When is it not appropriate to eat watermelon?

Sometimes we like to eat watermelon very much, but we can't eat it for some reasons. If we insist on eating it, it may cause serious consequences. Today I will tell you about it:

1. Don’t eat chilled watermelon

Many people are used to eating watermelons after cutting them. In fact, the nutritional content of iced watermelons is far lower than that of watermelons stored at room temperature. After a long period of refrigeration, a film will form on the surface of the watermelon, which will lose its taste. The water in it will also easily form ice crystals, which may irritate the throat or cause adverse reactions such as toothache after consumption. In addition, iced watermelons can also damage the spleen and stomach, leading to symptoms such as indigestion and loss of appetite. Therefore, it is best to buy watermelons and eat them now. If they are warm when you buy them, you may want to increase the temperature of the refrigerator before refrigerating them. The best flavor is within two hours of refrigeration.

2. It is not advisable to eat watermelon before or after meals

The large amount of water in watermelon will dilute the digestive juices in the stomach. Eating it before or after meals will affect the digestion and absorption of food. Moreover, eating a large amount of watermelon before meals will occupy the volume of the stomach, which will greatly reduce the intake of multiple nutrients during the meal, especially for the health of children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

3. Don’t eat too much watermelon

Watermelon is a "cold food". Anyone who eats too much will damage the spleen and stomach, leading to poor appetite, indigestion, and decreased gastrointestinal resistance, causing abdominal distension and diarrhea.

The following five groups of people should not eat watermelon

1. Patients with oral ulcers

Oral ulcers are considered to be caused by Yin deficiency, internal heat, and internal fire disturbance in traditional Chinese medicine. Watermelon has a diuretic effect. If people with oral ulcers eat more watermelon, the water needed for oral ulcer recovery will be excreted too much, thereby aggravating Yin deficiency and internal heat, making the disease protracted and difficult to heal.

2. Early stage of cold

Whether it is a cold caused by wind or heat, the initial stage of a cold is an external symptom, and a dispersing treatment method should be adopted to eliminate the pathogenic factors from the surface. It is believed that attacking the pathogenic factors before the surface is eliminated will aggravate the condition. Watermelon has the effect of clearing internal heat, so eating watermelon at this time will aggravate the cold or prolong the course of the disease.

3. Pregnant women

The physical constitution of a postpartum woman is relatively weak, and eating too much watermelon will cause excessive coldness and damage the spleen and stomach.

4. People with renal insufficiency

Patients with renal insufficiency have a greatly reduced ability to excrete water from the body, so they often experience edema in the lower limbs or the whole body. If such patients eat too much watermelon, they will take in too much water and fail to excrete the excess water in time, causing excessive water storage in the body and increased blood volume, which will not only aggravate edema but also easily induce acute heart failure. Therefore, it is better for patients with renal insufficiency to eat less or no watermelon.

5. Diabetics

Eating watermelon will cause blood sugar to rise. Normal people will secrete insulin in time to keep blood sugar and urine sugar at normal levels. However, it is different for diabetics. Eating too much watermelon in a short period of time will not only increase blood sugar, but also cause metabolic disorders and acidosis, which may even endanger life.