In January, Netflix dropped season two of the hit docuseries Cheer. For individuals who missed season one, the present follows Navarro Group Faculty’s cheerleading squad as they compete to win a coveted nationwide title.
When season two picks up, we discover the Navarro crew slicing their season quick as a result of pandemic. Cameras return for the 2020-2021 college yr and the Navarro cheer crew is again to practising for nationals.
The forged of Cheer goes by way of intense coaching to arrange for the nationwide championship, which, in keeping with the present, means even regulating what they eat. In a single episode, all-star Navarro squad member Gabi Butler and her teammates talk about occurring a watermelon eating regimen to get cheer-ready.
Talking to Further, Butler described the cleanse in additional element, explaining: “It’s mainly a watermelon quick, so that you’re not really fasting, however you’re getting one thing in your abdomen. It’s really superb for you, and eradicating all that poisonous stuff, and what watermelon does is it mainly clears every thing as a result of it’s largely water.”
The declare prompted us to query whether or not consuming solely watermelon for days can actually be that good for you. Nutritionists say no.
Katie Hottel is a registered dietician from Maryland and runs her personal digital personal apply, the place she counsels others utilizing a holistic strategy to well being. She’s additionally an enormous fan of the present Cheer, so when she heard Butler and her teammates speaking concerning the watermelon eating regimen, she rolled her eyes.
“It was a really irritating factor to see, particularly understanding that so many individuals and certain so many younger persons are watching this present,” Hottel stated. “It’s simply one other one other type of spreading misinformation and fairly frankly, disordered consuming habits to a really vulnerable viewers.”
To interrupt it down, the watermelon eating regimen is strictly because it sounds: slicing out all different meals and slowly consuming watermelon for an prolonged time period. There’s 1,000,000 several types of cleanses on the market, however why watermelon? The logic behind the cleanse is that watermelon helps to rid the physique of poisons, which is partly true, because the fruit is packed stuffed with vitamins and the pure antioxidant lycopene, which supplies the fruit its crimson color.
Lycopene might also assist defend from persistent ailments equivalent to coronary heart illness, in keeping with Samar Kullab, RDN, a registered dietitian and nutritionist identified on TikTok as the Chicago dietitian. And, as a result of watermelon is 92 per cent water, it helps to help the detoxing course of. Nevertheless, the fruit is much from the one meals that one must devour to help and keep a wholesome way of life.
“It could sound right on paper, however that’s probably not how meals works,” Hottel says. “After we’re simply solely specializing in that, we’re lacking out on so many different important vitamins, nutritional vitamins and minerals, together with any type of protein and fats which might be equally as essential in supporting our physique’s pure detoxing course of.”
The watermelon eating regimen isn’t the one unsafe cleanses on the market both, regardless of cleanses turning into one of the crucial well-liked methods of detoxing. In truth, the worldwide marketplace for detox merchandise is projected to achieve $75bn by 2026, in keeping with a report from Research and Markets.
The juicing era claims that detoxes will help you shed extra pounds, minimize cravings, and get rid of toxins, however that isn’t all these cleanses do – as in addition they create a relentless cycle that results in an unhealthy relationship with meals and presumably extra weight acquire in the long term, in keeping with consultants.
“What occurs after these quick time period fad diets is that individuals usually return to their outdated consuming habits and acquire the burden again, then search for the following eating regimen,” says Kullab.
Drastic measures don’t at all times should be taken to be wholesome and help our our bodies, as our our bodies are already doing the work for us.
The digestive system is a pure detoxifying course of, and whereas meals like watermelon might promote intestine well being, you’re higher off incorporating extra wholesome meals into your eating regimen – equivalent to fibre-rich meals, leafy greens, cruciferous greens, and loads of water – which do extra on your physique than any stylish cleanse.