With most of the cool winter weather behind us, the wet heat of another Atlanta summer is fast approaching. Summer brings with it a few patriotic holidays, most of which are celebrated with some festive outdoor barbeques. What fruit first comes to mind when thinking of these summer bashes? Watermelons of course!
Not only are they a sweet finish to any summer meal, but they are composed of 92% water so watermelons are also a great way to keep you hydrated (especially if you are not a fan of guzzling water all day). For less than 50 calories, you get a full cup of diced, juicy fruit. Some of the other benefits of watermelons include:*Great source of vitamins A (beta-carotene), C and B6
*More lycopene than in tomatoes—an antioxidant that helps protect cells against free radical damage and has actually been studied in humans as a cancer-preventing compound
*Mildly anti-inflammatory, so melons can be part of a great workout recovery snack!
As an aside, I would also like to make a quick comment on the glycemic impact on this, and other fruits. At Fitness Together we constantly hear questions about all kinds of nutritional claims, whether from popular fad diets or from credible sources. One of the common questions is something to the effect of “Is it ok to eat fruit since it is mostly sugar?” Our answer is almost always a resounding YES! Yes, fruit is mostly composed of fructose, a sugar naturally found mostly in fruits and vegetables. A fruit like watermelons is also considered high on the glycemic index scale because the carbohydrates found in it will increase you blood sugar quickly thus causing insulin levels to spike. Ideally, you do not want to have high and low points in your blood sugar, but a level amount throughout the day.
That being said, the glycemic load of watermelons is actually very low! What is the difference? The glycemic index is based on how 50 grams of a particular carbohydrate found in a given type of food effects your blood sugar, but the glycemic load takes into account a particular serving size. For a one-cup serving of watermelon, you are only going to consume approximately 10-12 grams of carbohydrates. This makes the actual impact on raising your blood sugar much lower.
All the technical mumbo jumbo aside—eating fruit is good for you! Any “diet” that does not allow you a vast array of fruits and vegetables is going to deprive you of some of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally. As a diabetic you may need to be a little more sensitive to how certain foods impact blood sugar and insulin secretion and be sure to pair fruits with protein to decrease any possible spike, but for the average individual the small amounts of natural sugar in fruits and vegetables is not going to make you fat or cause you to have the highs and lows that synthetic sugar (like in a candy bar) can cause. More than anything, adding in more fresh produce into your diet will help with weight loss as opposed to hinder it!
Fitness and Nutrition Coach
Katie Jensen, CSCS
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