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Health See other Health Articles Title: Benefits of Watermelon Rinds Most people discard the rind of the juicy watermelon, but don’t be so hasty – the watermelon rind has many benefits. Whether you eat the rind or use it topically, this often-wasted food can do good things for your body. Finding a use for it also helps cut down on the amount of garbage you produce, so it’s good for the environment as well. Nutritional Benefits The rind may not be as juicy as the flesh of a watermelon, but you can eat it. A 1-inch cube of watermelon rind contains 1.8 calories. The majority of the calories come from carbohydrates, with 0.32 g per serving. While you will not derive a tremendous amount of macronutrients from eating watermelon rind, this food does contain some vitamins. One serving provides 2 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C and 1 percent of the vitamin B-6 your body requires every day. This makes watermelon rind good for your skin and immunity, as well as the health of your nervous system. Economic Benefits Considered primarily a Southern food, pickles made from watermelon rind offer a tart taste and stretch your food dollars. Homemade pickles made from watermelon rind offer an inexpensive alternative to purchased pickles. Because watermelon rind is often thrown out and not used, finding ways to use it for food, such as pickles, relishes or jam, extends the functionality of this fruit. You can cut the rind into spears and chunks, as well as shred it for recipes. The crunch and texture mimic pickles made from cucumbers, and you get the most use out of the fruit. Citrulline Content Watermelon rind contains a compound known as citrulline, according to a study published in the June 2005 issue of the “Journal of Chromatography.” Citrulline might serve up a range of medicinal benefits. Evidence in the March 2011 edition of the “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture” suggests that the citrulline in watermelon rinds gives it antioxidant effects that protect you from free-radical damage. Additionally, citrulline converts to arginine, an amino acid vital to the heart, circulatory system and immune system, says researchers from Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center. These researchers speculate that watermelon rind might relax blood vessels and have a role in treating erectile dysfunction. Serving Tips Sautee chopped watermelon rinds in olive oil -- season them with salt and pepper for added flavor, or get creative by using a mixture of red chili flakes, paprika and cilantro. Use watermelon rinds, along with carrots, potatoes and parsnips, to add bulk and nutritional value to stews, or juice watermelon rinds for a nutrient-packed beverage. www.livestrong.com/article/475380-are-watermelon-seeds-rich-in-citrulline/ All parts of the watermelon, including the rind, flesh and seeds, contain citrulline, a non-essential amino acid that converts into the amino acid L-arginine when eaten. Your body can manufacture citrulline, which is why it’s called a non-essential amino acid; you don’t have to eat it. Citrulline converts ammonia, a waste product in your body, to urea for removal in the urine. Watermelon seeds are edible, but if you don’t chew them, they pass through the intestinal tract without breaking down Supplementation If you’d rather get your citrulline from supplements than seeds, you can purchase citrulline supplements, which purportedly enhance sports performance, although there’s no clinical proof of these benefits, according to NYU Langone Medical Center. Alternative practitioners also recommend citrulline to treat impotence. The normal supplemental dose is 6 to 18 g in the form of citrulline malate. Benefits Citrulline might act as an antioxidant, as well as a vasodilator, according to the USDA. Citrulline’s ability to increase L-arginine supplies in the body might offer benefits in treating high blood pressure, sickle-cell anemia and elevated glucose levels, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. A USDA study reported in the March 2007 issue of “Nutrition” tested the effects of watermelon juice in amounts of 1 or 2 g per day. The study found that arginine concentrations increased by 12 percent at the lower dose and 22 percent at the 2 g dose. Fasting citrulline levels did not rise. Risks Citrulline in large amounts can cause harm if you have certain health conditions, even if you take it in watermelon form rather than in supplements, as a study by the Meyer Children's Hospital in the 2005 “Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease” reported. Researchers gave healthy volunteers large amounts of watermelon and then tested their citrulline and arginine levels. All developed very high citrulline levels and, to a lesser extent, elevated arginine. While high levels of citrulline might not affect most people, it could harm people with citrullinemia, a genetic disorder that affects the urea cycle. Considerations If you don’t like watermelon seeds, you can eat the rind, as it contains the most citrulline. If gnawing on the rind doesn’t appeal to you either, just eat the flesh, which also supplies plenty of citrulline. The yellow and orange varieties of watermelon contain more citrulline than the red, if you’re looking for maximum levels. www.livestrong.com/article/475380-are-watermelon-seeds-rich-in-citrulline/ Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
If you had enough rinds and the fixings to make moonshine (you would also need a still) you could make up some interesting brew. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
Avoid alcohols; they turn into aldehydes which you don't until you're in the morgue.
I haven't touched them in ages. Longer than I can recall. But that may have something to do with the meningitis. At least 10 years though. ;) "When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one." Edmund Burke
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