Cantaloupe: nutritional value and its most important health benefits
Cantaloupe is one of the most famous and prominent summer fruits, loved by women, men and children, and what increases its importance are the great and many health benefits it provides to the body, so let’s learn about its health benefits, nutritional value, and when should you beware of eating it? We will explain all this in the next article, so follow us.
Nutritional value of cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is one of the fruits with many nutritional values, as one cup of it contains about:
- 60 calories.
- 1.5 grams of protein.
- 14.4 grams of carbohydrates.
- 1.6 grams of fibre.
- 14 grams of sugars.
In addition, it is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and the elements sodium and potassium.
Health benefits of cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is one of the fruits that have great health benefits, besides that it is delicious, delicious and has a sweet flavor that adults and children love, and its water content supports the health of the body and helps prevent the body from dehydration, especially during the summer.
It is also a fruit rich in antioxidants, and thus helps to fight infections and damage to body cells, and this ultimately helps reduce the risk of developing some difficult and chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and others.
As for the other health benefits, it is an essential source of benefit for some parts of the body as well as controlling some diseases, as follows:
Benefits of cantaloupe for skin and skin
Eating one cup of cantaloupe, helps to get nearly 100% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin A and vitamin C, and these two types of vitamins play an essential role in having healthy skin, maintaining healthy body skin, protecting the skin and supporting its natural collagen production. .
Promote eye health
It contains some antioxidants responsible for giving fruits their colour, and these antioxidants work with vitamin A to protect eyesight and support eye health, and they also help prevent the risk of macular degeneration that appears with age and slows its development.
Asthma symptoms control
As it helps control asthma, because its antioxidants reduce inflammation in asthmatics, and the vitamin A in it and its beta-carotene content help prevent asthma in the future for people without it.
Heart disease prevention
It is one of the fruits rich in fiber, vitamin C and potassium, all of these nutrients are very important and useful to support heart health, as well as help reduce high pressure, which directly causes heart disease and also works to maintain blood pressure levels as well, in addition to its natural fiber stock. It reduces harmful cholesterol levels in the body.
Cancer prevention
It is one of the fruits that helps reduce the risk of cancer, because the antioxidants in it work to fight inflammation and help reduce oxidative stress, thus reducing the risk of cancer diseases. It is also rich in fiber, which helps reduce the risk of colon cancer and rectal cancer.
How is cantaloupe selected and purchased?
Cantaloupe is a fruit that may be available all year round, but its original season is in the summer when it is healthy and fresh. As for the way to choose a good fruit, it is necessary to choose a ripe fruit that is similar in shape and slightly heavy in weight.
It should also be a light yellow-orange color with a little green, and it should have a smart and pungent smell. And be sure to eat it within 3 days of the day you bought it in order to get its sweet and fresh taste.
How to use and eat cantaloupe
Eating cantaloupe directly after peeling it is one of the most popular ways to use it, but there are other ways in which it can be used and also get its health benefits, and among these methods:
- Include it in a fruit salad, as it is a good choice alongside other fruits that you will serve in the form of a chopped salad.
- Prepare it as a juice, it is a very nutritious drink, and you can add yogurt to it and some natural sweeteners, and this mixture is a wonderful and light meal and can be served as a great breakfast.
- Cantaloupe salad, this salad can be made using mozzarella, onions, basil and olives, along with the cantaloupe.
- Cantaloupe Drink This refreshing and delicious drink can be prepared using cantaloupe, honey, water and lemon.
- Roasted cantaloupe, slices can be roasted and eaten.
It is also better to clean and wash the outside of the fruit well before cutting it so as not to be exposed to harmful bacteria such as salmonella.
Cantaloupe damage
Despite its many benefits, it may be harmful in some cases in case of excessive consumption, as follows:
Cantaloupe and kidney
This fruit is rich in potassium, and excessive intake of it may expose you to hyperkalemia, which affects the kidneys directly, and should be avoided if you are a patient with chronic kidney disease, and eating a lot of potassium-rich nutrients increases the risk of heart attacks.
cantaloupe and colon
Excessive consumption of it or eating large quantities of it may cause problems in the colon and digestive system, diarrhea and stomach cramps, because it is difficult on the intestines due to its fiber content, so be careful if you have an infection in the intestine.
Cantaloupe and diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes should be careful to eat it due to its sugar content.