Between the Benefits of melon for health Highlight your ability to protect against asthma, improve blood pressure, prevent cardiovascular accidents, improve arthritis and digestion, prevent cancer, help sleep, reduce stress and anxiety and others that will explain later .
Cucumis melo, or commonly known as melon are the names used to name the plant, and therefore, the fruit we eat, typical of alkaline land (good conductors of electricity and heat).
Its plant is defined by the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish language as"annual herbaceous, of the family of cucurbitaceae, with stems laid, ragged, rough, with tendrils."
The description of its height next to its leaves and flowers:"three to four meters in length, leaves pecioladas, divided into five obtuse lobes and solitary flowers of yellow corolla", ending the definition with its typical origin And natural from the east.
Fruit
But, returning to the fruit, we must emphasize its ellipsoidal form, indicating that its dimensions vary, oscillating between 20 and 30 centimeters in length. Here we must mention that we find different exceptions, where we can find melons that can weigh up to 20 kilos, and on the contrary, some that reach 300 grams.
As for its shell, its texture and colors are also usually changing. We can find peels of green, white, yellow colors or even combinations.
The meat of its interior is characteristic to have a completely adulated flavor, together with a soft texture that contrasts with the nucleus of the fruit, formed by different nuggets or pipes of a yellowish color.
Composition
It is formed almost entirely by water, being 90% of its composition.
As for calories, it is convenient to point out that for every 100 grams we ingest, we will provide a total of 34 of these.
Sodium also gives us minimum levels, with a total of 16 milligrams each time we are able to reach 100 grams.
Finally, and referring to the same amount ingested, the contribution of fiber will be limited to 1 grams.
In addition, it contains large amounts of vitamins such as A, K or C along with percentages of folic acid , Magnesium and potassium.
15 impressive benefits of melon
1- Fight against macular degeneration
Thanks to the zeaxanthin contained therein, it has been proven that negative blue rays of light for our eyes are better filtered, protecting them and thus avoiding any kind of macular degeneration that may occur due to the different rays we filter through Of the day.
Without going further, with a total of 3 or more pieces of this fruit per day can be overwhelmingly reduce the percentage of risk of suffering some form of macular degeneration.
2- Protection against asthma
If for macular degeneration we found the fighting power in zeaxanthin, in asthma we came across the Beta-carotene and the vitamin C . Both found in large quantities in melon do not protect from asthma.
In addition, we can find it in other foods such as pumpkin, carrots, or different vegetables such as spinach and kale.
3- Improves blood pressure
The health of our heart will be reinforced with the abundant intake of potassium in our diet. Without going any further, the melon becomes one of the main sources of this chemical element.
What foods can we find besides melon with this peculiarity? The answer to this question can be found in spinach, tomatoes, pineapples, oranges and bananas.
This attached to the fiber, hill, and again the vitamin C that owns this potent food will reduce in great percentages the arterial pressure of the body.
4- Prevent cerebrovascular accidents
The previous benefit takes us directly to the current one. When blood pressure is released thanks to the high levels of potassium in the body, we will have a lower risk of being able to find any type of brain accident.
In addition, we are reinforced against large and rapid losses of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and different reductions related to the formations of kidney stones.
5- Acts before inflammation and improves muscle movement
The melon is composed, as we have said, of a multitude of nutrients. With regard to inflammation and muscle movement we must mention the hill.
Improves Cell membranes Helping in this way the transmission of nerve impulses together with the absorption of different fats.
6- Improving Arthritis
The anti-inflammatory properties of the different phytochemicals of the melon cause oxidation in the different joints and bones of our body to be improved exponentially with the constant intake of the fruit.
7- Prevent cancer
Melatonin beta-carotene helps protect us against different types of cancer, not forgetting the amount of antioxidants we can find at the crossroads of the fight against tumor agents.
According to a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition School, beta-carotene helps to prevent and protect us against a possible onset of prostate cancer.
