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ASK THE EXPERTS: IS DRINKING BEER AND EATING WATERMELON HARMFUL?

KELLY A. FROM NORMAN, OK, ASKS: A friend of mine said that if you eat watermelon and drink beer (or drink beer and eat watermelon…I’m not sure if the order matters) you will get really sick or maybe even die. That’s the first time I ever heard of that. Is it true?

Wow. That’s the first time I, too, have heard that extremely cautionary advice. Based on personal experience (many instances of eating watermelon and drinking beer), I can attest that I’ve never experienced any ill effects from combining these two delicious barbeque staples. Then again, I could have some sort of watermelon/beer immunity, so I took to the Internet and asked a few knowledgeable friends to see if there was any truth to the rumor.

It turns out, you’re not the only one with questions about combining beer and watermelon. I was able to find a few more inquiries (here and here) from concerned watermelon and beer lovers, but the answer I’ll give you is the same one they received: The rumor about watermelon and beer being dangerous if combined is 100 percent false. Of course, that’s assuming you’re consuming both in moderation. If you down too much watermelon or drink too many beers, you might feel some ill effects, but it won’t be from the combination of the two ingredients.



So if the misguided advice is nothing but urban legend, the real question is: Who started the tall tale? Unfortunately I wasn’t able to pinpoint that answer, but my guess is that it’s the same person who spread the rumor about watermelon seeds growing in your stomach if you swallow them.


Categories: General
The Watermelon Guy:

View Comments (35)

  • Wow, i am sure many of us our grateful that it’s a myth!
    Haha a forgot about that,when we were little we were told that we could eat the white seeds but the black ones would grow in our stomach,i was very careful for many summers.

    • Hi there
      I have tried it last night you don't know did i feel .3 times vomiting and straight to hospital and taking serum .headache and vomit both yogether

  • You and me both, Crystal. I was afraid of the seeds until I was well into my 20s.

  • Wow… glad this isn’t true!! LOL!! If anything, you just probably won’t get drunk as easy because of all the water in a watermelon?

  • Actually I get really sick in my stomach if I drink beer and then eat watermelon or bananas.

  • Happy that it is not true. I thought it is really on the bad side. Good to know it.
    Keg Hire

  • My husbands uncle just had a stroke and he claimed it happen after combining the two. I had never heard of that before, but its kinda scary.

  • I just experienced sweating, nausea, bloating and felt very sick after eating a bowl of watermelon and only about a cup of beer. That’s why I looked it up. There is probably some truth to this. It’s all I’ve eaten other than some toast with butter a few hours ago.
    Really was sweating badly.

  • I’ve heard this too — and it is a belief from Mexico. Someone I know claims an uncle of his died from eating watermelon the next day when he was horribly hung over. It contradicts all common sense. I tell him that it may have been another reason that his uncle died, or, an allergy perhaps. Anyway, it is an odd urban legend, but sometimes there is a bit of truth to them. I am still seeking that possible truth because it seems to me that eating watermelon while drinking or for a hangover would be a healthy and hydrating thing to do.

  • Well the only reason I searched this topic is because last night I drank 3 beers while watching the game, then I polished off half of a small watermelon. I could feel my stomach building up pressure so I laid down to go to sleep. At 3AM I woke up ran to the restroom and like the exorcist i shot out vomit like about 10 feet. I couldn’t shake the ugly feeling in my gut all day.
    Thanks for letting me share

    • Sounds like fructose being fermented by yeasts from the beer, definitely could be a phenomonem... A pity that "science" doesn't exercise common sense or listen to anecdotal evidence much of the time.