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Do you like watermelon? Who wouldn’t like it, especially during hot summer days. Besides tasting good, this fruit is also very healthy. It contains a number of nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins that have many health benefits. In addition, they keep us perfectly hydrated and cleanse the body of harmful toxins.
However, we like the rinds of red watermelons much less. They are not as sweet as the red flesh and are also quite tough. Therefore we usually throw them away after finishing the fruit. But that is a big mistake. Did you know that the watermelon rind is edible and even more nutritious than the inner flesh?
What the watermelon rind contains
The watermelon rind has a high concentration of vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, magnesium, zinc and potassium. It is also rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps us prevent a large number of different diseases. The rinds of red watermelons have diuretic effects, keep the kidneys in good condition and also very effectively lower blood pressure. In fact, up to 95% of the beneficial substances from the watermelon are found in their rinds. Let’s now take a closer look at possible ways to use them.
1. Rinds help improve exercise performance
The high content of the compound citrulline supports muscle function during exercise or sports. If you exercise regularly, get watermelon rinds and add them to your food as a side to tuna or poultry. They are best used when consumed after exercise.
2. Boosting libido
Do you sometimes feel like you are losing interest in your sex life? If your answer is “yes”, then you should immediately start eating pumpkin rinds, which can effectively increase libido. Did you know that processed watermelon rinds are added to many supplements to support sexual desire? They can also treat moderate erectile dysfunction.
3. Supporting a healthy body weight
Watermelon rinds are full of healthy fiber. They thus help digestion, speed up metabolism and ultimately contribute to shedding excess weight. In addition, as already mentioned, they have diuretic effects. Therefore they will also rid you of retained bodily fluid, which is responsible for many swellings, most often swelling of the lower limbs.
4. Regulating blood pressure
By removing excess fluid through their diuretic properties, blood pressure is subsequently regulated. Several studies have shown positive effects of extracts from pumpkin rinds on reducing high blood pressure in people suffering from hypertension.
5. Urinary tract infections
Watermelon rinds are very suitable both as prevention and as treatment for urinary tract infections. They also protect the kidneys and other urinary tract organs from bacterial infections. Also, don’t forget that to maintain healthy kidneys you need to follow a healthy drinking regimen, which is about 8 glasses of plain water a day.
6. Cancer prevention
As we already mentioned, watermelon rinds contain a high proportion of lycopene. It is a very powerful antioxidant with anticancer properties. Many studies have confirmed that lycopene reduces the risk of prostate cancer by up to 34%. This antioxidant also prevents other types of cancer, for example cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon and cervix.
