Day 384: Watermelon Rind

   

     Inspired by a kid in the day program of an elementary school I worked for last semester; I decided to broaden my pallet. This particular child was special needs and had a condition called Pica (basically having an uncontrollable appetite for non edible items), and this poor kid would constantly eat things that she shouldn't be eating. Some things would make her sick, but she would keep trying and trying to eat things like wood-chips, thumbtacks, and anything small enough to fit in her mouth. Her parents would pack her two heaping lunches everyday (I assume to fill her up so she wouldn't be as tempted to eat things that could make her sick), and in those lunches were some surprising items. The most noteworthy of them all, was Tupperware container full of watermelon rinds. Ya know, that hard, green part that everyone throws away. My best guess as to why her parents continually packed her the rind (other than trying not to throw anything in the trash), was that maybe the texture and consistency of the rind appealed to her in the same way some non edible items did. She could indulge in her desire to eat these sort of items, but we didn't have to fear that she would seriously hurt herself, everyone won.
     So while eating watermelon (the red part) at a BBQ tonight. I thought of that girl, and how much she loved the rind (even more than the meat of it). So in her honor, I tried a bit. Now, before I state the obvious and say that it was terrible, let me talk a little bit about the health benefits of the rind. Here is a snipit of an article I found on LiveStrong.com that backs up this girls case.

     The rind may not be as juicy as the flesh of a watermelon, but you can eat it. A 1-inch cube of watermelon rind contains 1.8 calories. The majority of the calories come from carbohydrates, with 0.32 g per serving. While you will not derive a tremendous amount of macronutrients from eating watermelon rind, this food does contain some vitamins. One serving provides 2 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C and 1 percent of the vitamin B-6 your body requires every day.  This makes watermelon rind good for your skin and immunity, as well as the health of your nervous system.

The rest of that article can be read here

     Now that I shed some light on why its good for you, I can state the obvious. Watermelon rinds are gross. They're flavorless save for the bitterness you experience when you bite down. The most redeeming quality is the crunch and texture I suppose, but they didn't redeem much. I probably won't be eating much more rind in the future.