Eight Taboos for Eating Watermelon: Not Before or After Meals
Juicy and refreshing, watermelon is a daily must-have fruit for people in the height of summer. However, watermelon isn't suitable for everyone, and even for those who can eat it, there are scientific ways to consume it. Some individuals, or people in certain situations, should avoid it.
1. Diabetics
Watermelon contains about 5% sugar, mainly glucose, sucrose, and some fructose, meaning eating it will raise blood sugar. Healthy people can secrete insulin in a timely manner to maintain normal blood sugar and urine sugar levels.
Diabetics, however, are different. Eating too much watermelon in a short time can not only raise blood sugar, but those with more severe conditions might even develop metabolic acidosis due to metabolic disorders, which can be life-threatening. The daily intake of carbohydrates (sugars) for diabetics needs to be strictly controlled. Therefore, if watermelon is eaten multiple times in a day, the amount of rice and noodle products (carbohydrates) should be reduced accordingly to avoid worsening the condition.
2. Patients with Kidney Insufficiency
Patients with kidney insufficiency have a greatly reduced ability to expel water from the body, so they often experience edema in the lower limbs or throughout the body. If these patients eat too much watermelon, the excessive water intake, coupled with the inability to expel the excess promptly, can lead to an over-storage of water in the body and an increase in blood volume. This not only worsens the edema but can also easily trigger acute heart failure. Therefore, it is advisable for patients with kidney insufficiency to eat little or no watermelon.
3. Early Stage of a Cold
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, whether it's a cold due to wind-cold or wind-heat, the initial stage is considered an "exterior syndrome," which should be treated with a method that expels pathogens from the exterior. It is believed that attacking the pathogens before the exterior syndrome is resolved can worsen the condition. As watermelon has the effect of clearing internal heat, eating it at this stage can worsen the cold or prolong its duration.
4. Patients with Oral Ulcers
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, oral ulcers are considered to be caused by yin deficiency with internal heat and hyperactivity of deficient fire. Watermelon has a diuretic effect. If patients with oral ulcers eat too much watermelon, the water needed for the ulcers to heal will be excessively excreted, thereby worsening the yin deficiency and internal heat, leading to a prolonged course of the disease that is slow to heal.
5. Postpartum Women
A postpartum woman's constitution is relatively weak. Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that eating too much watermelon can be overly cold and damage the spleen and stomach.
6. Not Recommended Before or After Meals
Because the large amount of water in watermelon can dilute the digestive juices in the stomach, eating it before or after meals will affect the digestion and absorption of food. Moreover, eating a large amount of watermelon before a meal takes up stomach volume, which significantly reduces the intake of various nutrients during the meal, especially affecting the health of children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. However, for those trying to lose weight by dieting, eating a little watermelon before a meal can be a good way to reduce food intake.
7. Don't Eat Too Much Watermelon
Because watermelon is a "raw and cold food," eating too much of it can harm the spleen and stomach, leading to poor appetite, indigestion, and decreased gastrointestinal resistance, which can cause bloating and diarrhea.
8. Eat Less Iced Watermelon
Although eating iced watermelon is very effective for relieving summer heat, it is highly irritating to the stomach and can easily cause damage to the spleen and stomach. Therefore, attention should be paid to the temperature and amount consumed. It is best to place the watermelon in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator, where the temperature is about 8-10°C. This temperature also offers the best taste. The amount eaten at a time should not exceed 500 grams, and it should be eaten slowly. For those with cavities, sensitive teeth that feel pain or sourness when exposed to cold, and those with poor gastrointestinal function, iced watermelon is not recommended.