Almost all dietary restrictions prescribe the consumption of vegetables and fruits. At the same time, experts emphasize that fruits are seasonal, because they are the healthiest. At the end of summer comes the time for the giant sweet berry on which the watermelon diet is based.
Watermelon - history and brief description
Long before the beginning of our era, people ate watermelons. Of course, where the climate allowed them to be grown. Because this heat-loving crop does not tolerate long-term transportation, for thousands of years watermelons were consumed only where they were grown. Nobody ate watermelon to lose weight; it was a sacred food. The ancient Egyptians, for example, placed watermelons in the tomb, as the fruit was considered a worthy food for the afterlife.
As commercial ties developed, watermelons spread even further, including into the Roman Empire, where they were used as both a sweet treat 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. Only in the 19th century did watermelons begin to be cultivated in the southern regions of our country, especially on fertile black soil.
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 for the normal functioning of the body must be supplied in milligrams and micrograms, but it is impossible without them.
A ripe watermelon, ripened under the hot sun, has 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. As a rule, no one is limited to this amount, especially on the watermelon diet, which means that the supply of nutrients will be significantly higher.
Table of macro and microelements in watermelon
Item name |
Quantity, 100g |
Daily norm |
% of daily value |
Vitamin A |
17. 00mcg |
900 mcg |
1. 9% |
beta-carotene |
0. 1mg |
5mg |
two% |
Vitamin B1, thiamine |
0. 04mg |
1. 5mg |
2. 7% |
Vitamin B2, riboflavin |
0. 06 mg |
1. 8 mg |
3. 3% |
Vitamin B4, choline |
4. 1mg |
500mg |
0. 8% |
Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid |
0. 221 mg |
5mg |
4. 4% |
Vitamin B6, pyridoxine |
0. 09mg |
2mg |
4. 5% |
Vitamin B9, folates |
8 mcg |
400 mcg |
two% |
Vitamin C, ascorbic acid |
7mg |
90mg |
7. 8% |
Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol |
0. 1mg |
15mg |
0. 7% |
Vitamin K, phylloquinone |
0. 1mg |
120mg |
0. 1% |
Vitamin PP |
0. 3mg |
20mg |
1. 5% |
Potassium, K |
110mg |
2500mg |
4. 4% |
Calcium, Ca |
14mg |
1000mg |
1. 4% |
Silicon, Si |
12mg |
30mg |
40% |
Magnesium, Mg |
12mg |
400mg |
3% |
Sodium, Na |
16mg |
1300mg |
1. 2% |
Sera, S |
6. 1mg |
1000mg |
0. 6% |
Phosphorus, P |
7mg |
800mg |
0. 9% |
Chlorine, Cl |
24. 7mg |
2300mg |
1. 1% |
Iron, Faith |
1mg |
18mg |
5. 6% |
Cobalt, Co |
2 mcg |
10 mcg |
20% |
Manganese, Mn |
0. 038mg |
2mg |
1. 9% |
Copper, Cu |
42 mcg |
1000 mcg |
4. 2% |
Molybdenum, Mo |
1. 8 mcg |
70 mcg |
2. 6% |
Selenium, If |
0. 4 mcg |
50 mcg |
0. 7% |
Chromium, Cr |
0. 23 mcg |
50 mcg |
0. 5% |
Zinc, Zn |
0. 1mg |
12mg |
0. 8% |
As with any natural raw material, data may vary slightly depending on the variety and place of growth.
Calorie content and BZHU
But the content of microelements is not the most important thing. Many people focus on the sweet taste of watermelon, so they avoid it under any dietary restrictions. This is fundamentally wrong: watermelon will not harm anyone who is losing weight in any way. After all, its main component is water, which has no calories. And it contains 97% of the striped fruit.
So, to the question whether it is possible to eat watermelon on a diet, the answer is definitely positive. As for the nutritional composition, the pulp of a ripe watermelon will bring to the body.
