Watermelon Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Mint

In the heat of the summer, making a meal can feel like a hassle. Living in Sydney, the humid and hot summers call for light and fuss-free cooking.

Watermelon salad is one of my go-to salads during summer as it is light, refreshing and full of flavour. It comes together with a few easy steps with minimal clean up. The refreshing combination of chilled watermelon, cooling cucumbers and salty feta creates a beautiful dish that is on another level of deliciousness. A great plate to take to your next get together, picnic or BBQ.

‍

Why you will love this recipe?

• Requires nothing more than a chopping board and a bowl for equipment
• Simple and easy to find ingredients
• Minimal clean up
• Blood sugar friendly
• You can customise the ingredients and create your own version
• Can be enjoyed alone or paired with fresh seafood

‍

Ingredients

‍

Preparation Tips

• This salad is not suitable to be prepared in advance. You should eat the salad on the same day you make it. Otherwise you will run the risk of the salad becoming soggy.  
• Select lebanese/persian cucumbers. If you would like them to be crunchier in texture, scoop out the seeds before cutting.
• Make sure to use fresh ingredients. Do not use bottled lime juice. Fresh is best.
• Make sure your cutting board is super clean. You don’t want any residue of garlic or herb to be mixing into the watermelon as it absorbs flavours easily.
• Make sure to serve the watermelon cool and not at room temperature.
• If you don’t like the strong taste of raw onions you can soak them in ice water for 15 min after you have sliced them. This ensures that some of the bitter taste is removed.

‍

‍

Pairing Suggestions

I typically enjoy this salad alone or with grilled white fish during summer. This salad has a fantastic foundation so mixing it up with other ingredients is absolutely possible. Feel free to experiment with basil, shallots, avocados and hot peppers.

‍

Blood Sugar Analysis - How well does it perform metabolically?

Not all fruits are created equal. Watermelon is no exception. Watermelon is quite fascinating because it is 92% water and is part of the berry family. It offers many beneficial nutrients and is typically considered as a healthy option. When looking at watermelon through the lens of blood sugar things get more interesting:

• One serving of watermelon contains about 18 grams of sugar. This amount of sugar can have an impact on your blood sugar, but its effect largely depends on the amount of watermelon you’re eating. Therefore portion size matters.
• Watermelon has a glycemic index, or GI, of 80, which is considered a high GI. However, because watermelon is relatively low in carbohydrates, one serving of this fruit has a glycemic load (GL) of five, meaning that consuming a small amount may not lead to a sharp blood sugar spike.
• How you consume the watermelon also matters. Combining it with healthy fats, fiber and protein gives better blood sugar responses compared to eating it alone.
• Eating watermelon in a salad format can be a smarter way to eat when thinking about blood sugar control.
• The use of lime juice in the recipe is an important step as lime contains soluble fibre. The soluble fibre stabilises blood sugar levels and slows down the body’s capacity to absorb sugar into the bloodstream.

‍

‍

Takeaways

Not all fruits and vegetables are created equal in the context of blood sugar control.

Watermelons are a healthy and nutrient rich fruit, however they contain natural sugars which may spike blood sugar even in healthy non-diabetic individuals.

Portion sizing matters and bigger portions could result in bigger blood sugar spikes.

If you would like to eat watermelon smarter, pair it with some fiber, protein and healthy fats to blunt the effect of the sugar load.

‍

_Disclaimer

_{FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM was used in all recipe testings for a healthy, non-diabetic subject. Individual results may vary.}

_{‍This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user’s own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.}

‍