Vaishali Vibhute, Author at GOQii

May 5, 2021 By Vaishali Vibhute Leave a Comment

Benefits Of Eating Watermelon During Summer

Summers are incomplete without the red and juicy watermelon. Watermelon is a large, sweet, and refreshingly low calorie fruit. It is grown in a favorable climate from tropical to temperate regions worldwide. Besides cantaloupe, honeydew and cucumber, watermelon is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. All parts of this fruit are edible. There are lots of nutrients from the seeds to the white flesh closest to the rind. The rind contains more amino acid citrulline than the flesh. Rind is edible after cooking. Watermelon rinds are often cooked as vegetables in most parts of India. Watermelon seeds are also loaded with nutrients. They are high in protein, fiber, vitamin B and omega 3 fatty acid.

Healthy Reasons To Eat Watermelon

Each bite contains 92% water and 6% sugar. It’s name makes perfect sense, as it consists mostly of water. So apart from keeping you hydrated, what else does this healthy summer fruit offer?

Rich in nutrients: It is an excellent source of a wide variety of nutrients specially Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, Dietary Fiber and Antioxidant Compounds.

Nutrients present in 100gm of watermelon are as follows :

Sr.No.	Nutrients	Units	Quantity
1	Energy	Cal	30
2	Carbohydrate	Gm	7.5 including 6.2 gm sugar
3	Fiber	Gm	0.4
4	Magnesium	Mg	10
5	Potassium	Mg	112
6	Choline	Mg	6.3
7	Vitamin A	Mcg	27
8	B – carotene	Mcg	467
9	Lycopene	Mcg	4532
10	Vitamin C	Mg	8.3

One ounce i.e 28.5gm of seeds provide around 8gm of protein.

It helps you to shed extra kilos: Watermelon is the best fruit to eat if someone is trying to lose weight. It is rich in lycopene. It will increase your body’s Arginine level, an amino acid, which helps burn fat quickly. Due to its low calorie and highwater content, it keeps a person full for a long time and helps promote weight loss.
Good for eyes: Lycopene, an antioxidant present in watermelon keeps the eyes healthy and protects against age related macular degeneration (AMD).
Keeps your kidney healthy: Watermelon is a natural diuretic. Potassium present in watermelon removes toxic substances from the body and reduces the percentage of uric acid present in the blood.
Prevents constipation: It is high in water and a good source of fiber that helps prevent constipation and promotes good bowel movement.
Promotes a healthy heart: It is the best source of Citrulline – an amino acid that our body converts to Arginine, an essential amino acid that plays a key role in relaxing blood vessels and helps improve blood flow. It also helps control blood sugar and helps lower blood pressure.
Keeps your skin and hair healthy: Watermelon contains vitamin C, which the body needs to produce collagen – a protein that keeps your skin supple and hair strong.
Helps in cancer prevention: Being a source of numerous antioxidants and flavonoids, watermelon consumption helps in protecting against certain types of cancer such as colon, breast and lung cancer.
Helps with sore muscles: Due to the presence of amino acid, citrulline in watermelon, muscle soreness can be treated. Watermelon may enhance performance and speed of recovery post exercise.
Reduce asthmatic attack: An antioxidant lycopene present in watermelon helps reduce asthmatic flares up in both children and adults.
Keeps you energetic: Potassium present in watermelon has electrolyte properties that leaves you feeling energetic for a long time.
Enhances the immune system: Vitamins and antioxidants present in this fruit, aids the production of RBC (red blood cells) which keep the immune system strong.
Good for the brain and nervous system: Being rich in Choline, an antioxidant present in this fruit, helps in learning, memory and brain development.

It is the best cooling fruit to eat during the summer season. Apart from the above benefits, Watermelon also has Vitamin B6 and potassium. Potassium maintains water balance in the body while Vitamin B6 improves immunity. Citrulline prevents muscle cramps. Remember that Juicing breaks down the fiber, making sugar easier to absorb and you may not get the benefit of fiber. People with diabetes should consider eating fresh, whole watermelon rather than drinking the juice.

