Melon is not only a popular treat, but also a source of vitamins and other substances necessary for the human body, and some people even use it as a way to lose weight. This review will discuss how to better use a melon so as not to harm itself, who should refrain from this delicacy and when, and which melons should not be eaten at all.

Useful and harmful properties of melon

The beneficial properties of any product are determined by its chemical composition. The list of biologically active ingredients that are rich in raw melon, in particular, includes:

Fat soluble vitamins	Alpha Carotene, Beta Carotene, Beta Cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Tocopherol, Phylloquinone
Water soluble vitamins	Ascorbic, folic and pantothenic acids, riboflavin, thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, choline, betaine
Minerals	Potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc, fluorine, gold, sulfur, iodine, silicon
Organic acids	Apple, lemon
Amino acids are interchangeable	Aspartic, glutamine, tyrosine, serine, glycine, alanine, proline, isoleucine, leucine, valine, methionine-cysteine, phenylalanine-tyrosine
Amino acids are essential	Phenylalanine, lysine, threonine, histidine,
Saturated Fatty Acids	Stearic, palmitic
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids	Linoleic

The energy value of the product is primarily represented by carbohydrates (they account for 7.26% of the composition and 29.04% of calories, while it must be understood that in 100 g of melon more than 90 g is water).

Of the carbohydrates in the berry, there are both simple sugars (mono- and disaccharides) - glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, as well as more complex compounds, in particular, hemicellulose, starch and fiber. It is the presence of complex carbohydrates in the melon that determines its use in dietary nutrition.

Did you know? Vitamin A in melon is more than in tomatoes and even carrots, in terms of iron content the berry is much ahead of fish and milk, and it is rich in ascorbic acid more than pineapple.

• All of the above components are balanced in the berry so harmoniously that the product, when used correctly, has a beneficial effect on a number of processes occurring in the human body, in particular:
• the emotional state improves, the mood improves, a sense of vitality arises, memory is strengthened, attention is concentrated (thanks to the complex of B vitamins, in particular, the high content of folic acid, as well as some minerals, including magnesium, and amino acids that stimulate the production of serotonin);
• immunity increases, the likelihood of seasonal colds and other acute respiratory diseases decreases (vitamin C provides such an effect);
• the heart muscle is strengthened, blood flow is accelerated, the walls of blood vessels become more elastic, the cardiovascular system as a whole improves (this is largely facilitated by magnesium and potassium);
• the level of hemoglobin in the blood rises, its chemical composition improves (thanks to iron) and the structure, in particular, blood thinning occurs, which is the best prevention of blood clots;
• color and condition of the skin improves, acne, age spots and inflammations disappear, hair and nails strengthen (sulfur, silicon, vitamin A and other components);
• cell regeneration is stimulated, free radicals, “bad” cholesterol and other harmful substances that are called slags (selenium and other elements) bind and are eliminated from the body;
• digestion improves, appetite increases, more active secretion of gastric juice and bile (amino acids) occurs;
• intestinal motility (fiber) is stimulated;
• increased testosterone production, increased activity of male sex glands, improved potency (silicon and zinc);
• there is a general rejuvenation of the body (many components of the berry, in particular vitamins C and E, selenium, etc., have a pronounced antioxidant effect);
• hormonal levels are normalized, especially in women (folic acid plays the main role in this process);
• passes swelling (melon has a mild diuretic effect).

Melon does not have harmful properties if used correctly and does not exceed the recommended doses. However, in certain situations, even this super-useful product can cause gastric upset, and sometimes poisoning. But more on that later.

Did you know? In folk medicine, freshly squeezed melon juice has long been used as a proven anthelmintic, but it was necessary to drink such a remedy in the morning on an empty stomach.

Melon diet and its features

Melon diet is a type of carbohydrate diet. The principle of its action is based on the fact that in all food products fats are replaced by complex carbohydrates. At the same time, simple carbohydrates (sugars) should not be completely excluded from the diet, since otherwise there is a high risk of developing a breakdown and depression, but you should try to give preference not to disaccharides, but to monosaccharides, i.e. glucose and fructose. Melon as a product rich in complex carbohydrates and monosaccharides satisfies the requirements of a carbohydrate diet.

Concentration on carbohydrates must be accompanied by strict control so that the energy that the body receives from food is not accumulated, but spent as quickly as possible, so it is very important to combine such “fasting days” with high physical activity.

The purpose of the melon diet is not only (and in a certain sense not even so much) getting rid of extra pounds, but also the general cleansing of the body, "release" of the extra load on the stomach, kidneys, liver and intestines, normalization of metabolic processes. Losing weight in this situation is a kind of gratitude to the body for taking care of it.

