Can Diabetes Patients Eat Watermelon?

Medical Video: Is Watermelon Good For Diabetes

Who isn't tempted by a refreshing red fruit like watermelon? Eating watermelon feels all thirst satisfied in the first second we swallow it. This fruit even becomes a favorite fruit during hot weather and is often taken during picnics. Not only adults who like this fruit, children also like it. Sweetness in watermelon makes it difficult for us to refuse to eat this one fruit. Sweet watermelon is produced naturally. However, when you have diabetes, it is important for you to always pay attention to what you eat and control your blood sugar. So can diabetics eat watermelon?

What are the benefits of watermelon for health?

Watermelon contains various kinds of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, C, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B-6, fiber, iron and calcium in it. Vitamin C has health benefits found in large quantities per 280 g of serving. Vitamin C is also known to maintain heart health, prevent cancer, and help fight some symptoms of diseases such as colds. The fiber content can also help digestion and cleanse your body's toxins.

Not only is it beneficial for health, watermelons can also make you full. This is because watermelons contain about 90% water. That is, besides making you stay hydrated, watermelon can also help your diet. But what if we have diabetes?

What do researchers say about the relationship between watermelon and diabetes?

There are no direct studies that explain the relationship between eating watermelon and diabetes. Conversely, there is some evidence that actually suggests eating watermelon, because it can reduce the risk of certain diabetes complications.

Watermelon contains sufficient amounts of lycopene. The red color of watermelon is produced by lycopene, just like red tomatoes. This content is one of the strong antioxidants. The benefits of lycopene are reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, this statement still needs further research. Then, what is the connection with diabetes?

About 68% of people with diabetes aged 65 or over 65 die from several types of heart disease. About 16% of them die of stroke. Even diabetes is classified as one of the risk factors for heart disease that can be controlled, this was stated by the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

What is the glycemic index of watermelon?

Diabetes is a condition where the body produces little insulin, or the body's tissues do not respond to insulin. It is the duty of insulin to deliver excessive sugar from the blood to the tissues.

The glycemic index (GI) is needed to see how fast sugar in food enters the bloodstream. Each food is usually given a value between 1 and 100. While the glycemic load (GL) is a combination of GI and carbohydrate content in the portion of food served. There is a debate that GL is more precise in giving value to how certain foods affect blood sugar levels, because GL also considers the calculation of carbohydrates, while GI does not have that factor. Foods with a low or moderate glycemic index level usually give a lower risk of increased blood sugar.

Watermelon has a clickthrough index of around 72, this figure is high. A food can be said to have a low GI if it has a GI around 55 or below. Food also has a moderate GI if it is between the numbers 55 and 69. Not so with the calculation of GL, watermelons have a GL of about 2 per 100 g of pieces served. This level is low, because the low GL limit is 10. So, even though GL watermelon is low, it's better to be interspersed with other foods with a low GI to avoid potential blood sugar surges.

What about carbohydrates in it? According to ADA, blood sugar can be regulated properly when all-day food patterns are combined with foods that contain enough (small) carbohydrates. Watermelon is suitable for diabetic diets based on carbohydrate calculations, 1 1 cut watermelon (bowl size) contains 15 g carbohydrates, just like ½ banana or 1 berry bowl.

So, can diabetics eat watermelon?

You can still eat watermelon even though you have diabetes, with a note, you pay attention to your meal plan or diet for the day. Watermelon has a high GI, but also low GL, so it is highly recommended to consume it in sufficient quantities. Consuming it excessively can increase unwanted blood sugar levels.

If, you feel unsure whether it is right or not your diet plan, you can consult a doctor, and a healthy sugar food diet. After the doctor gives advice and permission, after eating watermelon, you still need to control your body's physical response to watermelon, so that you know the effects and dosages that are good for consumption or even cannot consume at all.

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