Have you heard of "Diet Watermelon" like Diet Coke?
By doingit4fun
@doingit4fun (917)
United States
July 27, 2007 12:49pm CST
It is called genetic engineering. Now you can have less sweet watermelon. But would it still be a watermelon?
They have developed a low-sugar variety of watermelon that could be marketed to diabetics and others who want to avoid the sugar and calories of the summertime treat.
After spending years cross-breeding watermelon varieties to enhance sweetness, the researchers decided it was time to try going in the opposite direction. They've created a melon with the not-very-marketable name of LSW-177, to distinguish it as a "low-sugar watermelon" variety. Seeds from the new breed are just now going out to commercial growers, so LSW-177s probably won't be in the bed of pickup trucks or available on the side of the road until next summer at the earliest.
There's no question the nation's diabetes epidemic is real, so we can't really be against plant scientists searching for ways to help the nearly 21 million Americans who are thought to have problems controlling their blood sugar levels. And the new melon maintains the fruit's rich concentration of other healthful ingredients — vitamin A, potassium and the antioxidant lycopene.
But really, the thought of dousing melons with Sweet'n Low, Equal, Splenda or their generic equivalents just doesn't seem right, does it?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@GardenGerty (169591)
• United States
27 Jul 07
From my limited experience working with a diabetic client,and from the dietetic classes I have had to take for the job, this is not really a necessary thing. She is allowed servings of fresh fruit. Calories? Watermelon is very low calorie. I think this is more hopping on the bandwagon than anything else. It is a gimmick. Corn, for instance, is much more problematic than watermelon. French fries, too. I think it is more for marketing than anything else. Of course, she cannot eat unlimited quantities, but she can eat all fresh fruits. If they want a sugar free melon, let them eat cucumbers.
1 person likes this
@nicolec (2671)
• United States
27 Jul 07
I haven't heard of this but I'm not surprised. Watermelon, although has it's benefits, is one of the highest fruits fat wise. The calories are just pure sugar. I think I would give it try, assuming they aren't charging $10 a melon!
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
27 Jul 07
YUK! When I eat watermelon- I want it untampered! I do not want someone injecting it with anything- That is why it is good for me- Fresh fruit- YUK! ok maybe it helps diabetics-- but I can't imagine taking some fruit and injecting things into it.
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
27 Jul 07
People have a right to eat newfangled low sugar watermelon. I wouldn't. I like my melon sweet and juicy if and when I eat it.
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The kind of sugar I thought caused problems in diabetics is the white processed kind and the corn syrup kind. One diabetic I knew was told to avoid processed carbohydrate because it is loaded with processed sugars.
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Many diabetic diets contain fruit of the unaltered variety, although I could be way off base.





