Not many of us might know about honeydew melon. Nevertheless, this superfruit is garnering a lot of attention owing to the number of health benefits it is actually bringing to the table! Honeydew melon belongs to the species of melon known scientifically as the Cucumis melo. You might know them better as muskmelons.
The fruit is mainly served in salads and desserts because of its pleasantly sweet taste. It comes packed with several vitamins and nutrients that could improve your health by leaps and bounds.
Honeydew Melon Benefits
Cucumis melo helps to boost the body's immunity. (Image via 1-2-Taste)
1. May help control blood pressure
Honeydew melon is a fruit that is potassium-rich and yet low in sodium. This helps reduce the risk of blood pressure, maintaining healthy pressure levels. Adding this fruit to your daily diet is an amazing way to increase your potassium intake. 1 cup of the Cucumis melo, which is approximately 177 grams of the fruit, provides 12% of the RDI.
2. May help manage blood sugar levels
Some studies suggest that having fruits such as the Cucumis melo containing a healthy dose of fiber and other nutrients can naturally control your blood sugar levels.
Although the carbohydrates contained in the fruit may slightly spike your sugar levels, the dietary fibers contained in it control the gastric emptying time. This helps provide the feeling of fullness and satiety that, in turn, improves the level of blood sugar over time.
3. Improves skin health
The honeydew fruit is a rich source of vitamin C that helps nourish and maintain skin health. A sufficient amount of vitamin C is key to producing the protein, collagen, which works actively to repair and restore the tissues of your skin.
Vitamin C is also a great antioxidant that helps fight the effect of sun damage and free radicals. Thus, this melon could be an incredible addition to your diet if you are looking to improve your skin health.
4. May help boost the immune system
The melon, as has been discussed earlier, contains a huge amount of vitamin C, which is also known for improving the body’s immunity. The immune system is a complex structure that is sustained on a number of nutrients. Vitamin C is an essential element that works to maintain our body’s vitality.
So, including a fruit like honeydew melon in your diet could prevent the onset of several diseases such as respiratory infections.
5. Improves eyesight
This melon contains antioxidants such as zeaxanthin and lutein that are known to improve eye health. These elements also help lower the risk of vision loss that might develop with age. Thus, having this fruit may help maintain proper vision strength and functions well into ripe old age.
Honeydew Melon Side Effects
You can safely consume this melon in moderate amounts. However, over-consuming it may severely impact health causing conditions such as blood sugar spikes, diarrhea, and other digestive complications.
This fruit can also have allergic reactions in some people, causing rashes, hives nausea, cramps, difficulty in breathing, and an itchy mouth. In such instances, getting immediate medical attention is mandatory.
Is Honeydew Melon Good for You?
This melon is as good as a nutrient-rich food can get! It contains dietary fibers and nutrients that take care of several aspects of your health.
Hence, while overconsumption can lead to negative health effects, in optimal quantities, it will be one of the best pro-health supplements for you in the long run.