Almost everyone loves sweet and juicy watermelons. But few people know that watermelon seeds are not only edible, but also tasty and healthy. This article will tell you what their benefits are and how to cook them for later consumption.

Chemical composition and calorie content

Watermelon seeds are very useful to all people if there are no individual contraindications: men and women, athletes and people engaged in intellectual work. The many beneficial properties of watermelon seeds are explained by their unique chemical composition, which is displayed in the table below.

Nutrition value of 100 g of dried seeds (g / daily rate):

• calorie content - 557–600 kcal
• proteins - 28.3 g / 61%
• fats - 47.4 g / about 80%
• carbohydrates - 15.3 g / 6.1%
• fatty acids - 9.78–11 g
• ash - up to 4 g
• water - up to 5 g

Vitamins (mg / daily):	Minerals (mg / daily rate):
thiamine (B1) - 0.2 mg / 12.7% riboflavin (B2) - 0.145 mg / 8.1% nicotinic acid (B3) - 3.55 mg / 17.8% pantothenic acid (B5) - 0.346 mg / 6.9% pyridoxine (B6) - 0.09 mg / 4.5% folic acid (B9) - 0.058 mg / 14.5%	phosphorus - 755 mg / 94.4% potassium - 648 mg / 25.9% magnesium - 556 mg / 139% sodium - 99 mg / 7.6% zinc - 10.24 mg / 85.3% iron - 7.28 mg / 40.4% copper - 6.86 mg / 68.6% Manganese - 1.614 mg / 80.7%

Can I eat watermelon seeds?

Eating seeds along with red pulp is not worth watermelon. In large quantities, they can cause intestinal discomfort. And if you prepare them - rinse and dry, then the benefits of them are simply invaluable. Moreover, the vitamins and minerals listed above are found not only in the seed core, but also in its hard shell.

Video: The benefits of watermelon seeds

• Useful elements contained in the seeds of watermelon positively affect certain organs, body systems and their functions. For example:
• amino acids arginine and citrulline improve heart function, regulate blood pressure, reduce the risk of coronary disease and atherosclerosis, citruline helps athletes to be more resilient, as it saturates the cells with oxygen, good for men's health;
• glutamic acid and lysine improve brain function, help to concentrate, reduce fatigue from mental work;
• unsaturated fatty acids reduce the presence of cholesterol in the blood, and Omega-6, in particular, can lower high blood pressure;
• nicotinic acid (B3), also, reduces the level of bad cholesterol, improves digestion, improves skin condition and the functioning of the nervous system;
• other B vitamins are involved in obtaining energy from food;
• magnesium normalizes blood sugar and blood pressure, necessary for normal metabolism;
• zinc strengthens the immune system, improves the condition of hair and skin, stimulates digestion;
• iron is necessary for the formation of red blood cells, prevents the development of anemia;
• hemicellulose, or semi-fiber, is important for the digestive tract, gently cleanses the intestines from toxins;
• pectin removes heavy metals, toxins and radioactive substances from the body.

Judging from the above list, eating watermelon seeds is not only possible, but also necessary. In eastern countries, this has been known for a long time. For example, in China, watermelon seeds are considered seasoning and are sold in stores like regular food. And in Africa, they are essential ingredients in many soups and sauces and are used to thicken them.

What are the benefits of fried watermelon seeds

An important feature of watermelon seeds is that they do not lose their beneficial properties during heat treatment. This means that fried seeds remain as valuable in nutritional terms as raw ones.

• The following properties are useful features of watermelon seeds:
• antibacterial and antifungal;
• painkiller and antiseptic;
• laxative and diuretic;
• anthelmintic;
• the ability to dissolve and remove stones and sand from the kidneys;
• antioxidant.

Important! Watermelon seeds are contraindicated in citrullinemia (a genetic disease with impaired citrulline synthesis), obesity, kidney and bladder diseases, pregnancy, breast-feeding, and children under 3 years old.

Basic rules for choosing when buying

Buying watermelon seeds as a food product in our country is unlikely to succeed. They can be found at the seed store. But they are intended for planting - they are often treated with chemicals to accelerate growth. Therefore, they should not be included in food.

It is best to buy a beautiful ripe watermelon in late summer – early fall and collect seeds from it. Seeds from unripe berries are not ripe enough and are not suitable for frying. For food and for other purposes, you need to choose only the most ripe seeds: large, black or dark brown.

Bones selected from melons and gourds should be well removed from the pulp and washed with water. Then they need to be laid out on a paper or fabric napkin for drying. Clean and completely dry seeds are ready to eat.

Did you know? Seeds from watermelons with orange and yellow pulp are more useful than from red berries, because they contain more citrulline .

Methods for frying watermelon seeds

In Africa and Asia, there are many methods for making watermelon seeds. In domestic regions, only 2 methods of frying them at home are common:

1. In the pan . Need to take: 1 tbsp. seeds, ½ tbsp. water and 1 tsp salt. Pour seeds into a dry hot frying pan and fry them over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes, until they crack and easily open. Then, pour them with salt water, mix and leave on fire until the water has completely evaporated and the seeds become dry again.
2. In the oven . Arrange the watermelon seeds on a baking sheet in one layer and put in the oven, heated to 160 ° C. After 15 minutes, the delicacy is ready. If left for a couple of minutes longer, the seeds will turn out to be more crispy. They will be tastier with seasonings: olive oil with salt, hot pepper with lime juice or sugar with cinnamon (for a sweet option).

Watermelon seeds cooked in such ways are a worthy substitute for sunflower seeds, peanuts and chips. They can be an ideal beer snack or a simple snack between meals.

Another and easiest option for preparing watermelon seeds is to dry in the oven at a low temperature (80 ° C) for half an hour.

Important! We must not forget that watermelon seeds are very high-calorie. In order not to harm your health, you need to eat 100 g of product per day or less.

In what areas are watermelon seeds used?

As a product containing many healing properties, watermelon seeds are widely used in traditional medicine. They are most often used as a remedy for helminths, lowering blood pressure, from uterine bleeding and kidney stones.

Also, watermelon seeds are used in the following areas:

• in cosmetology - for the manufacture of masks for hair and skin;
• in a sports diet - for building muscle mass;
• in cooking - in the production of instant cereals;
• as pet food (rodents and parrots).

Storage methods

With proper storage, watermelon seeds will lie for several years without deterioration. To keep them for a long time, you need:

• wash them and dry well for several days, preferably in the sun or in a dry room;
• fold them after drying in a cloth bag;
• place the bones in a dry but cool place.

We also recommend that you read about the properties of watermelon oil.

Under such conditions, the seeds will be edible for up to 8 years. As you can see, watermelon seeds are a storehouse of useful substances that can enhance human health. And if you fry them, they will also become a delicious snack.