Interview experts, uncover the secret of eating melon seeds "addiction" and tell you the unique health benefits of eating melon seeds.
People in China have always loved to eat melon seeds.
China people like melon seeds, which may be due to thrift at first, and then go deep into the level of food culture.
According to research, the custom of eating melon seeds was popular in Ming Dynasty. In the Proceedings of Liu Ruoyu, a eunuch in the late Ming Dynasty, it was recorded that Ming Shenzong "baked fresh watermelon seeds with a little salt".
Zhu Yijun, Ming Shenzong
Before the late Qing Dynasty, watermelon seeds were dominant. After the late Qing Dynasty, pumpkin seeds became popular, and sunflower seeds rose suddenly in the Republic of China, which has been popular ever since.
From left to right: melon seeds, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
Eating melon seeds first flourished in the north, where the winter is cold and long. During the slack season, everyone stays at home to avoid the cold, and the main way to kill time is to chat with melon seeds, so the custom of eating melon seeds has spread.
Apart from the fact that melon seeds have been circulating in China for a long time, people like to eat melon seeds for the following reasons.
Conducive to social interaction
Hosting guests with melon seeds can reflect the host's hospitality, and guests will feel "served" when eating melon seeds, which will subtly set a pleasant tone for social interaction.
Can relieve tension
Eating melon seeds can be broken down into several small moves. These actions are simple and easy to do, which makes people feel happy and can relieve each other's nervousness when eating.
Can adjust the atmosphere
The fun of melon seeds and the function of adjusting tension will make people relax, eliminate hostility in getting along, make the communication between the two sides more relaxed and natural, and make ideas and ideas more flexible and diverse.
Conducive to extending the call time.
Eating melon seeds is a rare eating behavior. You can stop at any time or pick it up at any time to continue eating, which prolongs the meal time and provides enough time for social activities.
Why is eating melon seeds so addictive?
Some people are thirsty after eating melon seeds, but they still can't help reaching for them, just like they are addicted.
This is because the goal of eating melon seeds can stimulate the reward mechanism of the brain, and neurons that release dopamine will be activated and secrete happy hormones.
The process of eating one by one just completes the setting of "preset target action, and the brain secretes happy hormones to complete the goal". This process stimulates the brain circularly, which will reduce the sensitivity of reward mechanism in the brain.
So the brain becomes unsatisfied and needs to constantly improve the intensity of stimulation, and "addiction" is formed.
The "addiction" mechanism of eating melon seeds;
Stimulate the first time to see melon seeds, split the shell and eat them in your mouth.
Reward the brain to be stimulated instantly, releasing a lot of dopamine, and the brain gets an unexpected reward.
So the brain remembers this reward mechanism: you will get a reward for eating melon seeds.
When the stimulus bites the melon seeds again, the brain will be stimulated again.
Action dopamine begins to secrete, giving you motivation to get another melon seed, spit out the shell and eat the melon seed kernel.
When the reward is eaten, dopamine is secreted again and the brain is rewarded again.
Take one and eat one: stimulus action reward stimulus action reward
Eating melon seeds is not a patent of China people.
Besides China, there are also the United States, Turkey, Spain and Russia.
The people of the former Soviet Union loved sunflower and regarded it as the national flower. In the movie Happy Life, people directly unscrewed the melon seeds from the sunflower and ate them.
There are more people who eat melon seeds in Spain. According to a survey, 64% of Spaniards eat melon seeds, of which about 45% eat melon seeds when watching movies and 24% eat melon seeds when watching games.
Americans only taste melon seeds when they eat them, and all of them fall into their mouths. They think melon seeds taste more refreshing than eating them.
People in Southeast Asian countries also eat melon seeds, but Japan is an exception. They hardly eat melon seeds, because in Japanese etiquette, it is very impolite to put food in your mouth and take it out.
American study: lignans in melon seeds reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
Researchers at the Chen Zengxi School of Public Health of Harvard University found that eating foods rich in lignans, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, can significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
The researchers speculate that the reason why foods rich in lignans reduce the risk of coronary heart disease may be because of the synergistic effect of lignans and dietary fiber, which leads to the increase of plasma secoisolariciresinol diglucoside production.
Relationship between lignans intake and risk of coronary heart disease
Melon seeds are rich in nutrition, and different varieties of melon seeds have their own advantages in nutrition and efficacy.
0 1 wax gourd seed is beneficial to reducing blood lipid.
Wax gourd seeds contain unsaturated fatty acids, the main component of which is linoleic acid, which can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in human blood and help prevent hyperlipidemia and coronary heart disease.
Watermelon seeds are good for preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Watermelon seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, the main component of which is linoleic acid, which can reduce blood cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
Pumpkin seeds help lower blood pressure and stabilize mood.
Pumpkin seeds are rich in pantothenic acid, nicotinic acid and potassium, which can relieve angina pectoris and help lower blood pressure. Eating pumpkin seeds when you are in a bad mood helps to fight stress and eliminate depression.
Sunflower seeds can help relieve dysmenorrhea.
Supplementing B vitamins helps to relieve abdominal distension, spasm and fatigue. Sunflower seed is an important food source of vitamin B 1
Expert advice: eat melon seeds in moderation.
There is a rumor on the Internet that "eating melon seeds equals drinking oil". Is it true?/You don't say.
The fat content of sunflower seeds is about 25g per100g, and the daily intake of edible oil recommended by Dietary Guidelines for China residents is 25-30g. But this does not mean that a handful of melon seeds is equal to a spoonful of oil. Because the fat in melon seeds is mainly oleic acid and linoleic acid, the saturated fat only accounts for 14%.
But it's true that melon seeds can't be eaten too much. Eating too much calories and oil may cause hyperlipidemia and obesity. Experts suggest that you can eat about 50g of melon seeds every day and add more water to prevent sore throat and oral ulcers.