When to eat Watermelon

Hi Laurie, I'm a 24 year old male. I've read all about the advantages of watermelon. However due to short lunch hour I'm unable to keep a gap between watermelon and main course.  I would like to know whether this reduces the health benefits of watermelon in anyway. Or would you suggest me a better way to squeeze watermelon as well main course in a short time. Thanks, Joseph B.

Hi Joseph,

I'm not sure where these ideas about the nutritional value of watermelon come from--there really isn't anything magical about this particular fruit--as a matter of fact, it is one fruit that is not a very good concentrated source of anything but water!

The idea of not eating anything else with fruit comes from an email circulating that was based on recommendations back in the early 1900's: A physician saw frequent cases of food poisoning because adequate refrigeration was uncommon so it was difficult to keep food cold and fresh. He noted that lots of times people would blame their nausea and diarrhea on the fruit they ate, but that in fact it was probably due to spoilage from some other food they ate, such as meat or fish. He recommended people eat fruit alone (not with a meal containing meat) so if they became sick with food poisoning at another time of day, the fruit wasn't wasted as well. If fruit was eaten alone there was little chance they would get sick (foodborne illness rarely comes from fruit).

Other than that recommendation (which doesn't apply nowadays) there's no scientific reason to eat fruit alone, and no reason not to vary your fruits from day to day to get a nice mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep yourself healthy!

Should Fruit Be Eaten on an Empty Stomach or With Meals?

Hi, I'm trying to find out the best time to eat fruit. I have heard many suggestions, but I need to hear it from a registered dietitian. Is it better to consume it on an empty stomach, with meals, or does it really matter at all? Thanks, Marie A.

Dear Marie,

I am so glad you have turned to an RD for the answer to this!  Today is not the first time I've had this question posed either (see entry of 8/31).
The truth is, the human body is capable of digesting any food you eat at any time of day and in combination with any other food, despite certain diet books that claim the contrary.

So go ahead and enjoy fruit whenever you like: if there were any rules they would look like this:

- You can eat it in your house, you can eat it with a mouse
- Enjoy some fruit while on a boat, you can have it with your goat
- You can digest it in a box, or munch on some while with a fox
- On a train, in a plane,  stomach full or empty--it's all the same
- Night or morning does not matter, ignore the diet fad book chatter!
(credit, of course, must go to Dr. Suess for the play on words from the book Green Eggs and Ham)