Cantaloupe Benefits and Nutrition Effects

Cantaloupe

Fresh, juicy cantaloupe with slices ready to eat

The cantaloupe is a melon that belongs to the same family as the cucumber, squash, pumpkin and gourd, and like many of its relatives, it grows on the ground on a trailing vine. It is round or oval in shape and usually has a ribless rind. Having a distinctive netted skin, it is also referred to as netted melon. Many of the cantaloupes available today are hybrids of muskmelons and true cantaloupes and have qualities that reflect both.

Cantaloupes range in color from orange-yellow to salmon and have a soft and juicy texture with a sweet, musky aroma that emanates through the melon when it is ripe. Cantaloupes feature a hollow cavity that contains their seeds encased in a web of netting.

Health Benefits of Cantaloupe

• Cantaloupe is very helpful in improving lung health for smokers.
• Cantaloupe is a Superfood for skin because just one serving (1/4 medium melon) is an excellent source of vitamins A and vitamin C. These vitamins encourages the skin cell turnover and supports the formation of collagen the connective tissues that give your skin its elasticity and youthful fullness.
• It is good for complexion and digestion.
• Cantaloupe has potassium. It helps in rebalancing the heartbeat and sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body's water balance.
• It has high content of folate (folic acid), which prevents neural tube defects in infants.

Beneficial in the Following Illnesses

• Fever
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Rheumatism
• Arthritis
• Disorders of the kidneys and bladder
• Constipation
• Abdominal and stomach gas
• Skin diseases
• Blood deficiencies
• May help prevent cancer in organs and glands with epithelial tissue due to its high Vitamin A content.