Cantaloupe is a tasty pastel-orange colored fruit with a beautiful white and green skin, offering a delicious musky flavor and plenty of health benefits. It’s a dense source of nutrition, containing a powerhouse of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as being low in fat, low in sugar and offering plenty of dietary fiber.
Studies have proven that cantaloupe promotes better digestion, prevents cancer, regulates blood sugar and improves eye, skin and hair health significantly. It’s generally a summer fruit and serves as a great source of hydration and nutrition on any day.
Here are 13 health benefits of Cantaloupe
1. It Helps You to Lose Weight
Cantaloupe contains only 54 calories per cup, as well as being fat free and full of fiber and water. Eating it more often will promote weight loss, giving you a leaner, lighter and healthier physique.
2. It Improves Brain Function
Each cup serving meets 12% of the recommended daily amount of potassium, which is important for proper brain function. It has been proven to improve the conductivity of electrolytes in the brain, which improves cognitive function and memory retention, as well as preventing strokes and epileptic fits.
3. It Supports Digestive Health
Cantaloupe is an excellent source of dietary fiber at 5% of the recommended daily value per cup, which has been proven to support digestive health. It helps to promote regularity, removes toxins and improves nutrient absorption.
One cup of cantaloupe contains only 13 grams of sugar, which makes it a low GI (glycemic index) fruit. This helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, preventing diabetes and energy fluctuations.
5. It Helps to Regulate Hormones
Highly absorbable Vitamin A is found in the juicy flesh of cantaloupe, which has been proven to improve thyroid function and balance hormones. This helps to prevent weight gain, problematic skin and inflammation.
6. It’s Excellent for Eye Health
100 grams of fresh cantaloupe will meet 67% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A, as well as giving you a burst of powerful antioxidants. These compounds work together to improve eye health, preventing poor vision in dim light, cataracts and macular degeneration.
7. It Strengthens Immunity
Cantaloupe is high in Vitamin C, which is highly beneficial for your immune system. One large wedge of delicious cantaloupe provides 62% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C.
8. It’s Helps to Reduce Stress
The magnesium that cantaloupe offers has been proven to stimulate serotonin, the happy hormone in the brain, as well as offering a warm, calming effect on muscles.
9. It’s Super Hydrating
Your cells and systems need proper hydration to function well, and cantaloupes contain over 80% water. This helps to restore electrolyte balance, and gives your hair, skin, eyes and organs a good dose of toxin-flushing water.
Powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in every slice of cantaloupe promote vitality, which helps to slow ageing of every cell in your body. By reducing oxidative stress and preventing chronic inflammation, you will live a longer, stronger life.
11. It Reduces Blood Pressure
The combination of potassium, magnesium and antioxidants such as beta-carotene and Vitamin C are excellent in preventing high blood pressure, as they work together to relax arteries, increase circulation, remove toxins and prevent oxidative stress.
12. It Combats the Growth of Cancer Cells
Powerful anti-cancer compounds are present in cantaloupe, such as lutein, beta-carotene, zea-xanthan and cryptoxanthan. They help to inhibit cancer cell development, and combat the spread of diseased cells throughout the body.
13. It Detoxifies your Whole Body
The rich supply of water, antioxidants, potassium and iron helps to eliminate any harmful toxins in your body, flushing them out of your system and giving you a fresh start.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium
https://www.andjrnl.org/article/S0002-8223%2800%2900420-X/abstract?cc=y=