Important! If you eat only melon and at the same time lie on the couch all day, nothing but harm to health, such a diet will not bring.

However, unlike a regular carbohydrate diet, in which the main emphasis is on the use of cereals, whole grain bread and legumes, losing weight with melon is a mono-diet, and therefore it is not easily tolerated and should be carried out with special precautions.

The length of the period during which melon is the only food in the diet should not exceed three days; it is even better to limit yourself to one day of “melon unloading”. In this case, it is necessary to eat no more than 1.5–2 kg of fresh pulp daily, dividing this volume into 5-6 receptions.

In addition to berries, only non-carbonated mineral water or herbal tea, preferably chamomile, can enter the stomach during this period

A more sparing version of the melon diet involves the use of other food products, the maximum permissible course in this case may be longer, but it is not worth eating like this for more than a week. This diet involves replacing melon with two meals - afternoon snack and dinner. For these two receptions, a total of 1 kg of pulp should be eaten, based on 30 kg of body weight.

Breakfast and lunch may consist of:

• boiled rice or other cereals;
• boiled egg or steam omelet;
• white poultry meat or low-fat sea fish (not more than 150 g), steamed, stewed or boiled;
• a salad of fresh seasonal vegetables seasoned with vegetable oil;
• cottage cheese with a low percentage of fat content;
• nuts and dried fruits.

From drinks berry juice, mineral water without gas, unsweetened herbal, green or black tea are allowed.

Did you know? Our ancestors believed that if you put a compress of melon pulp on your chest, you can get rid of cough, and the same remedy applied to the bruise will prevent the formation of a hematoma and accelerate the healing process.

During the melon diet are prohibited:

• potatoes;
• pasta;
• fatty meat or fish;
• coffee;
• alcohol;
• bread;
• salt;
• sugar (including any confectionery);
• roast;
• sharp;
• smoked.

Video: Melon Diet

Among the important rules that must be observed to achieve maximum results, it is worth mentioning the following:

1. Food should be organized in such a way that the total amount of food consumed during each meal, as well as the breaks between them, are approximately the same.
2. You need to eat a little, but often - 5-6 times a day. The same goes for drinking.
3. The maximum allowable portion at each meal is 100-150 g.
4. The minimum amount of fluid that you need to drink per day is 1.5 liters.
5. Snacks between meals are prohibited.
6. The last time you need to eat no later than 3 hours before going to bed.

The undoubted advantages of the melon diet include the fact that it is well tolerated, does not have a negative effect on the stomach, and the kilograms lost as a result of its use do not return immediately after switching to a normal diet, as this often happens. However, it is important not to overdo it: if you reduce the total number of calories consumed during the day too sharply, the body will begin to accumulate fat urgently, perceiving a change in the diet as a danger signal.

Important! In order for the diet to lead to weight loss, and not to weight gain, the usual number of calories should be reduced by no less than 500, but no more than 1000. Thresholds of 1200 kcal for women and 1800 kcal for men are considered dangerous for health.

How many melons can you eat per day without harming your body?

It is impossible to harm a figure with a melon. 100 g of pulp of this fruit contains only 34 kcal. If you take into account that the daily calorie intake is on average:

• for men - from 1800 to 3000 kcal (depending on age and degree of physical activity);
• for women - from 1600 to 2000 kcal (adjusted for the same criteria).

It is easy to calculate that you can begin to worry about the danger to the figure by eating more than 5-8 kg of melon during the day. It is clear that melon is not the only product that is consumed, however, in any case, its calorie content is such that gaining excess weight as a result of overeating sweet pulp is simply unrealistic.

Nevertheless, it should be remembered that melon is a very sweet product, and sugar, as you know, is a source of fast energy, which, not being wasted, transforms into fat deposits at the waist. Therefore, there is a kind of delicacy recommended in the morning and combined with physical activity, then such a dessert will bring both pleasure and benefit.

As for the specific volumes, there are no and cannot be clear standards. In general, nutritionists recommend eating several slices at a time, but in practice this does not always work out (it is better to eat a freshly bought melon right away, you should not store fruit in a cut form). Therefore, it is best to focus on your own feelings, although in general a 1.5-pound fruit can be eaten at one time for two, and there is no harm in this.

Did you know? The largest melon in the world ten years ago was raised by Christoph Schieder, a resident of the town of Hartberg (Austria). The mass of his brainchild did not reach a half-ton a little and amounted to 447 kg 500 g.

What kind of melon is not allowed and why?

There are only two cases in which melon can become poison. We are talking about off-season products that appear on the market before the natural maturity of gourds, as well as overripe (fermented, spoiled) fruits.

