Benefits Of Eating Melons

Benefits Of Eating Melons – A Deliciously Healthy Fruit

I love watermelons. Doesn't this slice look delicious? We always have watermelons at home, and tomorrow, I will make a delicious watermelon smoothie for lunch. It is very easy to make. You cut the watermelon into pieces and put them into a high-speed blender. I usually add some water to it. This smoothie is very refreshing on a hot summer day.

There are many different kinds of Melons available almost year-round. They contain many nutrients and are an essential fruit on a raw vegan diet.

It is important to note that melons must be eaten alone because they digest faster than any other fruit. This is due to their high water content. You only have to wait 15-30 minutes to eat other fruit or vegetables.

I love eating melons. They are available in supermarkets around the world. We are both on a raw food diet and consume 3-6 per week. There are many benefits of eating melons, which I will cover in this article.

Latin name: Cucumis melo
Family: Cucurbitaceae (gourd family)
Botanically: A berry
General weight: 1 – 5 kg
Plants resembling the melon: Watermelon, tree melon (papaya),

History

This is what Wikipedia says about the history of the melon:

Melons originated in Africa^[6] or in the hot valleys of Southwest Asia, especially Iran and India ^[7]^[8], from where they gradually began to appear in Europe toward the end of the Western Roman Empire. Melons are known to have been grown by the ancient Egyptians.

However, recent discoveries of melon seeds dated between 1350 and 1120 BC in Nuragic sacred wells have shown that melons were first brought to Europe by the Nuragic civilization of Sardinia during the Bronze Age.^[9] Melons were among the earliest plants to be domesticated in the Old World and among the first crop species brought by westerners to the New World.^[10]

Early European settlers in the New World are recorded as growing honeydew and casaba melons as early as the 1600s.^[11] Several Native American tribes in New Mexico, including Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Navajo, Santo Domingo and San Felipe, maintain a tradition of growing their own characteristic melon cultivars derived from melons originally introduced by the Spanish. Organizations like Native Seeds/SEARCH have tried to collect and preserve these and other heritage seeds.

Honeydew Melon

Natural sugar: which will fuel your cells for good health.
Vitamin C: Busts your immune system, gives you healthy skin, strengthens tissue & is excellent for brain health.
Vitamin A: Important for healthy teeth, skin, and bones.
Vitamin B: Excellent to help your body to detoxify.
Beta-carotene: A powerful antioxidant for your eyes.
Potassium: An essential mineral for healthy heart function.
Copper helps regenerate your skin cells, resulting in healthy skin.

Cantaloupe Melon

Carotenoids are a powerful antioxidant and will be turned into vitamin A by the human body.
Folate: is one of the B vitamins needed to create white and red blood cells.
Vitamin C is excellent for boosting your immune system.
Vitamin A is essential for healthy teeth, skin, and bones.

Watermelon

Lycopene is a bright red carotenoid, crucial for sun protection, heart health, and lower cancer risk.
Phytonutrients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. They also detoxify carcinogens.
Vitamin C boosts our immune system and is influential in lowering high blood pressure.
Vitamin A maintains and improves teeth health, skin, and bones.

All melons are low in fat, which is ideal for weight loss.

Kind Of Melons Available

Cantaloupe (sub-species of Muskmelon)

The cantaloupe most likely originated in a region from South Africa to Asia.
It was later introduced to Europe, which grew in Italy and Southern France.
European cantaloupe is lightly ribbed with sweet flavourful flesh with gray-green flesh.
They are mainly grown in France.
I know from experience that it tastes quite different and is a lot sweeter than the North American ones.
The North American cantaloupe is expected in the United States, Mexico, and some parts of Canada.
It is a different variety of muskmelon and looks and tastes quite different. It is round and has a net-like peel.
Its firm, orange flesh is only moderately sweet.
Today the cantaloupe is commercially grown worldwide in China 51%, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, and India.
A raw cantaloupe is 90% water, 8% carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
It contains pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.
More on Wikipedia

Canary Melon (Cucumis melo)

The Canary melon, also known as the Spanish melon or Juan Canary, is a winter melon.
This bright yellow hybrid melon is mainly grown in parts of Asia, particularly Japan and South Korea.
The Canary melon got its name from the bright yellow colour of its rind.
Their flesh varies from green to white and is sweet like a cantaloupe.
I never tried a Canary melon before last fall. Now we buy it all the time, and I love it.
Just today, I made a delicious melon smoothie using this particular kind.
Read here to see what Wikipedia has to say.

