In this recurring column, our panel of watermelon experts answer a question posed through our “Ask the Experts” feature in the right hand sidebar. Feel free to ask your own question. All questions get a response and some will be featured here on What About Watermelon.
MICHAEL C. FROM SAN DIEGO, CA, ASKS: Is it okay to eat watermelon seeds?
For some reason, our mothers liked to tell us that if we ate a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow in our stomach. I was never sure where that tall tale came from or why parents perpetuated it, but millions of kids grow up in constant fear of watermelon seeds because they don’t want to wake up one morning with a 10-pound fruit germinating in their belly. Of course, this isn’t true.
Other people (i.e. those over the age of seven who are wise to the stories adults tell) fear that watermelon seeds contain some sort of harmful chemicals and should therefore be avoided at all costs. This isn’t true either.
The truth is, watermelons seeds are 100 percent safe for consumption! I actually know some people who like to eat them, including many who roast them with salt like pumpkin seeds. They’re a tasty snack if you give them a chance. Maybe that’s why our parents told us not to eat the seeds. They wanted us to save them so they could roast them and enjoy them after the kids went to bed. Excuse me… I have to call my mother.
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J-Slice
hey my nan tells me that the white water melon seeds grow in ur stomach.
i dont believe it but i just wanna make sure.
so do they grow in ur stomach or not?
do black ones or do white ones im afraid to eat watermelon ever sience she told me that so is it true?
Nope, it sounds like she’s just trying to have some fun with you. No watermelon seeds — black or white — can grow in your stomach. In fact, the white seeds can’t even grow if you planted them in the ground because they’re not mature enough.
If she is having some fun with you, there has to be a way to turn it around on her. Maybe you can “accidentally” swallow some white watermelon seeds (again, they’re 100 percent safe) and then, about a week later complain of horrible stomach pains and claim that you think you have a watermelon growing in your stomach.
Then after a few hours of this pain (if she hasn’t already let you off the hook that the seeds are safe), you can pluck a piece of vine with some leaves on it and fall asleep on the couch with the vine sticking out of your mouth or belly button. She probably won’t fall for it, but it’s good for a laugh.
Thank you for the comment about watermelon seed being safe, because i was wondering about it, since I love to blend watermelon with the seeds in my blender and drink the juice.
Thanks again, I sure feel better to do it with a peace of mind.
God bless you..
Marilin