THE WATERMELON WONDER

One of the myths children are often told is that when they eat watermelon seeds(or seeds from any other fruits) such fruits would grow in their stomach. However, recent researches have shown that the entire watermelon can be consumed, including flesh, seeds and rind. 

The seeds have in fact been found to have nutritional values.The watermelon  is a fruit with widespread appeal. As with most fruits, its seed are almost always discarded and not eaten. But, that is now a thing of the past in some part of the world. 

In Asia and middle Eastern countries, watermelon seeds are collected and roasted so they can be served as snacks, 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. For instance, in one cup (108g) of watermelon seeds, there are about 602 calories. Contrasted with one cup of brown rice, which contain only 216 calories, watermelon seeds are relatively high in the number of calories per gram or per cup. Out of the nine essential amino acids, watermelon seeds protein ranks highly in all but one- LYSINE.

Because of their sizes 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 are  absorbed into the body. Therefore, watermelon seeds should be chewed before swallowing if its nutritional contentment is desired.

AN EXTRACT FROM HEALTHX+ra, TELL MAGAZINE AUGUST 19, 2013. PAGE 7.