Does Watermelon Make You Gain Weight

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How do you gain weight? What are some foods to gain weight healthily? Can fruits help in gaining weight? And it really has also been a question, ‘does watermelon make you gain weight?’ Learn some facts about weight gain and can watermelon really make you fat through the article.

Carbs in Watermelon – Can They Make You Fat?

The carbs in watermelon can be confusing if you are trying to eat healthy, lose belly fat, or just keep your blood sugar level stable. But before we get to the carbs let’s take a close look at this popular summertime fruit.

Fast facts about watermelon:

You can find them all year but they are best in the summer.
They are related to the cantaloupe, pumpkin, and squash. (Cucurbitaceae family)
They can be spotted or striped.
They can weigh close to 100 pounds!

As you might already know antioxidants are a very important part of a healthy diet. They are important in neutralizing the very destructive free radicals that we are exposed to. Among the causes of free radical production are exposure to cigarette smoke, sunlight, and stress. Free radicals are now associated with arthritis, heart disease and premature aging.

Watermelon is packed with these powerful antioxidants:

Vitamin C
Vitamin A (beta carotene)
Lycopene

Lycopene has been found in human studies to be effective in preventing some cancers. Among these are prostate, breast, colon, endometrial, and lung cancers. Watermelon and green tea have been found to be a powerful combination in helping to prevent prostate cancer.

Watermelon is also packed with B vitamins that are necessary in energy production. It is a good source of:

vitamin B1
vitamin B6
magnesium
potassium

With its high water content and low number of calories ( 1 cup = 48 calories) watermelon delivers more nutrients per calorie than most other fruits. This is a great health and weight maintenance benefit.

So, what about the carbs in watermelon? 1 cup of watermelon has 11.5 grams of carbohydrate and 0.6 grams of dietary fiber. The net carbs in watermelon is 10.6 grams. The confusion starts when we consider the glycemic index of watermelon. The glycemic index is a newer way of looking at carbohydrates. It measures how quickly and how far your blood sugar rises after eating food with carbohydrates. So, when a carbohydrate is digested and broken down quickly your blood sugar level rises quickly and the glycemic index of the food is higher.

Here is a chart of the glycemic index of some popular fruits:

Apple 38
Banana 55
Cantaloupe 65
Grapefruit 25
Grapes 46
Kiwi 52
Orange 44
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39

Watermelon is 103! But don’t throw out the watermelon just yet. The glycemic index does not take into account the relative amount of carbohydrate in a particular food. Watermelon contains a lot of water! There is actually very little carbs in watermelon per serving. You would have to eat quite a large serving of watermelon to consume many carbs.

So, to confuse matters a little more we have the glycemic load which takes into account both the carbohydrate content and the effect on blood sugar levels. The glycemic load of watermelon is 4. This is less than apples, oranges, peaches and other fruits.

The carbs in watermelon aren’t going to make you fat. You simply would become too full before you consumed enough watermelon to have a significant effect. The carbs in watermelon should really not be of concern and is no reason to omit this nutrient packed food from your diet.

About the Author:

What are the food fixes to lose belly fat and get flat abs? Read more here: http://www.flat-abs-secrets.com/Food-Fixes-For-Flat-Abs.html

Dr. Steve Tuggle is the Head Coach at Elite Wellness Coaching. He is a practicing endodontist, certified personal trainer (ACE, ACSM), certified wellness coach, life coach, ordained minister, and internet entrepreneur.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Steve_Tuggle

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