Eating only watermelon as your sole source of nutrition is generally not recommended as a healthy long-term diet. Watermelon is mostly made up of water and contains limited amounts of protein, fat, and many micronutrients needed for good health.
Can you survive on only watermelon?
It is possible to survive on only watermelon for a short period of time, depending on the person. Watermelon contains water, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants needed to sustain life in the short term. However, watermelon lacks protein, fat, and many essential vitamins and minerals needed for good health over longer periods.
Water content
Watermelon is 92% water by weight. This high water content helps keeps the body hydrated. However, it provides relatively few nutrients compared to the volume.
Carbohydrates
Watermelon contains carbohydrates in the form of natural sugars. A 1 cup serving provides around 11.5g of carbs. This carbohydrate content can help provide energy for the body.
Vitamins and minerals
Watermelon contains some vitamins and minerals, but not in large amounts. Some of the vitamins and minerals found in watermelon include:
- Vitamin C – 12% DV
- Vitamin A – 18% DV
- Potassium – 2% DV
- Magnesium – 2% DV
While watermelon contains vitamins and minerals, the small amounts mean a diet solely of watermelon would lead to deficiencies in many micronutrients over time.
Antioxidants
Watermelon contains antioxidants including lycopene, vitamin C, and cucurbitacin E. These antioxidants can help reduce inflammation and oxidative damage. However, other fruits and vegetables contain higher amounts of beneficial antioxidants.
Protein
Watermelon contains extremely small amounts of protein. A 1 cup serving only provides around 0.6g of protein. This lack of protein is one of the biggest concerns with trying to survive on watermelon alone.
Protein is vital for muscle mass, strength, enzymatic reactions, and various processes in the body. Lack of protein can lead to muscle wasting, weakness, organ damage, and eventual death over an extended period.
Fat
Watermelon also provides very little fat, with around 0.2g per cup. While low in fat, some dietary fat is essential for health. Fat helps absorb vitamins, provides fatty acids, and supports nerve and brain function.
Fiber
Watermelon contains a small amount of fiber, around 0.4g per cup. Fiber is important for digestive health and promotes fullness. A diet low in fiber can lead to constipation and other gastrointestinal issues.
Watermelon nutrition facts
Here is the nutrition breakdown for 1 cup (154g) of watermelon:
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 46 | 2% |
| Protein | 0.6g | 1% |
| Carbs | 11.5g | 4% |
| Fat | 0.2g | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 12mg | 12% |
| Vitamin A | 569IU | 18% |
| Potassium | 172mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 12mg | 2% |
Health risks of only eating watermelon
There are many health risks associated with eating only watermelon over an extended period of time. Some potential health complications may include:
- Protein deficiency – Lack of protein can lead to fluid accumulation, muscle wasting, impaired immunity, and neurological issues.
- Vitamin B deficiency – Watermelon lacks B vitamins needed for energy metabolism and brain function.
- Fatty acid deficiency – Lack of fats may impair cell function, hormones, and vitamin absorption.
- Mineral deficiency – May be deficient in calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and other minerals.
- Fiber deficiency – Low fiber intake can cause digestive issues like constipation.
- Poor blood sugar control – Due to the high glycemic index of watermelon.
- Unvaried diet – Eating only one food leads to lack of nutrients found in varied whole foods.
- Food boredom – Watermelon’s taste and texture may become unappealing if eaten exclusively.
In the short term, a watermelon diet may lead to hunger, low energy, headaches, irritability, cravings, and altered mood. In the long term, more severe complications would arise including organ damage, muscle wasting, neurological issues, and eventually death.
Does watermelon have protein?
Watermelon contains very little protein. Per cup there is less than 1g of protein in watermelon. This is far below the recommended daily intake of protein which is around 50g per day.
