Melon: Why It Is Eaten Separately

Dr. Boris Wydoff

Melon has a special place in my system of eating. I call it a sanitation worker of the digestive tract because in this system it is considered important for cleansing the gastrointestinal tract. The main rule is simple: eat melon separately from other food, two hours after a meal and at least two hours before the next meal.

Why melon should not be mixed with other food

Melon has a special place in my system of eating. I call it a sanitation worker of the entire digestive tract. But it is important to understand that it is not only the food itself that matters, but also the order in which it is eaten. Therefore, I do not consider melon an ordinary dessert after lunch.

I recommend eating fruit as a separate meal. Melon and watermelon are among the foods for which this rule is especially strict. They are eaten separately from everything, without adding them to other dishes.

Many people are used to finishing lunch with a sweet slice of melon. In my system of eating, this is already considered mixing foods. If a person wants to eat melon, it is better to set aside a separate time for it in advance.

I do not place melon alongside bread, porridge, potatoes, or other foods. The point of the rule is precisely its simplicity. One meal — one logic of food combinations. In my article about the number of meals per day I explain the organization of eating in more detail. Here it is enough to remember the main thing: melon should be a meal on its own.

Why I am so strict about combinations

In my system, there are several combinations that I consider incompatible. Protein is not mixed with carbohydrates in one meal. Fats are also not mixed with carbohydrates, especially with bread and porridge. I do not mix vegetables with fruit.

Protein foods in this system include beans, lentils, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and cheese. Beans and mushrooms can be combined with vegetables and greens. Bread, porridge, potatoes, and pasta belong to the carbohydrate group and are not combined with protein foods.

Melon and watermelon have a separate position here. They should not be mixed with any other food. Therefore, the rule for them is easier to remember than to create long tables of combinations.

How long after a meal can you eat melon

The rule is very specific. Eat melon two hours after any other food. After eating melon, there should also be at least two hours before the next meal.

I consider this interval an important part of the approach. There is no need to make complicated calculations. You only need to remember the time before the melon and the time after it. For example, if a regular meal has ended, melon can be eaten two hours later. After the separate melon meal, the same interval is observed again. This rule also applies to watermelon. In my system, melon and watermelon have the same order of consumption.

This approach is connected with the general principle of separate eating. I do not mix protein foods with carbohydrates. I do not mix vegetables with fruit. Melon and watermelon remain separate foods.

Why it is important not to break the interval

It is important to me that a person remembers not only the words “eat separately,” but also the timing. If melon becomes an addition to an already eaten lunch, it is no longer a separate meal. Therefore, two hours before it and two hours after it are part of the rule itself.

I try not to complicate this principle. There is no need to calculate dozens of combinations every time. It is enough to finish the previous meal, observe the established interval, eat the melon separately, and wait again before the next meal.

This order helps organize the day in advance. If the time for melon is decided beforehand, there is less temptation to add it to lunch or dinner. In my system, it is precisely the simplicity of the routine that makes the rule understandable for everyday eating.

Why I do not consider melon an ordinary dessert

The word “dessert” often changes how people view melon. A person eats a substantial meal and then gets another food. In my system of eating, this is no longer a separate meal.

I look at melon differently. It is an independent food that can be included in the diet during the day. You do not have to wait until after the main dish to eat it. The same principle applies to other fruit. I recommend eating fruit separately rather than mixing it with the main meal. This is one of the simple elements of my system.

If you constantly want something sweet after a meal, it is worth paying attention to the eating routine itself. Sometimes the reason is not a particular food, but the habit of adding something after the meal has already finished.

I also discuss the connection between eating and how you feel afterward in the article why you feel sleepy after eating.

Fruit has its own time

I do not put fruit in the same category as the usual end of lunch. In my system, fruit has a separate meal. Therefore, melon should not become a small addition to the plate after the main dish.

This applies not only to melon. I follow the same principle with fruit in general. Vegetables and fruit are not mixed in one meal, and fruit is eaten separately.

This approach makes it possible not to turn every meal into a mixture of many foods. The clearer the composition of a separate meal, the easier it is to follow the principle of separate eating.

What the word “sanitation worker” means for melon

When I call melon a sanitation worker of the digestive tract, I use this as an image within my system of eating. In my books, I connect its consumption with cleansing the gastrointestinal tract. But the main condition remains the same — melon must be eaten separately.

I always pay attention first to the order of eating. Even a good food requires the right place in the diet in this system. Therefore, it is important not only what you eat, but also how you combine foods.

Melon is a summer food. In natural nutrition, it is described among cooling summer foods rich in organic salts. This group also includes cantaloupe, muskmelon, pumpkin, zucchini, and other members of the squash family.

At the same time, I do not suggest considering melon a universal remedy. We are talking about a dietary principle. It consists of a separate meal and observing two-hour intervals.

Summer foods in natural nutrition

In natural nutrition references, leafy and juicy foods are described as being rich in organic salts. They include greens, cabbage, celery, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, asparagus, and other vegetables. In this system, they are considered suitable foods to combine with different types of food.

