It may come as a surprise that watermelon – a juicy summer fruit and backyard barbecue favourite is actually good for you. It is sweet but doesn’t pack a lot of calories per serving, and its high water content makes it filling and refreshing, but without any fat or cholesterol. It also boasts several valuable nutrients that support a healthy, fit body. Any food eaten in excess can undermine weight-loss efforts, but you’d have to eat a lot of watermelons for that to happen.
Watermelon is not fattening if eaten in moderate quantities. For example a serving of 1 cup, no more than 2-3 times a day – depending on your personal situation.
It is a perfect dessert, a good choice for after workout snack, and a delicious addition to smoothies.
It has properties which make it a good choice for your nutrition if you’re looking to lose weight or eat more healthy:
- 92% per cent of it is water – ideal for keeping your body hydrated which helps in its effort to get rid of fat
- Low in calories despite being sweet – the perfect swap to junk food desserts
Rich in fiber which aid weight loss - Zero fat and zero cholesterol
- Rich in nutrients and been found to help improve arterial function and deal with high blood pressure.
Fruits and vegetables should make up a significant proportion of your low-calorie diet because they have lots of nutrients and few calories per serving, and they can be quite satisfying.
Two cups of cubed watermelon have 80 calories but no fat. Choosing watermelon over junk food can save you a lot of calories. For example, a serving of 10 to 15 barbecue-flavor potato chips, which equals 1 ounce, has 138 calories and 9 grams of fat; a 12-ounce can of soda has 160 calories; and a small, 3-inch round, glazed doughnut has 130 calories. You can quench your thirst and satisfy a sweet tooth with watermelon, all the while saving calories.
Even when compared to other healthy snacks, watermelon has few calories. A 1-ounce serving of roasted almonds — which is approximately 22 kernels — has 170 calories; a small box of raisins has 129. Although these foods offer some nutrients that watermelon does not offer, calories from those other foods do add up. Compared to these choices, you can have more watermelon for fewer calories.
Watermelon is more than 90 per cent water, which will fill you up but won’t fill you out. A 2-cup serving gives you 1 gram of fiber, which slows digestion and keeps you feeling full longer.
Compared to leafy greens and broccoli, though, most fruits have approximately three times the number of calories per serving. Although you can enjoy large servings of watermelon without consuming a ton of calories, you do need to keep track of those calories to make sure you’re not exceeding your daily total.
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