Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which you need to carefully monitor your diet. Indeed, with food alone, a person can provoke an exacerbation of the disease and a significant deterioration in one's own condition. That is why now I want to talk about whether it is possible to eat watermelon in diabetes.
A little bit about watermelons
With the advent of summer, patients with diabetes have many temptations in the form of berries, fruits and other natural goodies. And I want to eat everything that hangs on bushes and trees. However, the disease dictates its conditions and before eating something, a person thinks: "Will this berry or fruit benefit me?"
Nobody will argue that a watermelon is useful in itself. So, this berry (watermelon is just a berry!) Has an excellent diuretic effect, helps to remove various toxins and harmful elements, while having a positive effect on the liver and the entire cardiovascular system. It should also be noted the fact that watermelon is actively used in diets for weight loss, helping the body gain the right weight.
Important indicators of watermelon
Understanding whether it is possible to eat watermelon in diabetes mellitus, you need to consider the numerical indicators. What you need to know about this berry?
- Scientists equate the weight of a watermelon with a peel of 260 grams to one bread unit.
- In 100 grams of pure watermelon, only 40 kcal.
- It is also important to remember that the glycemic index (an indicator of the effect of certain foods on blood sugar) of this berry is 72. And this is a lot.
About type 1 diabetes
We go further, figuring out whether it is possible to eat watermelon in diabetes. So, everyone knows that there are type I and type II diabetes. Depending on this, nutrition rules also vary. In the first type of diabetes, this berry can and should even be eaten. After all, there is little sugar in it, and fructose provides all the sweetness. To absorb everything that is in a watermelon, the patient will not need insulin at all. That is, blood sugar levels will not change significantly. But only if you eat no more than 800 grams of watermelon. And this is the maximum indicator. The norm is approximately 350-500 grams. It is also important to exclude other carbohydrate-containing foods so as not to harm your body.
About type 2 diabetes
Is it possible to eat watermelon with type II diabetes? Here the situation is somewhat different than described above. With this form of the disease, you need to be extremely careful with all the food that enters the body. In this case, it is very important to follow a strict diet without consuming too much glucose. The patient, of course, can eat about 150-200 grams of this aromatic and tasty berry. But you also have to change the entire daily diet.
The second point, which is also important: in diabetes of the second type, people most often have excess body weight. So, it is very important to monitor the indicators, constantly influencing the normalization of these figures. If you eat watermelon (for the most part it is liquid), then this will lead to the end result that the patient will want to eat after a while (the intestines and stomach will stretch). And as a result, hunger intensifies. And in this case, it is very difficult to follow any diet. Disruptions occur and the body is harmed. So is it possible to eat watermelons with type II diabetes? It is possible, but in very small quantities. And the best thing is to completely avoid the consumption of this berry.
About other properties of watermelon
Watermelon also has other useful properties. For example, it helps quench your thirst. So, is it possible to use watermelon for diabetes, if the patient is thirsty? Of course you can. And even necessary. Indeed, in this berry in large quantities are fiber, pectin and water. But it must be remembered that it is important to observe the dosage of its consumption, depending on the type of disease and the general health of the patient.
Understanding whether it is possible for patients with diabetes to eat watermelons, one must answer that this berry can be included as one of the ingredients in a variety of dishes. And it can be not only fruit salads where its pulp is used. There are many different dishes where ripe watermelon is used. At the same time, affordable and approved for diabetics. So for a variety of your own diet you can look for interesting solutions for using watermelon in a variety of, sometimes even unexpected, variations of cooking.