KBZHU table
Nutrient name |
Quantity per 100 g |
Squirrels |
0. 7g |
Fats |
0. 1g |
Carbohydrates |
5. 8g |
Dietary fiber |
0. 4g |
Water |
93g |
Calorie content |
27kcal |
How to choose a ripe watermelon
The season for these fruits usually begins in mid-July, before that watermelons will not be the most delicious and, most importantly, not so healthy. If the watermelon is local, an unscrupulous grower may overfeed it with fertilizers and growth stimulants. If the fruit arrived from distant lands, then it could very well have been treated with chemicals to be able to withstand the long journey. These watermelons will not be useful either in the watermelon diet or in the normal daily diet. On the contrary, you may have a serious digestive disorder.
It is very easy to choose a tasty and sweet watermelon, the main thing is to examine the fruit carefully and not be fooled by the seller's persuasion. Signs of watermelon ripeness:
- A fruit that has ripened in the ground always has a slightly flattened yellow side. It is as hard as the entire crust and may be covered by a network of surface cracks.
- Furthermore, the tail of a ripe watermelon dries out, it should be dry and hard. If it is green and soft, that fruit may be sweet, but it may be completely green.
- If you tap a ripe watermelon with your knuckles, the sound should be sonorous, as if there was a void inside. A dull pumpkin, as if there is cotton inside a large pumpkin, shows that it is 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 will certainly be tasty and suitable for the watermelon diet .
General rules of the watermelon diet
The watermelon diet will show excellent results if certain provisions are followed. To lose 3 to 5 kilograms of excess weight that appeared after summer barbecues and ice cream, you need to remember the main rule - for every 10 kg of body weight you need to eat 1 kg of watermelon pulp daily. In other words, if you weigh 63 kg, you should consume 6. 3 kg of watermelon per day.
- Juice cannot replace the pulp, as it contains much less fiber, which is why it can cause intestinal disorders.
- Despite the large amount of liquid in watermelon, you need to drink more. The diuretic effect of striped fruit can cause the body to lose electrolytes.
- 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 with in order to obtain a marketable harvest as quickly as possible.
As you can see, the watermelon diet for weight loss is not at all complicated, it is easy and tasty to follow for as long as necessary.
Advantages and disadvantages of the watermelon diet
Before starting to practice 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 some disadvantages, which is why it may not be suitable for a particular person.
Pros of the diet
One of the reasons why the watermelon diet has so many followers is the excellent taste of the main component of the daily diet. The red pulp quenches thirst and the desire to eat, making it an excellent source of energy on a hot summer day. Also, lovers of the watermelon diet note a few more 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 end the period of restrictions correctly, the result will last a long time.
Cons of the diet
Of course, the watermelon diet consists not only of advantages, but also of negative aspects. Firstly, this is a serious burden on the kidneys due to abundant fluid intake. Therefore, you need to be sure of your health before trying watermelons. Typically, 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 infrequently. Given the seasonality of sweet fruits, once a year unloading watermelons for several days would be a good decision. One day of fasting on watermelon will not give such obvious results, therefore, after 2-3 weeks it can be repeated.
- Not everyone can follow this diet, so before finding out whether it is possible to lose weight with watermelon, you need to check your own health.
- If you "jump" off the diet and don't go away smoothly, the pounds you lost may come back.
Who is the watermelon diet contraindicated for?
The abundant amount of fluid entering the body and decent doses of sugar make the watermelon diet an unsuitable option for some categories of people.
- First of all, there are those who have a kidney problem. There are many chronic inflammatory processes that require careful analysis and normalization of the incoming fluid.
- Chronic intestinal diseases can worsen with so much fiber and moisture, this aspect needs to be monitored.
- Being too young or too old is a contraindication for any mono-diet, as it requires a balanced and complete diet.
- People who are allergic to striped fruits should not follow this diet. In this case, it could be dangerous to your health.
