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Sweet n’ juicy and sporting thrilling hot pink, watermelon beckons us all summer-long, but is it possible to eat too much of a good thing and do harm to your digestion?
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Absolutely! It’s pretty easy to overdo it, or consume watermelon the wrong way.
I see people online asking questions about watermelon’s sugar content, water content, and glycemic index, as well as whether watermelon can cause (or relieve) constipation, diarrhea, gas, and/or bloating.
I’m here to tell you everything you need to know to maximize the digestibility and enjoyment of your watermelon.
It might not be what you think—especially since many watermelon recipes are a recipe for disaster—so be sure to read on, and get a couple amazing Ayurvedic watermelon drink ideas I think you’ll love.
Can watermelon hydrate you?
Let’s start with the #1 myth about watermelon. Everybody thinks that since watermelon is 92-95% water, it must be hydrating.
It turns out that watermelon may only quench your thirst temporarily.
Due to its high potassium content, watermelon has a diuretic effect that promotes urination, ultimately leading to dryness.
Still, it’s a great thing to eat watermelon—especially in the summer—because watermelon is cooling and anti-inflammatory, so its going to flush heat and inflammation out of the urinary tract (helpful for UTIs).
This is especially helpful for water retention and edema, as the diuretic effect from watermelon will help you flush out that excess water.
And, when it comes to hydration, there is still some good stuff going for it.
Watermelon is high in electrolytes, such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, folate, and calcium.
This means that your 92-95% water has a better chance than regular water of being absorbed into your cells while it makes its way through your digestive tract.
Can watermelon nourish you?
After just a few bites of watermelon, it seems to have a powerful energizing effect on the physiology.
This is due to antioxidant and inflammatory benefits, combined with abundant natural sugars, making watermelon a great way to relieve summer fatigue due to the heat.
According to EasyAyurveda, watermelon is said to nourish all the bodily tissues.
That includes the lymph, blood, muscle, fat, bone, nervous system and reproductive system.
Watermelon may even improve strength and virility.
I’ll take some of that!
Is watermelon cooling?
Like most orange, red, purple, and yellow foods, watermelon is high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that is known to cool the blood and relax the eyes.
In Ayurveda, the traditional system of healthcare from India that I practice, watermelon is used to relieve burning sensations due to its anti-inflammatory effect.
It is also especially Pitta pacifying. Pitta is represented by the fire and water elements, and in people with a lot of fire in their constitution.
If you want to learn your Ayurvedic body type, you can take my short 5-min quiz to find out.
Does watermelon cause gas?
Watermelon is a fruit that’s low in fiber and high in sugar, so it digests very quickly.
For this reason, according to Ayurveda, it’s essential to consume watermelon on an empty stomach, and away from other food.
This is because if there’s food digesting in your stomach that takes longer to digest, it will cause the watermelon to get stuck, leading to fermentation and gas.
So watermelon will cause gas and bloating if you mix it with other foods.
That means you can just say no to all those fancy watermelon recipes you find online that combine watermelon with cheese, vegetables, and so on.
Is watermelon a laxative?
According to EasyAyurveda, watermelon is a laxative, but there isn’t much information available to back that up.
Basic hydration does help with easier bowel movements, so that’s a given, but allrecipes has an even better explanation.
It’s the high sugar content. The high sugar content in watermelon can irritate the colon, this being a bigger potential issue for people with IBS, or other digestive disorders.
When the colon is irritated, it can trigger a need to purge, which explains why some people even find that watermelon causes diarrhea.
Watermelon pairings for good digestion
Earlier I said that watermelon doesn’t pair well with cheese or vegetables.
This is because watermelon digests very quickly. Due to its high sugar content it also ferments quickly when combined with other foods.
So you don’t want to combine watermelon (or any melon) with other foods and risk terrible gas and bloating.
Instead, enhance your watermelon with seasonings like lemon, lime, salt, sugar, herbs like basil or mint, cardamom, or red chili powder. These won’t harm your digestion.
Watermelon drink ideas
One of my favorite ways to enjoy watermelon is with a small amount of pomegranate juice.
It’s also lovely blended just with fresh lime juice, and a bit of unrefined sugar.
I know the sugar is decadent, since watermelon has so much sugar already, but it’s really good!
If you have it with sugar, just have a smaller portion, and you should be fine.
Watermelon is a healthy summer treat after all.
Below, I am sharing 2 watermelon drink recipes that I think you will love.
The first drink recipe lowers the sugar and calorie content by combining the watermelon juice with herbal tea. This is and Ayurvedic approach to balance at its finest.
The second drink recipe adds lime and fresh ginger to help with digestion of the watermelon and added unrefined sugar. This choice is more of a flavor bomb that will really feel like a treat.
I love both of these recipes, and I hope you do too!
Watermelon Iced Tea
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon juice strained
- 2 cups strong herbal tea (suggest mint, basil, hibiscus, lemon balm, lavender, any fruity tea, etc.)
Instructions
for the tea
- Place 2-3 teabags, or 2 teaspoons loose tea in a teapot or jar. Pour hot boiled water over the tea and let it steep 10 minutes or more.
- Strain, then cool in the fridge for 1 hour or more. Alternately, cool with ice.
for the watermelon
- When you’re ready to finish the ice tea, cut the rind off the watermelon and compost or discard.
- Roughly chop about 3 cups watermelon, and add to a blender along with the cool ice tea. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Strain through a sieve and place in a quart jar or pitcher that’s big enough to hold 4 cups, or more.
- Enjoy with a fresh mint or basil leaf for garnish!
Video
Nutrition
Watermelon, Lime & Ginger Juice
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon chopped
- 1 lime freshly juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger finely chopped or grated
- 2 teaspoons unrefined sugar
Instructions
- Cut the rind off the watermelon and compost or discard.
- Roughly chop the watermelon, and add to a blender, along with the fresh lime, ginger, and sugar.
- Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Pour into a tall glass, and enjoy!
This sounds so yummy. I can’t wait to try it.
I love the idea of combining herbal tea with watermelon
Great information, thanks. How are pumpkin seeds or almonds plus the watermelon?, Best wishes, Susan
Hi Susan,
From an Ayurvedic perspective, nuts and seeds are protein, and so they take longer to digest. Proteins are the most filling, but they are also the hardest to break down. For this reason, I would not recommend pairing nuts or seeds with watermelon.
—Andrea
YES!!! The second drink recipe definitely felt special drinking it.
Good to know about the potential digestive challenges melons are apt to cause.
I made this blender drink as a mid-morning snack/drink.
One question that came across my mind was… When in the heat of Summer, but a person spends time indoors in the cool air condition, should they treat their body based on the living environment, or not necessarily. I work in a very cool building that sometimes has hot spots that are very warm where I need to spend time sometimes.
Hi Lisa,
I go with the immediate environment. For example, while indoors in air conditioning, I wouldn’t sweat much or loose electrolytes, so I wouldn’t crave an electrolyte drink. Once the work day is done and I head outside, I’d want that drink. I think it is very specific.
—Andrea