Benefits of Adding Watermelon Seeds to Your Diet
Watermelon is a delicious and refreshing fruit that’s known for its high content of water and antioxidants. It’s one of the so-called summer foods because it’s a great way to hydrate your body during the hottest days of the year. If you’re not adding watermelon seeds to your day, then you should consider it!
Watermelon is also packed with essential nutrients that can significantly benefit your health.
It contains a substance known as lycopene that helps cleanse your body and eliminate excess fluids — all with very few calories.
What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that those watermelon seeds they usually spit out are also full of nutrients and other benefits that they should be taking advantage of.
When you consume them in tea and other beverages it can help prevent disease and support the functions of several of your major organs.
Want to find out more?
Watermelon seeds are a natural laxative
Watermelon seeds contain a high amount of dietary fiber, a nutrient that regulates bowel movements to stimulate the removal of waste.
You can consume these instead of synthetic laxatives to fight constipation and improve your digestion.
See also: Natural teas for constipation
An excellent diuretic
Just like the fruit itself, watermelon seeds have excellent diuretic properties that help eliminate excess fluid retained in your tissues.
A medicinal tea made with these seeds is an ancient remedy for accumulated toxins and waste in the kidneys, helping to maintain the health of these organs.
The active compounds support the proper function of your urinary tract and increase the elimination of liquids, preventing the overgrowth of bacteria.
They also promote the removal of toxins and heavy metals, reducing your risk of serious diseases.
Thanks to their ability to balance your body’s fluid and salt levels, regular consumption of watermelon seeds also helps control high blood pressure.
Rich in antioxidants
While this fruit is rich in lycopene, the seeds contain other important antioxidants like magnesium and zinc.
These help control the damage caused by free radicals and prevent the early deterioration of the joints and bones.
A good source of energy
It’s such a shame that people prefer to throw away these seeds instead of using them for energy. Watermelon seeds contain very few calories, but their high energy value can help you deal with weakness and exhaustion.
Minerals and fiber combat fatigue to increase both physical and mental performance.
In fact, while 100 grams of watermelon contain only 20.3 calories, the same amount of watermelon seeds can pack up to 555 calories.
Of course, you’ll never consume that much in a serving because you will use only a few seeds in the preparation of your beverage of choice.
Treatment for dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia refers to the condition of having abnormal amounts of lipids in your body. It’s a type of disorder that’s characterized by an imbalance in the metabolism of lipids in the bloodstream.
High levels of cholesterol in the arteries and poor triglyceride control can cause this condition.
Because they’re rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6, watermelon seeds can control this problem and help cleanse your bloodstream.
This lowers your risk of getting clogged or hardened arteries while helping you avoid serious circulatory problems or cardiovascular disease.
We recommend you read: 7 reasons to detox your liver
How to make a drink with watermelon seeds
It’s easy and quick yo prepare this drink. Although you can use whole seeds, the powder is better for nutrient absorption.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of watermelon seeds (40 g)
- 1 liter of water
- 1 cup of chopped watermelon (optional)
Preparation
- Bring the liter of water to a boil over medium heat.
- While the water is boiling, grind the watermelon seeds using a mortar and pestle.
- When you have a fine powder, add it to the hot water and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
- Afterwards, remove from heat and allow the mixture to stand for an hour.
- Filter the liquid and pour this liquid into a pitcher.
- For a delicious beverage, add the liquid to a blender along with several pieces of fresh watermelon.
- Store it in the fridge to cool or serve immediately over ice.
Mode of consumption
- Drink your first cup of this juice on an empty stomach and wait at least half an hour before breakfast.
- Do this two days in a row, every week, for the best results.
- Avoid adding any sugars or artificial sweeteners or you’ll lose the benefits.
- Don’t exceed the recommended amount of seeds to avoid any negative side effects.
Ready to get started? Now that you know how good these seeds are, don’t hesitate to use them instead of just throwing them away.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
Ip, B. C., & Wang, X. D. (2013). Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma: Implications for lycopene intervention. Nutrients. http://doi.org/10.3390/nu6010124
Erhirhie, E. O., & Ekene, N. E. (2013). Medicinal Values on Citrullus lanatus ( Watermelon ): International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences.