8- Improves digestion
It prevents constipation thanks to its fiber and water composition. In this way, our digestion will be improved by the continued use of this well-known fruit.
9- Hydrates
Hydration plays an important role in the intake of melon. As mentioned above, the amount of water in the melon is a total of 90%.
That is why, together with electrolytes, so that the moment we ingest this type of food, we will hydrate quickly, especially in the summer.
10- Helps to fall asleep
Again, it's the hill The cause of our cell membranes improve and in this way we can achieve hours of sleep unchanged, plus a better concentration Improvement of brain-related memory And learning.
11- Improves skin and hair
We have talked about vitamin C and its blood pressure optimizing function. Now, this is not the only vitamin that generates benefits for our body, because vitamin A makes the production of sebum in our body increases, and therefore, our hair is kept hydrated and in good condition at the same time we Helps it to grow faster than normal.
As for the skin, due to the large percentage of hydration provided by the melon, you will look rejuvenated and look much healthier and natural.
For some reason this food has earned the reputation of being commonly called"the fruit of beauty".
12- General Immune Booster
Vitamin C can be established as one of the most potent when it comes to fighting different diseases that produce free radicals.
In this way, this vitamin works as an important stimulator in the production of White blood cells , Thus destroying the different harmful bacteria, viruses or other toxic substances that may appear in our body.
13- Reduces stress and anxiety
Once again we find the potassium . Its function in this case is to make the blood vessels dilate, reducing blood pressure.
By having regulated blood pressure, in addition to improving heart health and preventing cerebrovascular problems, our levels of Stress hormones Will be released.
The reduction of stress has as a direct consequence a lesser feeling of anxiety.
14- Suitable for coeliacs
According to different studies contributed by the Italian Association of Celiaquía, not containing a small pinch of gluten , The melon can be consumed and be displaced to any celiac's meals for your enjoyment.
15- You can eat frequently
Unlike other foods where their continued use can be harmful to our body, the melon does not offer any type of cons when it comes to abuse it.
Even the chances of suffering some type of allergic reaction are reduced. Only in some strange case, this healthy and nutritious fruit can represent some type of danger for our organism. And all this without forgetting that its incredible taste and texture becomes something totally palatable for the time that arrives.
Types of melon
There are different varieties of melon, and within each of these, other subtypes to find. Even so, we will point out and explain the most used and common in the international scene:
- Yellow melon : Characteristic of the peninsular area and more concretely the Spanish one. As its name implies, it shows a yellow hue and its interior is white. Within this family we find the Rugged Yellows, or the Smooth Round Yellows.
- Spanish green melon : Green and more elongated than the previous one. They usually grow to large sizes. Here we find Rochet (one of the most precocious that can be found in the world), Piel de Sapo or Tendral (very rough skin).
- Melon Cantaloup : Spherical and thick. Its pulp has a color similar to salmon and is the most produced melon in the world.
- Long-lasting melon : With high levels of sugar and a high quality of pulp, your skin covers it against a multitude of setbacks, whether temporary or physical.
History and uses
According to several studies, among which we find the one published in 2008 by World Applied Sciences Journal, the first time it is recorded its cultivation is registered there by the third millennium a. C., where the Egyptian civilization already made use of the melon like a nutritious food.
As a result of that moment, its use was quite varied and adapted. Step from being treated like a vegetable (seasoning in some moments of history with pepper and salt) instead of fruit, becoming a symbol of fertility.
In this way, its use has been transferred by the time line until reaching the Middle Ages, where Carlomagno dictates the ordinance of the cultivation of Cucumis melo in the Capitulare de villis vel curtis imperii for curative purposes.
Its use began to be massified throughout the modern era until arriving at our days as we know it.
To end and as a curiosity, in the 17th century, the well-known French writer Alejandro Dumas , I came to an agreement with the library of his hometown. Such was his devotion for melons, which would consist of a barter based on a change of 12 melons a year (one for each month) in exchange for all his work, which contained about 400 volumes.