What’s your favorite summer snack?
From fruit popsicles to veggie rainbow cups, everyone has their way to satisfy the taste bud. For me, it’s melon or kharbooza!
You may not be a melon lover in the first place. However, only if you know about the potential health benefits of melon, you are not going to push it aside.
Not only does it make your summers bearable but can boost your health in many ways. Curious about what eating melon can do to your health? Here is all you need to know about melon benefits, nutrition and much more.
Let’s begin with nutrition first.
Table of Contents
Melon, Calories in Melon and Much More
Melon, refers to the fruit obtained from a variety of plants from the Cucurbitaceae family. Melon is known for its fleshy and juicy fruit flesh. Melon seeds grow inside the fruit flesh and are edible in nature. Here is all you need to know about calories in melons.
Melon Nutrition (100grams)
- Calories in Melon: 29 calories
- Carbs: 6.8g
- Fats: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
No matter what type of melon we talk about, these hydrating fruits are pretty low in calories which makes them a good addition to your summer diet.
How Many Types of Melons are There?
From honeydew melon to ash gourd, melon comes in all shapes, sizes, tastes and colors, of course!
We generally wrap many fruits in the melon category, and you see them on fruit stalls throughout the season.
To make it clear, the melon we see here in Pakistan is honeydew or cantaloupe. So, no matter if you call it kharbooza, sarda or garma in your local language, the health benefits of melon are many.
Benefits of Melon
Melon – A sweet and juicy fruit known for its rich taste and healthy nutrients. Let’s know more about the goodness of melons other than just beating the heart.
A Healthy Skin
Your food choices can impact your skin health to a greater extent and melon is no exception to this.
The reason is clear as melons contain a good amount of vitamin C. There are many good reasons to eat this vitamin C rich fruit every single day. These include:
- Protection from sun damage
- Keeps skin hydrated
- Good for your complexion
- Beat the signs of aging
- A natural antioxidant that keeps skin damage at a bay
- Gives you naturally glowing skin
These are all the benefits of melon for skin that you need to keep in mind while you need another reason to eat melon.
Regulated Bowel Movements
Your bowel movements are good naturally, you are already blessed!
I am sure people who suffer from such troubles can relate to this. Your bowel movements are way more problematic than we think them to be. What if I tell you that eating foods like melon can give you good bowel movements.
The secret lies in its fiber content which limits digestive health problems and gives you good bowels.
Read more about other fiber rich foods.
Good for Energy
Fitness freaks! Are you looking for natural ways to feel good and energetic after hitting the gym?
Well, melons are the answer here.
Having a bowl full of melon can be good for you and can be your perfect post-workout snack. Melon is super hydrating, this is something we all know. This melon benefit comes from the good potassium content in melon that serves the purpose of balancing your electrolytes that helps you regain energy and stability after an intense workout at the gym.
Aids Weight Loss
What are the foods that can help you lose weight fast?
To your surprise, kharbooza can be the one. The reason? It contains a good amount of water alongside fiber. Fiber helps to keep you full for longer periods thus reducing your calorie consumption. Further, it helps to improve digestion which is required for a healthy gut and good metabolism.
Heart Friendly
Melon is one heart-friendly food and there are many reasons for this. Let’s look at melon benefits for good heart health.
- It has good potassium content. This helps to control your blood pressure which reduces your risk of suffering from hypertension.
- Vitamin C in melon reduces your risk of suffering from atherosclerosis, which is a serious cardiac condition.
- Further, the adenosine compound in cantaloupes is known for its blood-thinning properties.
Due to all these reasons, eating melons can boost your cardiac health well.
Keeps Your Eyes Healthy
Next in the list of benefits of melons comes its role in better eye health.
Yes, eating melon is good for your eyes. This is because it contains a good amount of zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. Both of these nutrients help to prevent eye diseases and support eye health. So, with melon, you can have healthy eyes, for sure.
Alongside eating eye-healthy foods, it is also important to get your eyes regularly monitored. You can book an appointment with the best ophthalmologist in Lahore via Healthwire.pk to get your eyes checked.
Strengthens Immune System
Who doesn’t recognize the role of vitamin C in a stronger immune system?
For this very reason, we know that eating melon is good for your immune health. Not only vitamin C, but vitamin A and other antioxidants make it an immune-boosting food.
Read more about other immune boosting foods.
Fights Stress
Feeling stressed and tired has become the new normal.
Our fast-paced lifestyles are to be blamed for this. But do you know that eating melon can help to get rid of stress and fatigue? According to several published pieces of research, melon contains a superoxide dismutase enzyme that fights oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is believed to play a crucial role in triggering psychological stress. So, yes if you eat melon then it can help you to beat stress and feel good.
Breaks Insomnia Cycle
Sleepless nights… sometimes can be more troubling than you think.
If you have tried essential oils and other home remedies for insomnia then eating cantaloupe can be the next one you should consider. Containing calming compounds, eating melon is beneficial for your sleep hygiene.
Read more about other essential oil benefits.
Best Pregnancy Food
Proper nutrition during pregnancy is essential for you and your baby.
However, when it comes to making the right choices during pregnancy, anyone can get confused. However, melon is one such healthy food. Melon is loaded with good nutrients and is a powerhouse of energy that supports your baby’s growth and development.
Read more about the best pregnancy foods.
Healthy Menstruation
Painful periods are sometimes more painful than you think..
Reduces blood flow to severe menstrual cramps, it is quite problematic to bear with the pain. Many foods and natural remedies can help to relieve menstrual pain. Eating melon is one of them.
Melon contains good water content and for this reason, it helps to relieve menstrual cramps. So, yes eating melon can make you have healthy periods by improving blood flow.
Read more about other painful periods remedies.
Other Melon Benefits
Alongside these, there are many other potential benefits of eating melon. These include:
- It helps you build stronger bones
- Melon is beneficial for your brain health
- It helps to fight inflammation
- It helps to boost sexual performance acting like a natural viagra
- It is good for your kidneys
- By fighting oxidative stress, it acts as a natural anti-cancer compound.
Side Effects of Melon
Though there are many potential melon benefits for your health, eating melon in large quantities can result in certain side effects. These include:
- Digestive health problems
- Poor control of blood sugar level
- Metabolism troubles
- Messing your nutrients distribution
It’s Time to Reap Melon Benefits
After reading all these melon benefits, I am sure you must be convinced to call it a summer superstar. No matter if it’s raw melon in your salads or your favorite summer drinks, make sure to consume it in moderation. It’s also a good idea with your physician as you are starting to consume it.
So, let’s get as cool as melons and make summers fun!
