The Seeds We Should Be Eating But Aren’t

August 6, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

What’s summer without watermelon?

Actually, TBH, I haven’t had a single bite of the stuff this season.

It just seemed like a good intro line for an article.

That said, now that I’ve read something fascinating about these behemoth green ‘n pink orbs (enjoyed by everyone with a shred of good taste for nature’s desserts), I’m totally gonna go buy one. And, when I do, I’m gonna try something I haven’t before: eat the seeds. See, my whole life I’ve been sentencing these ebony kernels to the trash. Why? Because they don’t taste like much. They’re just flavorless vexations. (Well, that and the fact that, for some reason, on some subconscious level, I’m pretty sure I’ve adhered to the childhood myth about a plant magically growing in my acidic gastric cavity if I did eat them.) So I’ve always spit ’em out. But not anymore. Because – even though watermelon is weight loss inducing on its own with the high water and fiber content – I just learned something: there plenty of healthful benefits to these minuscule melon pits.

For example, they may be small, but those bad boys pack a punch we’d usually rely on other foods to accomplish. For example, remember all those articles telling you to balance macros (proteins, carbs, and fats)? The typical misconception is that you can’t get all of that from fruit because they’ve got more carb and low protein or fat. However, the seeds offer those latter two aspects beautifully. And, by taking in those other two macros with your juicy meal, you’re a lot less likely to overdo your overall food ingestion. Your body’s not seeking to manage an imbalance. Thus, you’re satiated, and seeking fewer extra calories than you might if things weren’t even.

But that’s not all. The seeds are also high in the vitamins and minerals most of us are missing on any diet. And when we’re missing molecules of any kind that our body wants in order to operate optimally, we face the same issue we do when macros are imbalanced. In an attempt to compensate for one deficiency, it upsets our whole somatic apple cart. And that’s when we start observing spontaneous cravings even when we think we’re eating healthy and even after our caloric needs are being met. Watermelon seeds are high in some of these vitamins – particularly vitamin E – which, when missing, can lead not only to increased hunger as our bodies urge us to have what we’re lacking; it can also lead to muscle weakness and general lethargy that keeps us from burning off whatever we cure that hunger with.

Right about meow, you might be thinking, “That’s great and all – but I hate the flavorless nature of fruit sperm.” And that’s totally fair. In that case, I’d say maybe go ahead and pluck them out. But, after you do, roast those bad boys up instead of chucking them. You can even add a layer of flavoring, and make a savory post-melon snack out’ve them. So, don’t stall for the rest of summer like yours truly’s been doing. Go get yourself one of those wonderful emerald ovals and – this time – don’t pick the delicious little pits out’ve it. Eat ’em up and watch that weight disappear from your bod.

Just like your favorite Christmas colored fruit does from your plate.

(Protip: put the “eat” in “creative” by digging out a “pit pit” and cooking the contents later…)