Some other high protein foods include:
- Chicken breast – 53g protein per breast
- Almonds – 6g protein per ounce
- Milk – 8g protein per cup
- Yogurt – 9g protein per cup
- Beans – 15g protein per cup
Adding high protein foods like meat, dairy, beans, nuts, and seeds to your diet is important to prevent protein deficiency.
Can you live on just watermelon?
It is possible to survive and live on just watermelon alone for a period of time. However, there are serious health risks involved with following this type of restrictive, unbalanced diet for more than a few days.
Some major health concerns with trying to live solely off watermelon include:
- Severe lack of protein can lead to muscle wasting and organ damage
- Deficiency in many vitamins and minerals needed for proper body function
- Low fiber intake may lead to gastrointestinal issues
- May not provide enough calories to support normal activities
- Blood sugar levels may spike and then crash due to the high glycemic index
- Restrictive diets often lead to binge eating when restrictions are stopped
- Psychological effects like food obsession, anxiety, depression, and social isolation
While it may be possible to survive for a short time, living solely on watermelon could lead to starvation and malnutrition if continued long term. For optimal health, it is best to eat a balanced diet with adequate protein, healthy fats, high fiber foods, and a variety of vitamins and minerals.
How long can you survive only eating watermelon?
There are no definitive studies on exactly how long someone could survive eating only watermelon. Timeframes would depend on the person’s age, starting weight, activity levels, and overall health status.
However, some general estimates for how long someone may survive on only watermelon include:
- 1-2 weeks – Before symptoms like fatigue, diarrhea, dizziness become severe
- 2-4 weeks – Before muscle wasting, organ damage, and severe malnutrition occurs
- 1-2 months – Estimated maximum timeframe before risk of death due to complications
Surviving more than several months with no other nutrition besides watermelon would be extremely difficult and dangerous. The complete lack of protein and limited vitamins and minerals would eventually lead to starvation and death.
To maximize survival time, staying hydrated and minimizing activity and exercise would be important to reduce calorie needs. But ultimately, a varied diet with balanced nutrition is required for long term health.
Watermelon diet weight loss
Eating only watermelon could potentially lead to short term weight loss. However, this watermelon diet would be an unhealthy and unbalanced approach for sustainable weight management.
Reasons a watermelon diet may lead to weight loss include:
- Low calorie density – Watermelon is mostly water so low calories per volume.
- High water content – Helps create sense of fullness.
- Limited food variety – Reduces overall calorie intake.
- High glycemic index – Leads to spikes and crashes in blood sugar.
- Low protein – Lack of protein causes muscle wasting eventually.
However, this watermelon diet would lead to severe nutritional imbalance and is not a healthy or advisable weight loss strategy. Other more balanced diets focused on calorie control, exercise, high protein, and nutrition are recommended for successful weight management.
Better alternatives to watermelon diet
Instead of following an unhealthy watermelon diet, here are some healthier and more balanced diets to consider:
- Balanced calorie deficit – Reduce calories moderately while eating balanced meals with protein, carbs, fat, and fiber.
- Intermittent fasting – Fast for set periods of time and eat normal balanced diet when not fasting.
- Low carb diet – Reduce overall carbohydrate intake while still consuming healthy fats, protein and vegetables.
- Mediterranean diet – Eat healthy fats, seafood, produce, nuts and whole grains in moderation.
- Volumetric diet – Focus on low calorie density foods that provide volume without a lot of calories.
Any balanced, moderate calorie restriction diet combined with exercise can promote healthy weight loss over time without the risks of an imbalanced watermelon diet.
Conclusion
While watermelon can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, surviving solely off watermelon alone long term is not recommended. Watermelon lacks protein, fat, and many essential vitamins and minerals. Though temporary weight loss may occur, an unbalanced watermelon diet could lead to serious health consequences over time including protein deficiency, muscle wasting, and eventual starvation.
For optimal health, it is best to consume a varied diet with adequate protein, fat, fiber, fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods. Though watermelon contains beneficial nutrients, it should not be relied on as a sole item for survival.