It is important to note that a strict watermelon diet is not suitable for all of the above. If you eat one or two slices of aromatic sweet watermelon, it will only bring benefit and pleasure.
Is the watermelon diet allowed for pregnant women?
The watermelon diet deserves special attention for women in delicate situations. The fact is that very often, especially in the later stages, pregnant women experience serious discomfort due to swelling. In this case, your doctor may limit the amount of fluids you consume per day.
You can try a watermelon fasting day to remove excess water from the body. In addition, the pulp contains many vitamins and fiber, which is also useful during pregnancy.
You should not make this decision on your own, the approval of a gynecologist is necessary, as a specialist can determine from examinations and during an examination whether such discharge will not be harmful.
Diet options
The diet that should be followed during the watermelon diet mainly depends on its duration. If a few days can easily pass with mononutrition alone, then longer options require additional calorie intake by the body. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on deadlines.
Fasting day with watermelon
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, 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.
For both meals, you are allowed to eat small toasts made from wholemeal or rye bread.
For 3 days
More than 48 hours without eating proteins and fats will not bring more benefits to the body, which is why the three-day marathon must be diversified with additional products.
The best option for this is cottage cheese. Contains a lot of protein and some milk fat. Furthermore, 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 strengthen the intestines a little. The menu for three days looks something 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 fruit;
- 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: watered rice and watermelon.
In three days of this nutrition you can see a good weight – up to 3 kilos.
For 5 days
If the motivation is strong enough and the body perceives all the restrictions quite normally, then you can increase 3 days in 5 days, with approximately the same diet. The only thing is that it can be a little diversified with products from the same group.
For example, for those who don't like cottage cheese, boiled chicken breast will be a complete source of animal protein. If you're tired of rice, oatmeal with water works too. Once a day you can allow yourself a boiled egg, this will provide the necessary fats for the absorption of certain vitamins.
For 7 days
With a watermelon diet for a week, slightly different mechanisms begin to operate. The red pulp itself works to remove degradation products from fat deposits, and weight loss is achieved by cutting the daily calorie intake. This way the body receives complete nutrition with some deficiency, this helps you lose weight without losing muscle mass. And everything unnecessary leaves the body with the help of watermelon.
Over a period of seven days, it is advisable to approximately follow 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: Sliced raw fresh vegetables lightly seasoned with olive oil and a portion of steamed fish;
Second option: Vegetable soup with dill and green onions, 200 grams of chicken breast or boiled beef, a few tomatoes.
Dinner: Strictly watermelon pulp, for 30 kilograms of body weight you need to eat 1000 grams of berries. This should be done at least 3 hours before bed so that the urge to urinate does not affect your night's rest.
For 10 days
The watermelon diet for weight loss is very well tolerated in most cases. The season for these fruits falls during the hottest time of the year, when the appetite is already suppressed. So many people tolerate several days of restrictions quite calmly and are ready to continue in the same spirit to achieve even more noticeable results and find out from experience whether it is possible to lose weight with watermelon.
The principles of the ten-day challenge are similar to those suggested by the weekly routine:
- 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, a little vegetable salad or slices are added;
- For dinner, you need to eat watermelon pulp, based on the same calculation as for the seven-day diet.
If the endurance is sufficient to completely pass this period, the numbers on the scale will be 6 to 8 kg less than before starting the watermelon diet.
Watermelon Mixed Diet Options
The watermelon diet is not limited to this melon crop. There are other varieties where 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 feel hungry on a mono-diet, adding a protein component is suitable so that the body does not lose muscle mass and the person does not feel a loss of strength. Typically, ecto-fermented dairy products are cottage cheese or natural yogurt.
The third option is recommended for those who overdose on watermelon causes problems with the gastrointestinal tract. A large amount of liquid can cause disruptions in its functions, and to avoid this, you can try adding carbohydrates to your diet, which will strengthen the intestines a little.
