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I wonder what the nutrient composition was for watermelons before they were transformed into giant sugar orbs.

Despite being giant sugar orbs, watermelons are apparently surprisingly high in micronutrients, moreso than cantaloupe or honeydew melons even. The small seedless watermelons that have appeared in recent years are the best source of these. (Source: Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316227943/donhosek)

There really isn't that much sugar in watermelon as far as fruits go.

The lowest sugar fruits are the berries - raspberries and strawberries are both ~4.5-5g sugar per 100g.

Watermelon is 6g/100g.

On the higher end, apples and oranges are both ~10g/100g, Bananas 12, and Grapes 16.

Wild watermelons are apparently pretty similar, but lack the massive sugar buildup and aren't as crunchy. Article pictures show how different they look to the painting though.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...

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