What is Watermelon Island /or a mono fruit island?
To understand Watermelon Island we must know what a mono meal is: Mono-meals are meals that consist of one ingredient! Mono fruit cleanses like Watermelon Island are when we choose one fruit to eat mono-meals of for a set period of time. You can do 3-14 days eating only fruit to experience an amazing cleanse. I did three days my first time and plan on doing one week this time around! Watermelon/or Mono Fruit Island can also be done on other fruit like bananas, peaches, mango, grapes, persimmons, etc. My sister Nikki did a mono fruit island once, picking one different type of fruit each day:
Day1- Bananas
Day 2- Peaches
Day 3- Grapes
(She doesn’t like watermelon!)
The idea is to pick one fruit for the duration of your challenge. Fruit is great because it’s fast, cheap and easy! Haha. It doesn't take much to prepare and eat a watermelon. Just cut it in half and scoop with a spoon. Or slice it, cube it or cut it into fun shapes with a cookie cutter. I like to blend watermelon into smoothies if I’m going to be on the road or going to work. They are affordable too. I just bought 5 days worth of watermelon for just over $50. That’s about $10 a day for a trip to Watermelon Island!
How Does it Work?
You choose your one fruit and go stock up! You are going to need plenty of whatever fruit you are eating in your house, so that you have enough to eat and are not tempted by other foods. How much fruit you need will depend on how long you choose to stay on the island. Once you have an abundance of ripe fruit you can begin.
Eat as much watermelon (or fruit of your choice) as you like for breakfast dinner and supper. Only Watermelons. With the exception of adding lemon/lime juice for those who get melon belly, which is painful abdominal cramping from watermelon. If you choose another fruit, make sure it's a sweet fruit like the ones mentioned above and try to get in enough calories a day, depending on your activity level. You can use chronometer online or a download a calorie counter app to your phone!
I cannot stress enough the importance of eating RIPE fruit only! Drink plenty of water too. Your body will be detoxing and although watermelon is high in water content it is also high in sugars! I drink at least two litres a day, and three if I get a lot of exercise. Try to exercise everyday too, but take time to rest and relax as your body detoxes and heals. Also, go to bed early. Sleep is so important when detoxing.
Watermelon Island gives your digestive system a break. Fresh RIPE fruit is the easiest food for your body to digest, spending little time in the stomach. Therefore it takes up little energy, allowing our bodies the time and energy they need to spend healing and detoxing. Also, when you only eat one type of fruit, it enhances this experience even more. One ingredient is digested more efficiently than several.
By only eating one food/ingredient you will be more aware of when you are satiated. The watermelon will loose its taste and it will be easy to learn how to tell when you are truly full.
The main reason I am interested in doing this is to gain more awareness. Your body is amazing and knows way more than you think it does. If you can learn to listen to it, you can achieve higher levels of health. Mono-Fruit Islands enhance your intuitive ability to listen to your body's needs, like satiation. As I slowly add food back in at the end I will pay close attention to the things that disagree with me. Also, fruits and veggies will taste better after detoxing. I couldn't believe all the flavor that was in an apple when I re-introduced them into my diet after doing Banana Island.
If you want to try this yourself: Try to eat as clean as you can before you travel to the Island. Reduce coffee, alcohol, processed foods and animal products for several days prior. And eat as much fresh raw fruits and veggies as you can. It is ideal (but not essential) to be eating a low-fat raw vegan diet beforehand, but if you cannot, at least try to cut out meat and dairy products. Having lots of fat in your bloodstream interferes with your body’s ability to absorb the fruit sugars efficiently.
Watermelon Island Day Two -> Watch Here
Lots of love and fresh squeezed hugs,
Naturally Ashley
xo
Ashley Clark is a Health Coach, artist, photographer and the
owner/operator of Naturally Ashley Nutrition. This prairie girl from Moose Jaw
Saskatchewan loves to nourish her body with positive thoughts and ripe seasonal
fruits! She wants to share everything she knows about holistic living to
inspire others on their journey to create a happy, healthy lifestyle that's
enjoyable and lasting.
Ashley received holistic health coach training from the Institute for
Integrative Nutrition and has been following a raw vegan diet for two years
based on Dr Doug Graham's book The 80-10-10 Diet.
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