Perhaps you’re accustomed to discarding them during meals, but how about organizing a contest to spit out the seeds? Some people opt for seedlessness instead. However, the fact that watermelon seeds are healthy may change your mind.
There are not many calories in watermelon seeds, but they are very healthy. When baked, they become crispy and serve as a healthy snack.
Perhaps you’re accustomed to discarding them during meals, but how about organizing a contest to spit out the seeds? Some people opt for seedlessness instead. However, the fact that watermelon seeds are healthy may change your mind.
1. Low in calories
Watermelon seed kernels have about 158 calories per ounce. That’s pretty close to the 160 calories in an ounce of Lay’s Potato Chips, but let’s talk about what an ounce is.
Watermelon seeds are very low in calories. A big handful of them weighs only 4 grams. This is significantly less than the weight of a bag of chips!
2. Magnesium
Watermelon seeds contain magnesium as one of their constituents. This food has 21 mg of magnesium per 4 grams, which is 5% of the daily amount.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that every day, people should get 420 mg of this mineral. Magnesium is important for many biological processes in the body. To keep your immune system, heart, bones, and muscles healthy, you also need to eat right.
3. Iron
A handful of watermelon seeds contains about 0.29 mg of iron, or 1.6% of the daily requirement. The NIH only says that people should get 18 mg a day, which may not seem like much.
Iron is a key part of hemoglobin, which moves oxygen around the body. It also helps your body turn food into energy.
On the other hand, phytate in watermelon seeds prevents the absorption of iron and reduces their nutritional value.
4. Good fat
There are also a lot of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in watermelon seeds. A big handful (4 grams) has 0.3 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids and 1.1 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
For example, the American Heart Association says that these fats can help lower “bad” cholesterol in the blood and lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.
5. Zinc
Watermelon seeds also contain zinc. One ounce of them gives you about 26% of your daily value, and a big bunch gives you 4% of your DV.
Zinc is an important mineral that the defense system needs to work with. Also, it’s important for:
- The body’s digestive and nervous systems,
- Cell development and growth.
- your taste and smell buds all play a significant role in these processes.
However, phytates stop the body from absorbing zinc in the same way they do iron.
How to Incorporate Watermelon Seeds into Your Diet
You can easily incorporate watermelon seeds into your diet in a variety of delicious ways.
- Roasted Watermelon Seeds: For a crunchy snack, lightly roast them.
- Watermelon Seed Butter: Blend roasted seeds into a smooth butter, similar to peanut butter.
- Smoothies: For an extra nutrient boost, add ground watermelon seeds to your smoothies.
- Salads and Yoghurts: Sprinkle them over salads and yoghurts for added texture and nutrition.
- Baking: In baking recipes, use ground watermelon seeds as a flour substitute.
It’s easy to roast watermelon seeds. Put the seeds on a baking sheet and heat the oven to 325°F. They should be ready in about 15 minutes, but you might want to stir them halfway through to make sure they are crispy all the way through.
If you want the seeds to taste even better, you can add some olive oil and salt or sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. You can make it taste better by adding red pepper, lime juice, or chili powder.
The bottom line
Watermelon seeds are good for you in many ways. Even though they may not have a lot of minerals and vitamins, they are still much better for you than potato chips and other bad snacks
The number of seeds you eat has a lot to do with how healthy they are for you. They’re not very healthy, so you have to eat a lot of them to get the benefits.
Watermelon seeds are much healthier than other snacks, though.
There are not many calories in watermelon seeds, but they are very healthy. When baked, they become crispy and serve as a healthy snack.
