This kind of melon seeds is poisonous and carcinogenic. Spit it out immediately after eating it!

Melon seeds are a regular on the New Year’s nut plate. With a handful in hand, people can “crack out the emotions and the New Year’s atmosphere.” The “crunching” sound, mixed with everyone’s laughter, has become a unique memory of hometown.

This article will talk about eating melon seeds, and at the end we have prepared a guide for eating melon seeds.

There are many types of melon seeds with different nutritional values

When it comes to melon seeds, most people must think of sunflower seeds, right? In fact, melon seeds are a large family, referring to the seeds of melons and fruits. In addition to the sunflower seeds we often eat, there are also watermelon seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and watermelon seeds have different appearances and each has its own nutritional advantages.

1. Watermelon seeds

Most of the watermelon seeds that are used for "eating" directly are actually the seeds of hit melon. This kind of melon is also called seed melon, seed melon, and melon seed melon. It is smaller in size than normal watermelon, and has many large seeds, making it suitable as the raw material for "eating melon seeds".

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The iron content of fried watermelon seeds is relatively prominent, at 8.2 mg/100g, which is 1.3 times that of fried sunflower seeds; the potassium content is 612 mg/100g, which is above average among nuts.

2. Pumpkin seeds

Compared with fried sunflower seeds and fried watermelon seeds, fried pumpkin seeds have a higher protein content of 36 mg/100g, which is 1.6 times and 1.1 times that of fried sunflower seeds and fried watermelon seeds respectively. The potassium content is the best among the three kinds of pumpkin seeds, up to 672 mg/100g, which is nearly 1.4 times that of fried sunflower seeds.

In addition, fried pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc and selenium, which are 7.12mg/100g and 27μg/100g respectively. Zinc plays an important role in growth and development, maintaining immunity, and reproductive health; selenium is mainly involved in regulating thyroid function, body metabolism, blood circulation, and can also maintain normal immune function.

3. Sunflower seeds

The total vitamin E content of fried sunflower seeds is particularly high, at 26.46 mg/100 g, which is comparable to that of fried pumpkin seeds, but 21.5 times that of fried watermelon seeds. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that not only maintains normal immunity and prevents cardiovascular disease, but also has anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects.

Sunflower seeds have a relatively high vitamin B1 content of 0.43 mg/100 g, which is 5 times and 11 times that of fried pumpkin seeds and fried watermelon seeds, respectively. Vitamin B1 deficiency can cause fatigue, headache, irritability, forgetfulness and other symptoms, and can also affect nerve conduction, slow gastrointestinal motility, and increase the risk of constipation.

If you eat this kind of melon seeds, you will vomit immediately

When eating melon seeds, it is inevitable that some of them taste bitter. Many people will eat a few more to suppress the bitterness, but don't! If you encounter such melon seeds, spit them out immediately, don't hesitate for even a second.

The melon seeds that have this strange smell are mostly because they have been stored for too long or in an improper storage environment, resulting in the melon seeds becoming spoiled and moldy.

Moldy melon seeds are very likely to produce aflatoxin, which has been classified as a Class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization's cancer research agency. It is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Long-term low-dose exposure or one-time excessive exposure may increase the risk of cancer. Many epidemiological studies have shown that there is a certain correlation between people's exposure to aflatoxin B1 and the incidence of liver cancer.

The most important thing is that aflatoxin is relatively stable to light and heat, and its decomposition temperature can be as high as 280°C. Most aflatoxin can only be inactivated by long-term high-temperature processes such as high-temperature inactivation and calcination. The temperature of our daily cooking cannot decompose it.

Therefore, even if you are eating roasted melon seeds, if they have a moldy and bitter taste, spit them out and rinse your mouth in time.

Guide to eating melon seeds

Melon seeds are a type of nut food and are considered a healthy snack. If eaten correctly, they can maintain good health, but if eaten incorrectly, they can be harmful to the body.

1. If you don’t want to gain weight, keep it within this amount

According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", it is recommended to eat 50-70 grams of nuts per week, which means 10 grams per day on average. Even though it is only 10 grams, it is a lot when peeled, equivalent to 1.5-2 handfuls of shelled melon seeds.

A handful of melon seeds weighs about 25 grams with skin, and about 10 grams after peeling. Image source: provided by the author

10g melon seeds Image source: provided by the author

2. Protect your cardiovascular system by choosing original flavor

There are many flavors of melon seeds now, such as milk flavored melon seeds, spiced melon seeds, caramel melon seeds, sea salt melon seeds, etc. In fact, none of these flavors are recommended. If some of them are moldy or have a strange smell, they will be covered by their unique flavors and difficult to distinguish. They are easy to eat by mistake and endanger health. Moreover, these melon seeds are generally high in sugar and salt, which is not good for cardiovascular health.

3. Buy less. If there is a strange smell, spit it out immediately.

Because melon seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and contain a certain amount of water, they are easily oxidized and rancid if not stored properly. If you eat melon seeds that have a rancid or moldy taste, be sure to spit them out and rinse your mouth immediately.

Finally, a reminder: the elderly and children should be careful not to choke when eating melon seeds, and it is best to break them into pieces before eating.

References

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2] Yu Ze, Zhang Kaiqi, Wang Yi, et al. Harm and prevention of aflatoxin[J]. Agricultural Products Processing, 2022, (15): 76-78+82. DOI: 10.16693/j.cnki.1671-9646(X). 2022.08.017.

[3] Zhao Yapeng, Niu Yishan. Research status of tooth wear[J]. Journal of Inner Mongolia Medical University, 2016, 38(03): 268-272. DOI: 10.16343/j.cnki.issn.2095-512x.2016.03.019.

Planning and production

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered nutritionist

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center