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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

Fruit Seeds – Seeds You Can Eat to Promote Good Health

We all know that fruits are important for a healthy and fit life. Since our childhood days we have been advised and served with fruits and it’s true that fruits provides out body with the necessary fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, digestive enzymes and much more. It has been recommended by health experts and dieticians all around the world as an ideal food to maintain a healthy body and weight.
According to research studies, the most essential step towards a healthy diet plan is to eat foods derived from plant sources – vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. We here are talking about fruits – we generally eat these fruits, but how often have we thought about what we throw away of these fruits – the seeds.
Do you actually know, that these seeds are rich in nutrients and have numerous health benefits? Their versatility lets them get incorporated easily in make recipes and cook books. In fact the truth is that a large variety of fruits seeds, are enriched with essential amino acids, rare vitamins and mineral which we lose out when we throw them.

Which all fruits should one include the seeds or to throw them away and avoid eating them?

Well! The answer depends on the fruit. The seeds of fruits are rich nutritionally and a very important function of these fruits seeds is to provide energy for new plats germinating out of them. So…lets understand some healthy fruit and how does its seeds behave:

Kiwi Seeds
The seeds of this mushy fruit contains an oil that is high in omega 3 fatty acids and alpha-linoleic acids, and have numerous health benefits. These two acids are essential for joint, heart and the metabolic health and most importantly, are not produced by the body and hence have to be incorporated through food externally. These edible kiwi seeds are also great source of vitamin E.

• Pineapple Seeds
Pineapple is a juicy delicious fruit with many nutritional benefits like strengthening of the immune system, promoting healthy teeth and reduce inflammation. Similarly, the seeds of pineapple are enriched with many powers. The core, is rich of bromelain, an enzyme that acts as a natural anti-inflammatory along with vitamin C, fiber, manganese, and copper.

Watermelon Seeds
One of the most nutritious food available around during the summers, its seeds have also been used since ages for its medicinal properties. It has been used as snacks in many recipes and are great for shiny skins, hairs and nails. Rich in zinc, iron, and fiber, a good amount of protein and contains some unsaturated fatty acids like - oleic and linoleum acid. The seeds of watermelon also contains high levels of vitamin B, iron, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, beta-carotene, and lycopene, as well as phytonutrients which studies suggest may help against a variety of cancers.

Strawberries Seeds
This is one fruit, whose seeds are also fruits. Each 'seed' on the outside of this fruit is actually an ovaries of the flower, with a strawberry seed inside it. The seeds are really delicious and are rich in fibers and vitamin C.

Papaya Seeds
Who doesn’t love ripe papayas with a lemon wedge in the summers? It also makes for a perfect breakfast fruit. The seeds of these fruits have been used in tropical countries, as to prevent against parasite infestation. These seeds are blessed with unique photolytic enzyme, papain, which literally rids our body of parasites by targeting its eggs and digesting its proteins. These seeds also contain an anthelmintic alkaloid called carpaine, which helps kill parasitic worms and amoebas.
Papaya seeds has a beneficial glucosinolate (a sulphur-containing glycoside) called glucotropaeolin, which when metabolized in the body, produces one of the strongest anti-cancer compounds called isothiocyanate.

Apple Seeds
We all get scared when we talk about apple seeds, as it contains cyanide. Well, the truth is you will have to eat a plenty of them to get an effect of cyanide. Scientifically, a small amount of cyanide has been found to kill cancerous cells in the body. Vitamin B17, also known as laetrile, found in apple seeds also helps fighting cancers.

Avocado Seeds
Avocado – not only is it a nutrient dense food in itself, its seeds as equally healthy. The seeds of avocado are best sources of soluble fiber available, and is rich in antioxidants and potassium. 70% of the antioxidants found in avocado are in its seed. These seeds helps lower cholesterol levels, prevent cardiovascular disease and helps in the prevention strokes. They also help reduce inflammation in the gastro intestinal tract and ease bowel problems. Antioxidant activities of the avocado seed have also been found to induce apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells as well as inhibit cancer cell growth and induce cell cycle arrest.

The Benefits of Eating Seeds

Many us love to eat nuts and seeds. We can eat them on a daily basis and as they provide us with more natural energy than any other food. They’re a great choice when you want a quick, healthy snack that is low in calories.
Obviously, there are many types of seeds that has been left off the list here, but the seeds listed above are some personal favorites, what’s your favorite?