We hope this article helps you head to the market and pick this amazing fruit now! For more on nutrition and healthy summer eating, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

For more expert guidance, subscribe to GOQii or download the app here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

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March 10, 2021 By Vaishali Vibhute Leave a Comment

What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Too Much Sugar

“You are what you eat, so eat something sweet” is a very sweet quote but has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to health! Did you know that carbohydrate, an essential micronutrient, is a producer of sugar? Sugars, in fact, are simple carbohydrates which are easily absorbed and digested by the body. It is an empty calorie food, has zero nutritional value and provides only energy. It is naturally found in lots of foods. For instance, as fructose in fruits, as lactose in dairy and dairy products and different cereals and grains.

Is It Really A Villain Of Good Health?

Along with negatives, sugar has many positives:

It makes anything taste better
Provides immediate energy to your body
Naturally found sugars in foods like fruits and vegetables have little effect on blood sugar and are considered healthy.
It increases happy hormones.

Adverse Effects Of Eating Too Much Sugar

Too much of anything is bad, and the same goes for sugar! Here are some ill-effects it can have on your body:

Weight Gain or Obesity: Too much consumption of white sugar can contribute to weight gain or obesity, due to it’s high calorie content. When eaten in excess, it gets dumped into cells and gets stored as fat and results in weight gain.
Type 2 Diabetes: Excessive intake creates problems for pancreas. Body monitors blood glucose levels and produces insulin to help control it. When blood glucose level is high and has more glucose than your body needs, cells become insulin resistant, the control breaks down, blood sugar rises to dangerous levels and leads to Type 2 Diabetes.
Hurt your Heart: There is a clear relation between sugar consumption and high BP. Eating too much can harden the arteries and damage heart tissues, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Tooth Decay: It is the primary food source for bacteria that can grow in your mouth and cause tooth decay.
Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ( NAFLD): is a metabolic stress related liver disease. A diet high in sugar and specially fructose, can trigger your liver to store fat which can lead to NALFD.
Hampers Immune Function: It can interfere with the immune system as bacteria and yeast feed on sugar. So excessive glucose in the body causes these organisms to build and cause infections.
Accelerates Ageing: When it enters your bloodstream, it attaches to protein. The mix of these proteins with sugar causes loss of elasticity and increases premature ageing. Thus, it can mess with your skin by contributing to wrinkles and sagging.
Increases Risk of Developing Gout: Gout is an inflammatory condition that causes pain in the joints. Added sugars raise uric acid levels in the blood and increases risk of developing and worsening gout.
Damages Kidneys: When blood sugar is too high, the kidneys spill it into urine, which can cause permanent damage.
Fertility: High blood sugar impairs reproduction function in both men and women. Excessive consumption can rob essential vitamins and minerals.

How Can You Cut Down The Intake?

Daily recommended limit of sugar for women is 6 tsp (30gms), men 7tsp (35gms) and for children 3tsp(15gms). Apart from this recommended limit, you can also do the following:

Avoid sugary drinks such as sodas, energy/sports drinks, etc. That will reduce sugar intake and could help you lose weight. Homemade sherbet’s like lemon, kokum or amla, etc. can be a better alternative to sugary drinks.
Avoid packaged or processed food in favour of whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, legumes and nuts.
When you buy ready to eat foods, read nutrition labels. If you know how much sugar is in a product, you can limit the intake of that food. Some of the common names of hidden sugars on packaged food labels are corn syrup, cane sugar, dextrose, agave, high fructose corn syrup, coconut palm sugar, etc. Food manufacturers add sugars in foods like ice-cream, cookies, candy, soda, ketchup, sauces, bread, yogurt, etc.
Instead of adding sugar in cereals or oats, try fresh fruits like banana, strawberry, sapota and apple, etc.
Avoid protein/granola bars which contain lots of added sugar. Eat low sugar snacks such as nuts and fruits.
Don’t store desserts like ice cream, cakes, different sauces in the fridge and biscuits and cookies on shelves to reduce cravings.
Natural sweeteners such as stevia and xylitol can be healthy alternatives to sweet sugar.

Sugary or sweet products are sweet to the tongue but not for the body. Consuming small quantities is the key to healthy eating. For least harm to the body and fullest enjoyment, eat it in moderation.

We hope this article helps you make healthy eating choices. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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