For diabetic patients, they often hesitate between eating watermelon and not eating watermelon. Some people believe that eating watermelon can lower blood sugar. While others believe that eating watermelon increases blood sugar. Can diabetic patients eat watermelon? Let’s understand each other today.
What are the benefits of watermelon for the human body?
1. Diuretic and anti-edema
Due to the diuretic effect of watermelon, coupled with its high water content, the urination volume increases after eating watermelon, reducing the bilirubin content, promoting smooth bowel movements, and playing a certain role in treating jaundice. Additionally, the diuretic effect of watermelon can also help excrete salt, reduce edema, especially in the legs.
2. Relieving fatigue
Watermelon is rich in potassium, which can be quickly replenished by eating watermelon in hot summer weather to compensate for the potassium lost through sweating, preventing muscle weakness and fatigue, and helping the body dispel fatigue. In the summer, eating more watermelon can also have a detoxifying effect, which can be beneficial for people with sore throat, mouth ulcers, etc.
3. Promoting bone growth
Watermelon contains a rich amount of lycopene, which promotes healthier bones, and its potassium content helps maintain normal calcium levels, resulting in stronger bone structure.
4. Alleviating pain and soreness
In addition to the potential benefits of watermelon juice, this fruit is also rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to protect cartilage and bones, aid in the repair of tendons and ligaments, and accelerate wound healing. Potassium and magnesium are two important nutrients found in this fruit, which are crucial for muscle recovery and pain relief. Potassium, in particular, helps prevent muscle cramps after exercise and aids in faster healing from injuries.
5. Nutrient supplementation
In summer, when appetite tends to decrease, eating watermelon can enhance the body’s essential nutrient intake. Watermelon juice is very nutritious, containing almost all the nutrients our body needs, which is particularly beneficial for our overall health. Furthermore, watermelon juice contains protein enzymes that can convert insoluble proteins into soluble ones, aiding protein absorption in the body.
Can diabetic patients eat watermelon, whether it raises blood sugar or lowers it? Let’s find out early
For people suffering from diabetes, they cannot rely on the sugar content of fruits to determine whether they raise or lower blood sugar levels. It is necessary to judge based on the fruit’s glycemic index.
Watermelon itself tastes very sweet and has abundant water content. However, its actual sugar content may not be very high. It mainly consists of a large amount of vitamins and water, with a sugar content index generally around 6%.
For diabetic patients, if blood sugar control is relatively stable, with fasting blood sugar around 7mmol/L and postprandial blood sugar below 10mmol/L, they can eat watermelon.
When consuming watermelon, it’s best to pay attention to the intake quantity, not exceeding one whole watermelon, including the peel, which should not exceed about a pound, approximately fist-size, for diabetic patients.
If the patient’s condition is severe, it is advisable to make dietary adjustments under medical guidance because everything has its benefits and drawbacks, and excess intake should be avoided.
Precautions for diabetic patients eating watermelon:
1. Avoid eating when blood sugar is unstable
When blood sugar is stable in diabetic patients, they can eat a small amount of watermelon, but if there are noticeable fluctuations in blood sugar levels indicating instability, it is best to refrain from eating watermelon.
Watermelon has a glycemic index of 72, containing glucose and fructose, which, when absorbed by the small intestine, can quickly enter the bloodstream and raise blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is best not to eat watermelon when blood sugar is unstable in patients.
2. Pay attention to the quantity of watermelon consumed
Research shows that although watermelon has a relatively high glycemic index, eating less than about 200 grams at a time does not cause blood sugar levels to spike. Diabetic patients should control the amount of watermelon consumed each time to avoid affecting blood sugar levels after the next meal, possibly by reducing rice intake by 25 grams in the subsequent meal.
3. Timing of watermelon consumption
Diabetic patients are advised to consume watermelon as a snack in the morning or afternoon. For instance, choosing an afternoon snack around four o’clock, with about half a pound of watermelon each time. The premise is to slightly reduce the main meal at lunch, leaving some calories for the watermelon.
Alternatively, eating when very hungry around eleven in the morning or four in the afternoon, consuming 1 to 2 pieces, then taking medication before the next meal to prevent a significant rise in blood sugar levels, satisfying the craving.
4. Avoid eating too quickly
To avoid affecting blood sugar levels, diabetic patients should not eat watermelon too quickly. Eating too quickly can cause the stomach to accumulate large amounts of watermelon in a short time. During digestion, excessive sugar entering the bloodstream may cause blood sugar fluctuations. Therefore, diabetic patients should chew watermelon carefully, eating it slowly to avoid consuming too much at once, leading to a rise in blood sugar levels due to stomach accumulation.
What other fruits can diabetic patients eat?
1. Pomegranate
Pomegranate tastes sweet and sour, containing rich flavonoids that effectively break down sugar and fat in the body, so diabetic patients can eat a small amount.
2. Grapefruit
With a slightly bitter taste, grapefruit has a low glycemic index, is rich in dietary fiber, promotes a sense of fullness, and improves intestinal motility, benefiting the body.
3. Dragon fruit
Rich in nutrients, dragon fruit has a low glycemic index, containing abundant anthocyanins, proteins, minerals, various vitamins, and soluble dietary fiber, promoting digestion and relieving constipation.
4. Pineapple
A common fruit, pineapple’s pectin and dietary fiber can stimulate gastrointestinal motility and digestion. With low sugar content, it helps reduce blood sugar levels, suitable for moderate consumption by diabetic patients.
5. Banana
A low-sugar fruit, bananas’ dietary fiber promotes gastrointestinal motility, helping eliminate excess waste from the intestines and preventing constipation in diabetic individuals.
6. Apple
Rich in minerals and vitamins, apples are low in sugar and widely loved fruits. They benefit spleen and stomach health, relieve summer heat, quench thirst, promote intestinal motility, increase satiety, and maintain acid-base balance.
Eating apples before meals will reduce meal intake, leading to decreased food consumption over time, resulting in weight loss. For diabetic patients, by easily losing weight through apple consumption, reducing body sugar levels can alleviate symptoms.
7. Cherries
Containing abundant pectin, cherries promote gastrointestinal motility and tonify qi, serving as a low-sugar fruit suitable for diabetic patients to consume. Regular cherry consumption by diabetic patients increases insulin secretion and reduces blood sugar levels.
