12 Amazing Cantaloupe Health Benefits and Nutrition Facts
Cantaloupe has a mild sweet taste, which makes it perfect for everyday use, along with the fact that it nourishes and strengthens your skin.
Often, many have assumed that this summer melon contains little to no vitamins, but after several studies into the varied benefits of summer fruits, it is now established that cantaloupe is rich in beta-carotene as well as polyphenols. These studies have shown that cantaloupe is beneficial for your health both in the short term and long term. It can help regulate your blood sugar levels, prevent dehydration, nourish your skin and hair, enable great skin tone, prevent cardiovascular diseases along with other serious health conditions.
It contains vitamins A, C, beta-carotene, carotenoids, vitamin B1, B2, B6, folate, and also contains alpha-Linoleic acid or Omega 3. It also contains potassium, magnesium along with vitamin K. Given this, it is no wonder that a regular diet of cantaloupe can provide you with various health benefits.
12 Health Benefits of the Humble Cantaloupe
Lowers risk of metabolic syndrome:
It has been discovered that a diet rich in cantaloupe actually lowers risk of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome continues to affects millions worldwide and is thought to refer to a cluster of conditions that occur due to abnormalities in the way your body metabolizes the food nutrients.
As a result, you may develop a wide range of health conditions from obesity to stroke. And while this condition is not curable, with current medications you should be able to manage this condition and lead a normal life with a few aggressive changes that you would need to adopt.
Cantaloupe is a rich source of phytonutrients which are also anti-inflammatory, but recent studies conducted among a wide demographic population in Iran has indicated that these phytonutrients contained in the cantaloupe actually lower risk from metabolic syndrome as well as boost the C-reactive protein in their bodies.
Good eye health:
Cantaloupe contains various antioxidants of which Xeaxanthin happens to be one; it is thought that this particular antioxidant promotes good eye health by preventing harmful blue rays from affecting your eye. It is also thought to play a key role in preventing macular degeneration which can take place due to age and other factors.
So if you were to consume more cantaloupes, then you would be boosting your eye health as well.
Asthma:
It has been discovered that cantaloupe actually helps prevent asthma or rather lowers your risk from it. It is a rich source of vitamin C and beta-carotene and these are quite effective in preventing onset of asthma.
Naturally, if you consider yourself at risk from developing asthma, you may consider a regular diet of cantaloupe. In fact, a few doctors often recommend a healthy diet of cantaloupe and other citrus fruits for asthma patients to prevent frequent occurrence of asthma attacks.
Blood pressure:
Cantaloupes are a rich source of dietary fiber and along with it; they also contain vitamin C, potassium, and choline, all of which are quite effective in enabling you to regulate your blood pressure. So if you happen to suffer from high blood pressure, then a diet rich in cantaloupes can lower these high levels and enable you to manage your condition better.
Apart from this, the dietary fiber contained in cantaloupe also cleans your blood, removes all the unwanted toxins from it and this in turn promotes good circulatory health.
Cancer:
As mentioned earlier, cantaloupes are a rich source of both dietary fiber and beta-carotene, both of which play a key role in preventing certain types of cancer. You may want to consult your doctor to know about the various types of cancer and to understand your risks from the same.
Even your doctor would point out the fact that eating food items loaded with both dietary fiber and beta-carotene will have long-term beneficial effects on your body to the point of preventing the spread of certain types of cancer cells and even inhibiting their growth.
It has been shown with conclusive evidence that cantaloupes play a key role in preventing prostate and colon cancer.
Digestion:
You could suffer from various digestive issues for a variety of reasons, but consuming cantaloupes and other food items rich in dietary fiber should help to alleviate these conditions and even cure you of the same.
Since cantaloupes are rich in fiber, they aid in digestion and prevent the formation of gall stones which can otherwise be a painful condition. Apart from this, dietary fiber can speed up digestion and enable your body to process nutrients better, leading to a better nutrient absorption rate.
And more importantly, eating food items loaded with dietary fiber can help you maintain a health digestive system and prevent serious health issues.
Hydration:
Cantaloupes have high water content and as such, they are the perfect fruit to consume, during peak summer. Cantaloupes have high electrolyte content as well so they are extremely beneficial for people suffering from sever dehydration as it quite effective in replenishing the electrolytes lost from the body.
In fact, a few doctors often recommend a diet of cantaloupes especially for patients who have undergone gall bladder surgery. This is because all those who have undergone this surgery get frequent diarrhea and are often extremely dehydrated. But eating cantaloupes regularly should help offset the dehydration which is why it is recommended for all.
Cantaloupe juice is the perfect summer buster, as it helps to beat the heat by providing the essential electrolytes to your body, lost through sweat and is also tasty. So do drink up some freshly prepared cantaloupe juice, to beat the summer heat.