Melon is a sunny culture. For proper ripening, it needs a lot of light and heat, and therefore earlier than a certain time of the year (the exact time may vary depending on the climatic zone), such fruits cannot ripen, especially since gourds are usually not grown under the film. On the other hand, during the melon and watermelon season, giant berries cost literally a dime, while early fruits are much more valuable.

That is why many unscrupulous farmers are in a hurry to satisfy consumers' demand for melon as early as possible, for which, with the help of various tricks, they bring their goods to visible maturity long before the period conceived by nature. Such fruits, as you might guess, do not have the balanced composition of nutrients for which melons are so valued, and therefore everything said about the benefits of the product does not apply to them. But this is not the saddest thing.

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It is much worse that, to stimulate ripening, the melon fields are treated with high doses of nitrogen fertilizers, which accumulate in the form of nitrates that are hazardous to health and turn them into a source of potential poisoning.

In addition, in the melon that appeared on the market from where at the beginning of summer, there may be other chemicals (stabilizers, preservatives, dyes) that could be used to ensure the visible safety of the product during the whole time of long transportation.

If a freshly cut melon exudes a tangible aroma of yeast, eating it is not worth it - problems with the intestines, at least flatulence and diarrhea, in this case are guaranteed.

But even melon grown in full accordance with the technology should not be eaten if it was not properly stored. The increased sugar content in the product stimulates very active processes of fermentation in the pulp, which is why you should not store the fruit after it has been cut, and you can buy only whole copies.

Important! Even in the refrigerator, the cut melon deteriorates very quickly, so you should always try to eat the fruit completely immediately after violating the integrity of the peel.

Contraindication to use

Direct contraindications to the use of melons are associated only with the active effect that the product exerts on the gastrointestinal tract, as well as, of course, possible individual tolerance. In particular, this product should be completely excluded from the diet:

• children until they reach the age of three (then the product is introduced into the diet gradually and very carefully, no more than 100 g per day);
• people who are allergic to protein profilin and other components that make up the fetus (in general, melon, unlike watermelon, has low allergenicity, but individual cases of intolerance still occur);
• patients with an acute form of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in particular, ulcers, gastritis, pancreatitis, colitis, etc.

Actually, this list of prohibitions can be completed. Even the question of the possibility of eating melon in diabetes does not have a clear negative answer, because fructose, which is the main type of sugar in the product, requires a minimum amount of insulin for processing.

Of course, a diabetic should use melon with great care, in small quantities and preferring not the sweetest varieties (some endocrinologists advise such patients to even choose slightly overripe copies).

Important! The glycemic index of melon, depending on the variety and degree of ripeness, ranges from 60 to 65.

The statement about the inadmissibility of eating melon during pregnancy and breastfeeding is fundamentally wrong. Folic acid, which the product is rich in, as well as many other vitamins, minerals and amino acids, is vital for a young mother and, most importantly, her baby, all of these components pass into breast milk in a form that is absolutely safe and easy for the body to absorb.

Nutrition Tips

Nutritionists recommend using several important rules when eating melons:

1. It is best to eat the fruit on an empty stomach or, in any case, separately from other types of products. The meaning of this advice is that the juicy and sweet pulp should not linger in the stomach, "taking the line" for previously eaten food, and immediately enter the intestines, where the main phase of digestion of this product takes place.
2. Melon is especially poorly combined with alcohol, meat (protein is digested much worse, being in the "company" of a large number of simple carbohydrates), highly starchy foods (rice, potatoes), milk and sour-milk dishes, carbonated drinks.
3. If the fruit was stored in a refrigerator or cellar, before eating it should be kept a little warm until it reaches room temperature. If you use chilled melon, many of its beneficial qualities are not fully disclosed.

But regarding the permissibility of drinking melon with water, the opinions of nutritionists differ. Some believe that since the product is more than 90% water, the extra fluid becomes an extra burden on the intestines and urinary system. Others, on the contrary, note that due to the high sugar content in the pulp when it enters the stomach, it can cause a strong feeling of thirst, therefore it is better to “preventively” drink this kind of delicacy with water, only clean - without gas and other additives. We recommend reading what you can eat melon with. Melon is one of the few products whose use can be safely called the combination of business with pleasure. However, in order for the giant yellow berry to properly demonstrate all its healing qualities, you need to use it correctly. Ограничений, по сути, не так много: продукт должен быть свежим, выращенным в соответствии с технологией, употребляться на пустой желудок и в разумных количествах, причём понятие «разумный» является сугубо индивидуальным и определяется, исходя из тех субъективных ощущений, которые человек испытывает во время еды.