One of the biggest trends to emerge in health and nutrition circles in the last year or so is watermelon seed flour. It appears what started out as a substitute for grain flours in Paleo and Keto diets, has blown up. Like many alternative flours that have come before it, watermelon seed flour was born out of necessity. It has become loved in a relatively short period of time specifically in baking sweet treats for those people who can’t or won’t use traditional flours. It lends itself to baking because of its inherent sweetness. They are watermelon seeds after all. 

Baking with the flour isn’t the only application, their enthusiasts will even roast them and eat them in a similar way to pumpkin seeds. Watermelon seeds are nutrient dense and are naturally high in protein. A quarter cup of watermelon seed flour provides fifteen grams of fat, nine grams of protein but only three grams of carbohydrates. This is how it became so popular with the Paleo and Keto set. Now that it has gone wide, watermelon seeds have become sought after by all the largest health foods brokers.  The flour that they produce is most similar to almond and coconut flours, but it has more protein than both of them. Since it’s not from grain, it is also gluten free. 
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A lot of people have knocked watermelon seeds and the flour that it produces as nothing more than the latest health fad. The fact is, it is here to stay and the market for it is going to only get bigger. Other than the obvious nutritional benefits, there are two other reasons why watermelon seed flour is here to stay.

1. In addition to being grain and gluten free, watermelon seed flour is also free from the “Big 8.” The Big 8 are the eight foods that cause ninety percent of all the allergic reactions that are related to food. Often alternative flours will be created from raw materials that are either nuts or soy. Unfortunately, those are two of the Big 8. Many people find watermelon seed flour less limiting than other alternative flours when it comes to food allergies. 
2. One of the problems with traditional grains like corn and wheat is that they are terrible for biodiversity. They also tend to strip the soil of its nutrients. Watermelon seed flour helps with that problem. Watermelons are relatively sustainable and there is almost no waste. You can use just about every part of a watermelon. As watermelon seed flour gets more popular, there could be better biodiversity and crops like watermelons don’t take as much from the soil. 

 
    As alternative, and especially plant-based diets, become more and more mainstream, innovations like watermelon seed flour will become more common. Whatever comes next will surely be called a fad at first but, playing with your food in ways that make things like watermelon seed flour possible is important. Innovations like watermelon seed flour are key to feeding more people in a better, more sustainable way.
 
Sources:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/is-watermelon-seed-flour-good-for-you
https://www.wellandgood.com/benefits-of-watermelon-seeds/
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