Plant
Raw watermelon
USDA description: Watermelon, raw
How raw watermelon scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Raw watermelonExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Fructose | -6.2 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -6 |
| Vitamin C | +2.6 |
| Purine Load | -1.7 |
| Fiber | +0.8 |
| Magnesium | +0.8 |
| 2 smaller factors | 0 |
| Final score | 90 |
Raw watermelon scores 90 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 14 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 4.3 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat0.15 g
- Saturated Fat0.02 g
- Sodium1 mg
- Dietary Fiber0.40 g
- Total Sugars6.2 g
- Protein0.61 g
- Calcium7 mg
- Iron0.24 mg
- Magnesium10 mg
- Vitamin C8.1 mg
- Folate3 ug
- Water91.5 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 cube15 g
- 1 ball15 g
- 1 cup155 g
- 1 small wedge/slice218 g
- 1 medium wedge/slicetypical325 g
- 1 large wedge/slice432 g
- 1 miniature melon1300 g
- 1 small melon3200 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (fruit).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -6.2Long-term
FructoseLong-term
An estimated 2.5 g of fructose per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion. Reduced 70% because whole fruit blunts the fructose effect.
Evidence: Choi HK 2008, BMJ · Choi HK 2010, JAMA
- -6Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 2 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +2.6Long-term
Vitamin CLong-term
8.1 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion. Vitamin C helps the kidneys excrete urate.
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2011, Arthritis Care Res
- -1.7Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
10 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 3.3x for the typical portion: 15 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- +0.8Long-term
FiberLong-term
0.4 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +0.8Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
10 mg of magnesium per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
- -0.1Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
0.02 g of saturated fat per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- +0.1Long-term
FolateLong-term
3 µg of folate per 100 g, scaled 3.3x for the typical portion.
Evidence: Lyu LC 2017, Am J Clin Nutr
Common questions
About raw watermelon
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.