Do you know anyone who doesn’t like watermelons? We don’t. And for what reason wouldn’t you love it? It is one of the most delicious, nutritious, and healthiest fruit on this Earth. And the funny part is that it is mostly water, 92 percent to be specific. Moreover, it is rich in potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, Vitamin A, antioxidants, amino acids, and other essential nutrients. The most popular part of the watermelon is the juicy red/pinkish flesh which usually freshens our summer days.

What most people don’t know is that while eating watermleon provides several health benefits, the green watermelon rind is also edible and quite healthy. Like, say, the cucumber, we usually throw away that green shell at the end of the day, but maybe we shouldn’t. From a first look, you can say that the watermelon rind’s purpose is to keep all the nutrients and vitamins intact, inside the fruit. That’s true.

However, don’t judge a watermelon by its shell! Maybe it does not look appealing enough to eat together with the watermelon red part, but it surely is healthy. For example, the white flesh nearest the rind contains more amino acid citrulline than the flesh itself (1).

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Watermelon Rind Benefits
Conclusion

Watermelon Rind Benefits

Now that all of this is settled, let’s look through these 4 amazing watermelon benefits. This is why you shouldn’t throw away the watermelon rind.

1. Watermelon rind may improve your sexual performance

We cannot say that the watermelon fruit is a natural sex enhancement pill. Still, from research, we can say that L-citrulline (an amino acid found in high concentration in watermelon’s rind) helps men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. It has features that help boost libido, features that come from the amino acid citrulline, which is found in the watermelon fruit – mainly the rind.

From studies, we know that taking an L-citrulline supplement can improve erection without any side effects like headaches, nausea, and backache, which come from other supplements like Viagra (2).

2. Watermelon rind helps regulate your blood pressure

If you have blood pressure related problems, watermelon might be a good option, especially its rind. According to research (3), watermelon extracted supplements help control the blood pressure in obese adults.

However, citrulline supplements are more effective because they have the capacity to reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension (4). Also, watermelon is a good diuretic that is recommended for people with high blood pressure, with all signs pointing to its ability to reduce blood pressure at any time.

3. Watermelon rind could help boost your workout

Besides improving your sexual performance as mentioned in the previous point, the amino acid citrulline found in watermelon rind might help in improving your athletic performance as well. However, there is no reliable study behind this. However, it’s well researched that Citrulline promotes blood vessel dilation, enhances exercise performance, and improves oxygen delivery to the muscles (5). To get this naturally, you could try pickled watermelon rinds, which is an old-fashioned delicacy in some areas.

4. It is high in fiber

Another significant benefit of consuming watermelon with the rind is that the rind is high in fiber. Fiber is extremely beneficial to human health, and a diet that is high in whole fruits has shown to provide several health benefits (6). Some of those benefits include lowering blood sugar levels, and cholesterol, maintaining regular bowel movements and reducing the risk of developing diseases in the colon.

Even with the benefits attached to consuming fiber, only about 5% of the people living in the United States get the recommended daily value of fiber. Since the watermelon rind helps you boost your fiber level, it should be considered something that should be consumed more often.

Conclusion

The watermelon rind is a healthy and beneficial part of the watermelon fruit and is something that everyone should be consuming more often than they do. The next time you slice a watermelon, you should consider keeping the rind. The watermelon rind is something a majority of people dispose of, and truth be told, it is almost the best part of the fruit irrespective of how you see things. Pickled watermelons are always a good solution if you want to take advantage of all the amazing watermelon rind benefits.

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