What Are the Benefits of Watermelon Seeds? A myth often told to children is an eaten watermelon seed (or seed from any other fruit) will grow into a watermelon inside the childs stomach. While most people in Western societies think only of eating the watermelons flesh, the entire watermelon can be consumed, including flesh, seeds and rind. Additionally, the seeds have nutritional value. 1. Eating Watermelon Seeds In Western culture, the watermelon is a fruit with widespread appeal. As with most fruits, its seeds are almost always discarded and not eaten, but they can be consumed, and in other parts of the world, their consumption is more common. In Asian and Middle Eastern countries, watermelon seeds are collected and roasted so they can be servedas a snack. In Nigeria, watermelon seeds are used in certain soups. Watermelon seeds have their own nutritional makeup, including proteins, fats, iron and other nutrients. Watermelon seeds are also a source of calories. 2. Calories In 1 cup (108 g) of watermelon seeds, there are about 602 calories. Contrasted with 1 cup of cooked brown rice, which contains only 216 calories, watermelon seeds are relatively high in the number of calories per gram or per cup. 3. Fat Of the 602 calories in 1 cup of watermelon seeds, 428 calories come from fat, whereas in the same volume of rice, only 15 of 216 calories come from fat. Watermelon seeds are composed of about 50 percent oil, which helps to explain its relatively high fat content--51 g of fat per 108 g of watermelon seeds, or 79 percent of the recommended daily value. There are 11 g of saturated fat in the 51 g of fat and no trans fats. 4. Protein Watermelon seeds are composed of about 35 percent protein and are a good source of protein on a per-gram basis. In 1 cup of watermelon seeds, there are 31 g of protein. The protein in watermelon seeds is of reasonably high quality; of the nine essential amino acids, watermelon seed protein ranks highly in all but one, lysine. 5. Other Nutrients Watermelon seeds are a good source of several vitamins and minerals. Per 1 cup, watermelon seeds contain a significant amount of the following vitamins: Thiamin (14 percent of recommended daily value), riboflavin (9 percent), niacin (19 percent) and folate (16 percent). Regarding minerals, watermelon seeds provide calcium (6 percent), iron (44 percent), magnesium (139 percent), phosphorus (82 percent), potassium (20 percent), zinc (74 percent), copper (37 percent) and manganese (87 percent). 6. Chewing the Seeds Because of their size and hard outer coating, watermelon seeds, if not chewed or otherwise broken down before swallowing, can easily pass through a persons digestive tract undigested. If this happens, none of the seeds and none of its nutrients are absorbed into the body. Watermelon seeds should be chewed before swallowing if its nutritional content is desired. By Phillip Chang, an eHow Contributing Writer
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 11:40:45 +0000
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