Inflammation:
Choline is an essential component of cantaloupes, and as such it helps to prevent chronic inflammation. You may suffer from inflammation of muscular tissues, or even in your joints from gout. Eating cantaloupes on a regular basis should help reduce the inflammation and thereby reduce any debilitating pain you may have had to endure as a result of this inflammation.
Apart from choline, cantaloupe contains various phytonutrients and plant compounds which are equally effective in helping to combat chronic inflammation. And if you happen to suffer from the same on account of your gout, then a diet rich in cantaloupe should help offset some of the debilitating symptoms.
Skin and hair:
Cantaloupe contains vitamin A which is essential for the production of sebum, an essential component of your hair. Consuming cantaloupes can help keep your hair healthy and well nourished. Cantaloupes are also rich in Vitamin C which ensures that your skin is elastic, well-nourished and also aids in the production of collagen which results in the overall nourishment of both hair and skin.
In fact, cantaloupe can help to provide you with a good skin tone in addition to keeping it well hydrated. So make sure that you eat more of this fruit, especially if you happen to suffer from a perennial case of dry skin.
Stroke:
Cantaloupes contain dietary fiber along with various antioxidants and phytonutrients which aid in lowering your risk from certain health conditions like stroke.
It has been found that dietary fiber along with several antioxidants can actually serve to stimulate your brain to function better while lowering your risk from stroke as well as other conditions like cancer. So make it a point to take in some cantaloupe each day.
Diabetes:
Cantaloupes are quite effective in helping you regulate your blood sugar levels, so whether you suffer from high blood sugar levels or are hypoglycemic, eating cantaloupes should help you retain your blood sugar at more normal levels. Cantaloupe is not a magic fruit, rather it is a healthy one packed with various health benefits and chief among them is their ability to lower high blood sugar levels.
So if you are a diabetic, you may want to consider a regular diet of cantaloupes; in fact chances are high that your doctor would have recommended the same. So try to eat cantaloupe more regularly and you should be able to manage your current condition better and be able to lead a normal life.
Cardiovascular health:
Cantaloupes contain dietary fiber along with various antioxidants including choline as well as complex plant compounds. This is why cantaloupes are quite effective in helping to eliminate the bad cholesterol from your body including triglycerides along with reducing high cholesterol levels.
Eating cantaloupes can prevent heart attacks on account of the impact they have on high cholesterol levels. Apart from this, they also promote good cardiovascular health and help to improve circulation as well. This is why it makes sense to eat cantaloupes regularly given the wide range of health benefits they provide.
How to prepare and eat cantaloupes?
Given the wide range of benefits that a cantaloupe comes with, it is only natural for you to want to consume more of this fruit regularly. But before you jump right in, you may want to review the following, on how to properly prepare the cantaloupe before making the first cut.
Often, people just purchase the cantaloupe from the market and start to pulp them or cut them up into smaller chunks and eat them as they are. However, this can often lead to bacterial infection, so always wash the cantaloupe under some hot water, use a bristle on the outer rind and scrape it, wash it again and then cut into it. This is to help prevent any bacterial contamination.
Once you have washed your cantaloupe, you can make it into a juice by pulping it after dicing it into small pieces. Just cut the cantaloupe into four quarters, deseed it, and then cut the outer rind away. Now, cut the pieces into smaller chunks, throw it into your juicer and add some water/ milk along with some organic honey to enhance both the flavor and the sweetness of cantaloupe. After a few minutes, your cantaloupe juice should be ready. Additionally, you can also add some other fruits to the mix for additional flavor, such as oranges, melons or just squeeze some lemon for that increased tanginess. Now you can pour the juice into a tall container and refrigerate the same, and have it over the course of the day. You will find that cantaloupe juice does make for a nourishing and healthy drink and that it has wide-ranging restorative abilities, especially if you happen to suffer from dehydration.
You can also make a fruit salad with cantaloupes, just cut the outer rind away. Now deseed the fruit, cut it up into smaller pieces and now mix it with other fruits such as banana, grapes, melon, and any other fruit that you might prefer. You can also mix in some organic honey to the lot along with some milk and you will have a healthy fruit salad. Additionally, you can use nuts, berries in the fruit salad for increased flavor and tanginess. You can add in some ice cream as well. WeAreFeel believes, that Cantaloupe based fruit salads are easy to prepare, and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants, as well as phytonutrients. This is reason enough for you and anyone else to try eating cantaloupes more regularly.
The fruit is available for most of the year and can provide you with more health benefits than any diet supplement that you may be taking at the moment.
Just remember to follow the directions listed earlier, and do clean up the cantaloupe thoroughly, before using it. So, go ahead and use more of this fruit in your diet, given the rich health benefits it comes with.