Watermelon and melon
This is a popular combination of two southern guests that hit our shelves almost simultaneously. Melon also has a fairly low calorie content, so you can successfully lose weight by consuming both types of melon.
Experts recommend following the melon and 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 green vegetable salad, 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 cooked vegetables;
- Snack – a glass of kefir;
- Dinner – a small portion of chicken breast, some toast and half a kilo of watermelon.
The third day:
- Breakfast – 400 grams of watermelon and a glass of yogurt;
- Lunch – a plate of brown rice, a portion of steamed chicken breast, 300 grams of melon;
- Snack – unsweetened green tea and a few slices of rye bread;
- Dinner – sliced vegetables, a medium baked potato, 400 grams of watermelon.
Watermelon and kefir
The watermelon diet, combined with kefir, is no less popular. Fermented milk is one of the most easily digestible, it does not disrupt the diet, it just saturates the body with healthy proteins.
The watermelon-kefir combination does not have a specific menu or additional products. You can follow this 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 is three hours before bed.
Watermelon and cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is another product that is immensely 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 – 05kg. watermelon;
- Afternoon snack – 100 grams of cottage cheese;
- Night – 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 cleansing in the fall. You should eat 1. 5 pounds of watermelon and 1 pound of baked apples per day. This allows for complete cleansing of the body in all directions.
The diuretic properties of watermelon pulp help cleanse the kidneys and rid the body of excess fluids. 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 is also an excellent adsorbent, attracting, capturing and removing harmful compounds from the body.
Watermelon and buckwheat
The favorite cereal for those who are losing weight contains a lot of protein, iron and vitamins. Therefore, the combination of watermelon with buckwheat porridge is ideal for those who want to lose significant weight, but cannot tolerate periodic feelings of hunger.
In the evening, you need to weigh 200 grams of dry buckwheat and steam it with boiling water overnight. You will receive about 800 grams of porridge, which is approximately 800 calories. Add to this 2-3 kilograms of watermelon pulp and some green vegetables - you get the permissible daily diet.
This way, you can lose weight without starving your body. You can follow the watermelon and buckwheat diet for a week. If you want more, you need to add proteins and fats, reducing the amount of cereals.
Watermelon with black bread
Combining a portion of watermelon calculated by weight with a few slices of black bread allows you to stifle your hunger cravings. This diet is not balanced, so it cannot be followed for a long time.
It is better to pre-dry the bread in a dry frying pan or in the oven, as this toast keeps you full for longer. Instead of black bread, you can take whole grain bread or crusty bread. It is good if baked goods are yeast-free - this will prevent fermentation processes in the intestines.
How to get off a diet correctly
The specificity of the watermelon diet is such that correct production is important not only to maintain results, but also to normalize digestive processes. When the amount of solid food is limited for several days and liquid food is given 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.
To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to gradually add denser, but easily digestible foods to each meal. These can be liquid porridge, normal-fat cottage cheese, starchy vegetables and bread. After a few days, you can introduce lean varieties of meat and fish.
It is better to refrain from very rough, spicy and fatty foods. The same goes for refined sugars. If the fiber in watermelon promotes the smooth absorption of carbohydrates, then sweets in their pure form immediately increase blood sugar levels and cause an increase in insulin. The system established with the help of watermelon stops working.
You must adhere to these restrictions, gradually eliminating 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, the chance of gaining weight becomes very high.
Expert opinion
The consumption of watermelon itself is welcomed by nutritionists, as the rich vitamin composition, lots of liquid and fiber have the most beneficial effect on the body. Regarding mono-diets and very strict options, experts feel some skepticism. Nutritionists point out that not all the nutrients the body needs can be obtained from watermelon, which is why such weight loss cannot be called healthy.
If we are talking 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 during the season and is not very long. This should be remembered when there are doubts about whether watermelon is suitable for weight loss or whether it is better to choose a different menu. It's better to try to understand whether this diet is really as good and tasty as people who have successfully lost weight write in the comments.