Melon is singled out separately in these descriptions. It is classified among cooling summer foods rich in organic salts. Cantaloupe, muskmelon, pumpkin, and zucchini are mentioned alongside it.

I do not mix this list with the rule for eating melon. Even among simple and natural foods, each has its own place. For melon, the main thing remains unchanged: it is a separate meal.

Why children sometimes have an unusual reaction after eating melon

Children sometimes have vomiting or diarrhea after eating melon. In my system of natural eating, such a reaction is explained by the cleansing action of melon. This is especially often described in children who suffer from constipation.

According to this explanation, the intestines expel stagnant matter, while the stomach is freed from excess. But such a reaction cannot be taken as a ready explanation for every condition in a child. Vomiting and diarrhea can have many different causes. In children, it is especially important to monitor their condition because fluid loss can be dangerous.

I do not recommend evaluating pronounced symptoms on your own only through the lens of nutrition. If vomiting or diarrhea repeats, the condition worsens, or causes concern, the child should be examined by a doctor.

Food can be part of a lifestyle, but it does not replace medical care.

Why this reaction should not become the goal

In the books, this reaction is described as a manifestation of the cleansing action. They speak about the expulsion of stagnant matter from the intestines and the release of excess from the stomach. This is especially associated with children suffering from constipation.

But I do not consider it right to deliberately cause vomiting or diarrhea. This is not the goal of eating melon separately. If a child develops a pronounced reaction, it is more important to assess the child's condition than to look for an obligatory benefit in it.

Therefore, the eating principle and medical assessment should remain separate matters. The rule of eating melon separately does not remove the need for caution, especially in childhood.

How to arrange a separate melon meal

The simplest option is to make melon a separate meal. You can choose a time between two regular meals. The main thing is to leave two hours before melon and two hours after it.

I do not mix melon with bread, porridge, or other food. The separate meal itself is the foundation of the rule.

During the season, this is a simple summer food option. In the books, I include melon among foods that can be used in the diet together with greens, buckwheat, millet, lentils, and other simple foods.

At the same time, melon does not replace the entire diet. It has its own place among foods. Other meals are organized separately. If you are interested in a gentle approach to eating, you can also look at the material about gentle bowel cleansing without laxatives.

How to organize other meals

A separate melon meal is easier to follow when the other meals are also clearly structured. In my system, protein foods are not combined with bread, porridge, potatoes, or pasta. At the same time, beans and mushrooms can be combined with vegetables and greens.

I associate the best time for protein foods with around midday. In the books, this is explained by the fact that stomach acid is secreted most actively at this time. Melon, however, does not become part of the protein meal and remains a separate food.

The diet can also include greens, buckwheat, millet, lentils, and other simple foods. Among natural foods, I also highlight beets, lemon, coconut milk, almonds, avocado, garlic, berries, and some vegetables. But having these foods in the diet does not change the main rule for melon.

What melon and watermelon have in common

I use the same rule for watermelon. It is eaten separately from any other food, two hours after a meal and two hours before the next meal.

I do not make exceptions simply because watermelon is often eaten between other dishes in summer. In my system, the timing of eating has the same importance as the food itself.

Melon and watermelon should not be added to different fruit mixtures or salads. The clearest option is a separate meal. In my system, melon and watermelon are incompatible combinations. So here it is enough to remember one rule: these foods are eaten separately from everything else.

Why the rule is the same for both foods

Melon and watermelon are repeatedly considered together in the books specifically in relation to the order in which they are eaten. For both, the same interval is established: two hours after the previous meal and two hours before the next one.

If a person remembers the rule for melon, they already know the rule for watermelon. I prefer principles like these because they are simple. They make it possible to follow the eating system without unnecessary calculations and numerous exceptions.

What else is important to consider in separate eating

The rule for melon is part of a broader system. I do not mix proteins with carbohydrates in one meal. The protein group includes beans, lentils, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and cheese.

In this system, beans and mushrooms are combined with vegetables and greens. Bread, porridge, potatoes, and pasta belong to the carbohydrate group. Vegetables are not mixed with fruit.

I try to make these rules easy to understand. There is no need to turn eating into constant calculations. It is important to understand the principle of combining foods itself. In my system, protein foods are best placed around midday. In the books, this time is associated with more active secretion of stomach acid. Melon remains a separate food. It is not placed alongside protein foods or other dishes. This approach is easier to follow when meals are planned in advance. Then melon does not become a random addition to lunch.

Other incompatible combinations

In my system, the combination of fats with carbohydrates is also considered separately. This especially concerns fats together with bread and porridge. Therefore, separate eating is not limited to one rule for fruit.

At the same time, proteins can be combined with vegetables and fats. I also consider beans and mushrooms together with vegetables and greens. But vegetables and fruit remain separate groups.

This scheme helps explain why melon has a special place. There is no provision for combining it even with foods that are allowed alongside protein foods. Melon and watermelon are separated from all other food in my system.

Boris Wydoff — naturopath and author, Ph.D. in nutrition. For over fifty years I have helped people restore health through nutrition, cleansing and the power of the mind — in Europe, America and Asia. About the author →

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