Santa Claus Melon

The Santa Claus Melon is also called Christmas Melon or Piel De Sapo (Toad Skin).
This melon originated in Spain.
It is grown in Arizona and California. Melon farmers harvest them from the beginning of June through to October.
During the winter, we import the Santa Claus melons from South America.
Brazil and Central America supply the European countries during winter until early spring.
The Santa Claus melon features a green-striped shell with greenish-white flesh.
This melon has a mild lemon flavour and is about the same sweetness as the honeydew melon.
Please read here for more detailed information on Wikipedia.

Galia Melon (sub-species of muskmelon)

The Galia melons are grown in Algeria, Brazil, Guatemala, Portugal, Morocco, and Spain.
As well as in Southern US regions, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt.
The average weight is 1 kg. It is round and has densely netted green skin, which turns yellow once ripe.
Their flesh is from green to yellow (when major) and tastes sweet, aromatic, and nutty. They taste a lot different compared to the cantaloupe.
The Galia melon is more commonly available in Europe, but not so much in North America.

Horned Melon, also called Thorn Melon

This fruit has horn-like spines, thus called the horned melon.
The ripe horned melon has orange skin and lime green, jelly-like flesh with a refreshingly fruity taste and texture similar to the pomegranate. Its taste has been compared to a combination of banana and passion fruit.
It is native to Africa and is now grown in the United States, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.

Honeydew Melon (sub-species of the muskmelon)

Honeydew melons have been grown for many years in Southern France, Algeria, and China.
They are also grown in Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and Chile.
This fruit has an oval to round shape, with green to yellow smooth skin.
Its flesh is light green and tastes very sweet.
The honeydew melon is commonly found in supermarkets around the world.
Their season in California is only August until October.
Read more on this delicious honeydew melon on Wikipedia.

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo)

The muskmelon has been developed into many cultivated varieties.
Smooth-skinned: Canary, Charantais, Galia, Honeydew, Crenshaw, and Casaba melons.
Netted-skinned: Cantaloupe, Persian, Santa Claus, and Christmas melons.
More info on the muskmelon is on Wikipedia.

Watermelon

The watermelon was initially domesticated in West Africa.
It is now a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, having more than 1,000 varieties. Click here to find out about 18 of them.
The watermelon is a berry with a hard rind and no internal divisions.
The sweet, juicy flesh is usually deep red to pink, with many black seeds.
I personally prefer the seedless variety.
July is Watermelon month.
Americans eat more Watermelons than any other melon.

Winter Melon

This Spring was the first time that we tasted a Winter Hami Melon.

Winter melons, also called wax gourds, are eaten as a vegetable.
Wax gourds are native to South- and Southeast Asia.
It is now widely grown throughout Asia, including Java and Japan.
Winter melons are commonly used in Asian cuisine.
Their taste is rather bland.
Wax gourds can be stored for months over winter—the same as winter squash.

Pumpkin

The pumpkin is a cultivar of winter squash.
It is round with smooth, slightly ribbed skin.
The colour varies from yellow to dark orange.
The pumpkin is native to North America.
Pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated plants widely grown for commercial use.
They are used for carving faces on Halloween.
The pumpkin pie is widely known for dessert after Thanksgiving meals.

Zucchini Or Gourgette

The zucchini is a summer squash and is used as a vegetable.
However, botanically it is a berry.
This squash variety originates in America.
It is called zucchini in the United States, Australia, English-Speaking Canada, Germany, and Sweden.
They are usually harvested immaturely at about 15-20 centimetres.
Their skin varies from white to dark green. There are also yellow varieties.
It is usually cooked. There are many delicious dishes with zucchini.

Little Known Facts About Melons

A mouldy melon found in a Peoria, Illinois, market in 1943 was found to contain the highest yielding strain of mould for penicillin production.
A melon is botanically a berry, not a fruit.
The watermelon is a look-alike melon but is not considered one. Their plants are different.
Watermelons are both fruit and vegetable.
Melons are excellent companion plants for pumpkins, squash, radishes, marigolds and sunflowers in companion gardening.
Also, click here to read about the 13 Fun Melon Facts.

Would you like to grow your own melons? However, do you only have a small garden area? Please click here to read my blog on the Simple Guide To Growing Watermelon In Containers.

Conclusion

There are many different melons available, and I only touched on a few. I briefly touched on pumpkins and zucchini, which are part of the same family.

All melons have health benefits, and I eat many of them during their season. My meals consist of 1 type of fruit per serving, and I find the melons very satisfying and delicious.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this post on the Benefits Of Eating Melons – A Deliciously Healthy Fruit, and I trust you enjoyed reading it too.

JeannetteZ

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