Published: 08/30/2018 - Updated: 03/08/2020
Author: Dra. Loredana Lunadei, PhD
Cantaloupe are fruit with a rough rind, and are green-grey in color. It is one of the most refreshing fruits around, which is why they are commonly found in hot regions or during hot seasons. There are a few different types of cantaloupe: green, orange, white, and yellow cantaloupe, just to name a few. The melon is a fruit off a fruiting vine, and contains water rich in minerals. It’s meat is a very distinct orange color and is sweet and juicy.
Contents
Properties and therapeutic uses of cantaloupe
- Neutralizes acid
- Laxative and diuretic
- Stands out for its 80% water composition
- Has few calories, therefore is recommended for weight-loss diets
- Contains vitamins A, B, C, and E
- Rich in antioxidants (due to its high beta-carotene content)
- Rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium
- Contains folic acid which is highly recommended for pregnant women
- Very useful for people with liver and kidney deficiencies
- Helps reduce fever, its juice is very beneficial
- Good for moisturizing the skin
- Useful for hypertension
- Excellent tonic for high performance athletes
- Helps strengthen the immune system and can take part in the formation of bones, teeth, collagen, and red blood cells.
- Helps with rheumatism, hemorrhoids, headaches, arthritis, dehydration, uric acid accumulation, intoxications, acne, typhus, gout, and obesity.
How to eat it:
In order to get the greatest benefit from cantaloupe, try to eat it when it is ripe and sweet Unripe cantaloupe can cause indigestion. If you’re eating chunks of this fruit, you should chew well, and very slowly. Try not to eat it with any other food (like legumes, meats, dairy, etc.), nor with citrus or acidic fruit. Avoid eating it after meals or drinking cantaloupe juice while eating. The sugar in the cantaloupe will ferment the other foods, and will prevent you from fully taking advantage of any of the foods. This irritates the stomach.
Learn to tell when a cantaloupe is ripe
- Place it close to your nose: the more penetrating the aroma is, the riper the melon.
- If you press the ends of the melon and they are soft, it is ripe to eat.
- Always choose the heaviest melon.
Avoid cantaloupe if…
You have constipation, diabetes (for its high sugar content), and for children younger than 2 years of age.
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