How to Eat Summer's Favorite Fruit (Watermelons!): ALONE!
What You'll Learn
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Ayurvedic digestion: Ayurveda recommends eating watermelons and other melons alone because their high water content moves quickly; combining with heavier foods can cause fermentation and digestive discomfort.
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Watermelon tips: Eat watermelon first at picnics or parties, then wait thirty to sixty minutes before heavier foods to reduce waiting in the digestive tract and possible fermentation.
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Melon pairing: Avoid combining melons with protein-heavy foods like burgers or cheese, since slower-digesting foods can delay melon passage and may lead to gas or bloating.
Summer is finally here! That means it is time for beach trips, pool parties, picnics, and barbeques! Finally we get to fulfill that yearlong desire to just bask in the sun. But rarely will you see any summer gathering without the summer time favorite fruit—a nice, round, juicy watermelon is likely waiting for you.
But wait! Consider this before you indulge in that watermelon and the many other foods laid out on the picnic table.
Watermelon is over 90% water and, like most fruits, it passes with ease through your stomach. Melons, in general, are simpler in content than other fruits, which is why Ayurveda says:
Eat melons by themselves (not even with other fruit!).
When foods (that are normally digested with ease and pass through the digestive tract with little delay) are combined with foods that take more processing (especially cheese and protein-heavy hamburgers or veggie patties), they have to wait for the digestive tract to break down and digest those heavier foods. While the melon sits there and waits, it begins to ferment, creating gas and indigestion, amongst other digestive issues.
So, next time you are tempted by juicy watermelons or other melons, consider eating it first. Then go enjoy the party for a half hour to an hour before you enjoy the rest of the food.
About the Author
Vrinda Devani, MD, has a passion for women's health and empowering women towards vibrant health and living. She is a believer in unfolding the...
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