A myth often told to children is
an eaten watermelon seed (or
seed from any other fruit) will
grow into a watermelon inside
the child's stomach. While most
people in Western societies
think only of eating the
watermelon's flesh, the entire
watermelon can be consumed,
including flesh, seeds and rind.
Additionally, the seeds have
nutritional value.
Eating Watermelon Seeds 1. 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 served as 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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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 person's 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.
Water Melon Seeds - (Food
Ingredients)
These beautiful watermelon seeds
are rich in taste and don’t have
any characterizing smell like
sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
They were our timepass snack
when we were growing up. And in
South India, they are added to
betel nut(areca) mix (supari) as
part of paan masala.
These days I am adding these
seeds, spoonful of them to
curries/kurmas. They bring
subtle flavor and sweet
nuttiness to whatever dish I
add, love the taste of them.
Checkout for more weekend
veggie/food ingredient blogging
at kalyn’s Kitchen.
Features:
1) Early grow, plant is strong,
nice performance of bearing
fruit with nice round-shape.
2) Pattern of the watermelon
peel: Green color background
with black steaks.
3) Pulp: Orange yellow, tender
with much juice and few seeds;
4) Central sugar degree: 13
5) Unit watermelon weight:
6-8kg.
6) The peel of watermelon is
thin, and the fruit is not easy
to be dehiscent.
What Are the Benefits of
Watermelon Seeds?
Calories
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