so you can successfully lose weight by consuming both types of melons.
Experts recommend following the melon-watermelon diet for six or nine days. To do this, you need to repeat the three-day nutritional cycle 2 or 3 times. The menu looks like this:
First day:
- Breakfast - 100 grams of cottage cheese, 200 grams of melon and a few slices of rye bread;
- Lunch – a portion of steamed fish with a salad of green vegetables, 200 grams of melon;
- Snack – half a kilo of watermelon pulp;
- Dinner – a small cup of boiled rice, an apple, 150 grams of melon.
Second day:
- Breakfast – a few boiled eggs, a cup of unsweetened tea, 150 grams of watermelon;
- Lunch – 400 grams of melon, 200 grams of low-calorie vegetable compote;
- Snack – a glass of kefir;
- Dinner – a small portion of chicken breast, a few toasts and half a kilo of watermelon.
The third day:
- Breakfast – 400 grams of watermelon and a glass of yogurt to drink;
- Lunch – a plate of brown rice, a portion of steamed chicken breast, 300 grams of melon;
- Snack – green tea without sugar and a few slices of rye bread;
- Dinner – sliced vegetables, one medium baked potato, 400 grams of watermelon.
Watermelon and kefir
The watermelon diet, combined with kefir, is no less popular. Fermented milk product is one of the most digestible, it will not disrupt your diet, but will only saturate the body with healthy proteins.
The watermelon-kefir combination does not have a specific menu or complementary products. You can follow such a diet for only 72 hours, during which time the body will be significantly cleansed of various toxins and toxic compounds.
Per day you need to drink a liter of kefir and eat 2-3 kg of watermelon. To do this, drink a glass of drink and 400-500 grams of sweet pulp every three hours. The last time - three hours before bedtime.
Watermelon and cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is another product that is extremely respected by healthy eating enthusiasts. And this is deserved, because such a rich set of proteins and microelements cannot be found in any product. The main rule of watermelon and curd relief is not to eat them together, but to alternate them. For example, like this:
- Morning – 200 g of cottage cheese;
- Lunch – 05 kg. watermelon;
- Afternoon snack – 100 grams of cottage cheese;
- Evening – 05 kg. watermelon
Three days of this diet will help you gain weight faster, especially in problem areas.
Watermelon and apples
Similar low-calorie relief is possible with a combination of watermelons and apples. It is especially good to practice this cleaning in the fall. You should eat 1. 5 kilos of watermelon and 1 kilo of baked apples per day. This allows for complete cleansing of the body in all directions.
The diuretic properties of watermelon pulp will help flush the kidneys and rid the body of excess fluid. This will renew the body, tone it and give it new strength. Baked apples contain a lot of pectin. It is capable of not only mechanically cleansing the intestines, but also serves as an excellent adsorbent, attracting, capturing and removing harmful compounds from the body.
Watermelon and buckwheat
The favorite cereal of all those who lose weight contains a lot of protein, iron and vitamins. Therefore, the combination of watermelon and buckwheat porridge is optimal for those who want to significantly lose weight, but cannot tolerate the periodic feeling of hunger.
In the evening, you need to weigh 200 grams of dry buckwheat and steam it with boiling water overnight. You will get about 800 grams of porridge, or about 800 calories. Add to this 2-3 kilograms of watermelon pulp and some greens - you get the permitted daily diet.
This way you can lose weight without starving your body. You can follow the buckwheat-watermelon diet for a week. If you want more, you need to add proteins and fats, thereby reducing the amount of grains.
Watermelon with black bread
Combining a portion of watermelon calculated by weight with a few slices of black bread helps quell the urge to be hungry. This diet is not balanced and therefore cannot be followed for long.
It is better to pre-dry the bread in a dry pan or in the oven, such toasts keep you full longer. Instead of black bread, you can have wholemeal bread or crusty bread. It's good if the baked goods are yeast-free - this will avoid fermentation processes in the intestines.
How to get out of a diet correctly
The specificity of the watermelon diet is such that correct production is important not only for maintaining results, but also for normalizing digestive processes. When the amount of solid food is limited for several days and liquid food is provided in abundance, the body gets used to it and a sudden transition to the usual diet can cause a painful reaction in the gastrointestinal tract.
In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, you should gradually add denser, but easily digestible foods to each meal. These can be liquid porridges, cottage cheese with normal fat content, starchy vegetables and bread. After a few days, you can introduce lean varieties of meat and fish.
It is better to refrain from too hard, spicy and fatty foods. The same goes for refined sugars. If watermelon fiber promotes smooth absorption of carbohydrates, sweets in their pure form immediately raise blood sugar levels and cause an increase in insulin. The system established using the watermelon stops working.
You must adhere to these restrictions, gradually lifting them over a period of 7 to 10 days, and then you can return to your normal lifestyle. But if you start eating uncontrollably again, then the chances of gaining weight back become very high.
Expert opinion
The very consumption of watermelons is praised by nutritionists, since the rich vitamin composition, a lot of fluid and fiber have the most beneficial effect on the body. Concerning mono-diets and very strict options, experts experience a certain skepticism. Nutritionists emphasize that not all nutrients that the body needs can be obtained from watermelon, so such weight loss cannot be called healthy.
If we talk about abandoning fatty foods, sweets and high-calorie foods and replacing them with watermelon pulp, any practitioner would welcome such a diet.
Conclusion
The watermelon diet can only be practiced in season, and it is not very long. This should be remembered if there is any doubt about whether watermelon is good for weight loss or whether it is better to choose a different menu. It is better to try it to understand whether this diet is really as good and tasty as people who successfully lost weight write in the reviews.