Benefits of watermelon rind: Don’t throw away the white layer of watermelon; it can offer these surprising benefits | Health

Sweet and juicy watermelons are in high demand these days as the mercury reaches uncomfortable levels. The fruit contains 90 percent water and a host of vitamins, fiber, potassium and other minerals. Watermelon not only helps prevent dehydration, heatstroke, and other heat-related illnesses, but it also keeps your immunity high in summer. While everyone loves to gorge on the sweet, red flesh of the watermelon after removing the thick, green exterior, many people also remove the white layer that surrounds the fruit. However, cutting it out could mean you’re depriving yourself of vitamins, minerals, zinc, and a special compound called citrulline. (Also read: Is eating watermelon on an empty stomach good or bad for you? What a nutritionist says)

There’s nothing more refreshing than enjoying a huge bowl of watermelon when the scorching summer heat threatens to heat up your body and affect your essential organs, from the heart to the lungs to the brain. Eating watermelon in summer can help you get a huge dose of important antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients for your body. However, the white layer is a storehouse of several nutrients, just like the fruit, and can be a good source of citrulline.

Why you shouldn’t remove the white layer surrounding the red flesh of watermelon

Nutritionist Ryan Carter states in his recent Instagram post that while enjoying a watermelon, one should not get rid of the white layer that surrounds the red pulp.

“Next time you eat a watermelon, don’t make this mistake. It’s just eating the center and ignoring the white skin around the outside which doesn’t have much flavor,” he said.

Watermelon rind helps with arginine production

Ryan says watermelon rind contains citrulline, an amino acid that supports the arginine system, and is related to nitric oxide. Citrulline is converted by the body into the amino acid arginine, which is believed to improve blood circulation and help build muscle. Arginine plays an important role in an organism’s metabolism. It is the precursor for the synthesis of proteins and other molecules of great biological importance, including nitric oxide, ornithine, polyamines, agmatine, proline, glutamate, creatine, dimethylarginine and l ‘urea.

Benefits of Citrulline

“The key thing here is arginine supplements. Technically, they don’t work with the peripheral system which is linked to our muscles or our reproductive organs. It helps with our urea cycle, which is the how we break down and remove excess protein or nitrogen in our body Citrulline has been shown to be superior to arginine in this regard, even when you combine high intensity training in people. “Citrulline results in increased fat loss and improved strength gains found in abundance,” advises Ryan Carter.

Other benefits of the white part of the watermelon

• It is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.
• They contain higher concentrations of certain antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and active ingredients.
• They are rich in fiber, which aids digestion and also helps control blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
• Watermelon rind is also rich in nutrients containing chlorophyll, citrulline, lycopene, amino acids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds.