There are approximately 11.5 grams of carbs in watermelon for a cup of diced pieces. This information can help you understand how much watermelon you can include in your diabetes, or limited carbohydrate meal plan. Watermelon has few calories and is high in Vitamins A and C. One cup of diced watermelon has only 46 calories and one half gram of fiber.
People control the number of carbohydrates in their diets in order to lose weight, control their weight, or to control diabetes. Your body breaks down carbohydrates into sugars, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Insulin, produced by your body through the pancreas, moves the sugar from the blood and puts the sugar in the cells where is it used to fuel the body. Blood sugar is affected more by some carbohydrates than others. Generally the more processed the food is, the more quickly it will affect blood sugar. Eating fiber is helpful, since it keeps your blood sugar from spiking.
For weight loss or weight maintenance, it is important to understand some things about foods. There are three types of food that contain calories: carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Carbohydrates and protein each contain about four calories per gram and fat contains approximately nine calories per gram. The body uses nutrients as they are digested, mainly for fuel. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, an excellent energy source. If excessive carbohydrates are eaten, the body changes the extra blood glucose into triglycerides and stores it as fat.
There are three types of carbohydrate: starch, sugar and fiber. Starch is a complex carbohydrate. Foods such as cereals, whole grains, pasta, potatoes, corn, and legumes contain complex carbohydrates. Sugars are simple carbohydrates. Their chemical structure makes sugars easier to break down than complex carbohydrates. Natural sources of sugars are fruit, honey, and milk. Carbs in watermelon are in this simple sugar form. Some foods containing natural sugars are very nutritious because of the vitamins and minerals they hold. Others tend to be a good source of fiber. But foods high in added sugar, which are so pervasive in our diets, are not good for you. Foods of plant origin contain fiber, which is also a carbohydrate.
There are two types of fiber: insoluble and soluble. The immediate difference is that insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, but soluble fiber does. There are numerous health benefits of both types of fiber. Insoluble fiber increases stool bulk and prevents constipation. It is also believed to reduce the risk of having colon cancer. Nuts, seed, whole grains, and legumes are examples of foods high in insoluble fiber. Gastric emptying is delayed by the presence of soluble fiber. This delay then slows down the rate that the bloodstream absorbs glucose. This lowers cholesterol levels. Soluble fibers can be found in many fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts.
For someone with no medical problems, about half of your total daily calories should come from carbohydrates. People with type 2 diabetes will likely be placed on a more restrictive plan. When choosing carbohydrates, it’s best to eat a wide variety of foods and to choose foods containing complex carbohydrates over those containing simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are not always a poor choice, such as carbs in watermelon. Watermelon is a natural source of carbs and also contains important vitamins, which makes it a much better choice than something with a lot of added sugar.
When diabetic count the carbohydrates that they are allowed per meal or per day, they are allowed to subtract grams of fiber, since fiber is included in the entire carbohydrate count, but is not converted to glucose. Using this method, the carbs in watermelon, for one cup, are really 11.5 grams total minus 1 gram of fiber, so you only have to count 10.5 grams of carbs.
Watermelon has various benefits to remain healthy. It is good for health if it is consumed as per health condition.