Pumpkin vs. Watermelon — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Summary

Pumpkins are richer in minerals and vitamins. On the other hand, watermelons are higher in carbs. Watermelons are also richer in fructose compared to pumpkins. Both of them have a lot of health benefits.

Introduction

In this article, we discuss the main differences in nutritional content and health impacts of pumpkin(1) and watermelon(2). You can check the daily coverages of some essential nutrients these vegetables provide in the corresponding charts. 

Actual differences

Watermelon is round in shape and has pale yellow or reddish skin, which can be rough or smooth. The pumpkin’s shape is round or ellipsoid. It has a yellow or orange flash. Pumpkin tastes like a sweet potato. Watermelons have a combination of sweet, bitter, and sour flavors. 

Watermelon is native to Africa, while pumpkin originates in North America. 

Nutrition

Both pumpkin and watermelon are juicy vegetables with many similarities, yet there are differences in how nutrients are distributed.

Calories

Pumpkin and watermelon are plant food products. So, these two are considered low-calorie foods. However, watermelon is higher in calories due to its higher carbohydrate content.

Carbs

Watermelon is higher in carbs compared to pumpkins. 

Watermelon provides nearly the same amount of fiber as pumpkin but also contains 3.36g of fructose, which is absent in pumpkin. 

Protein 

These two vegetables are supposed to contain little protein. They both contain tiny amounts of proteins per 100g. We can neglect that amount. 

Fats

Both vegetables have less than 1g of fat per 100g, so we can ignore the fat amounts. Pumpkins and watermelons do not contain any amount of cholesterol. 

Vitamins 

Pumpkin is the absolute winner of this section. 

Pumpkin is higher in all the vitamins compared to watermelon. 

Pumpkin is 15 times richer in vitamin A than watermelon. 

Watermelon covers 27% of the DV of vitamin C.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pumpkin

10

Watermelon

0

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+1421.4%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+2020%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+51.5%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+423.8%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+237.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+34.8%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+35.6%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+1000%
Contains more FolateFolate	+433.3%
Contains more CholineCholine	+100%

~equal in Vitamin C ~8.1mg

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Minerals

Pumpkin is higher in all minerals as well. 

Pumpkin is 4 times higher in phosphorus and 3 times richer in potassium than watermelon. 

You can compare the mineral composition of these two vegetables in the chart below. 

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Pumpkin

8

Watermelon

1

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+20%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+200%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+203.6%
Contains more IronIron	+233.3%
Contains more CopperCopper	+202.4%
Contains more ZincZinc	+220%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+300%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+228.9%

Contains more SeleniumSelenium

+33.3%

~equal in Sodium ~1mg

Health impact

Cardiovascular health

Pumpkin is high in potassium, which is an important mineral for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke (3) (4). It contains a lot of antioxidants, especially phenolics and carotenoids, that protect the organism from lipoprotein oxidation, thus reducing the risk of heart disease (5).
 

Watermelon produces lycopene, essential for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure (6). It also contains citrulline, an amino acid that increases the nitric oxide concentration, dilating blood vessels and lowering blood pressure (7). 

Skin health

Studies show that beta-carotene, which is abundant in pumpkins, acts as a natural sunblock (8). What is more, carotenoids provide protection against UV radiation (9). Pumpkin is also rich in vitamin C, essential in collagen synthesis (10). 
 

Watermelon contains notable amounts of vitamin A. This vitamin is important for skin repair after damage (11). 

References 

1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168448/nutrients 
2. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167765/nutrients 
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28024910/ 
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27792643/ 
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17639513/ 
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464475/ 
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30029482/ 
8. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/96/5/1179S/4577133 
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23053552/ 
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28805671/
11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31389093/