To keep the stomach cool and hydrated in summer, seasonal fruits should be included in the diet. Fruits like mango, litchi, melon, peach, plum etc are available in this season. Among these, watermelon is one such fruit in which approximately 91 percent water is found. This is the reason why this fruit is considered good to fulfill the lack of water in the body. Apart from many nutrients, it contains natural sugar which provides instant energy, but if some mistakes are made in eating this fruit, it can cause harm to health instead of benefits.
Yogacharya Umang Tyagi (many celebrities also follow him) often tells many things to stay healthy. He has told what mistakes people make in eating watermelon and what is the right way to eat this fruit. Along with the benefits of watermelon, he has shared 3 rules for its consumption.
eating watermelon on an empty stomach
damage to digestion
Watermelon is Guru and Shit i.e. heavy and cold. Eating it on an empty stomach extinguishes the gastric fire, which weakens digestion. This leads to the formation of Amadhosha (i.e. waste/toxins formed in the body due to undigested food), which causes problems like heaviness, lethargy, feeling tired.
Blood sugar may increase
When you eat watermelon on an empty stomach, it can increase your blood sugar rapidly. According to modern science, the glycemic index of watermelon can range from 72 to 76, hence, it should be eaten in limited quantities especially by diabetic people and these people should not eat it on an empty stomach. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of watermelon contains 1.21 grams of sucrose, 1.58 grams of glucose and 3.36 grams of fructose. If this is added, the total natural sugar comes to 6.15 grams.
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99% people make this mistake
People often make the mistake of eating watermelon that they start eating it only after the mild summer in April. According to Ayurveda, watermelon is a fruit of summer season, hence it should be eaten only after half of the month of May is over. Actually, the watermelon that comes in the market in March and April is a pre-season fruit and at this time your body is not ready to digest it.
How to eat watermelon?
Watermelon is a fruit that keeps the body cool in summer and is also helpful in calming bile. In Ayurveda, it is considered no less than nectar during summer. There are three rules for this, first, eat watermelon after half of the month of May. The second rule is to eat it between 11 am and 5 pm. The third rule of eating watermelon is that it should be eaten alone, that is, do not take it with milk, curd or any heavy food.
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eating cold watermelon
If you keep watermelon in the fridge after bringing it from the market and eat it after cooling it, it can cause harm to your health. Senior dietitian Geetika Chopra says, this can worsen digestion, cause sore throat, cold and cough and also disturb the body temperature. After purchasing watermelon, it should be soaked in normal temperature water for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour and then eaten.
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