Sweetening the Summer: The Health Benefits of Melon
On a hot summer day, there’s nothing more delightful and sweet than eating melon. But did you know how beneficial it is to our health?
What is more synonymous with summer besides watermelon? Melon, of course. It's delightful, tasty, and sweet to eat when it's hot. Beyond the pleasure its consumption provides, in this article, I want to highlight how much it contributes to our health.
There are two main varieties of melon: orange and yellow. The colors define its special qualities. The orange melon contains a very high concentration of powerful antioxidants (neutralizing toxin development in the body) from the carotenoid family, including beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. Their advantage is that they are very strong antioxidants in their own right, but they also serve as precursors for building vitamin A. This vitamin is essential for proper vision, strengthening the immune system, skin and mucous membrane health, and helps reduce the risk of cancer. In this, it joins the family of orange fruits and vegetables – carrots, pumpkins, persimmons, and more. Melon is also rich in vitamin C, known for its aid in strengthening the immune system as it is a very strong antioxidant that helps prevent various inflammations, cancer, and more. Additionally, it assists in iron absorption in the blood and cleansing blood vessels, thereby reducing the risk of vascular and heart diseases.
Melon is also rich in folic acid, belonging to the B vitamins group, whose many roles include participating in the creation of the body's genetic material, thus essential for fetal development and cell division. Melon also aids in the formation of red blood cells, helping to prevent anemia. It also contains potassium and magnesium - minerals with various roles, such as in heart health.
The yellow melon is very similar to the orange melon, except for one thing: it does not contain the carotenoids that give the orange hue. Melon has a high glycemic index, meaning its conversion to sugar in the blood is very rapid. Therefore, certain groups of people should exercise caution when eating melon: those suffering from diabetes, those predisposed to diabetes, or those borderline in sugar levels. These individuals are advised to receive guidance from a caregiver on how, much, and when to eat melon. In vegan nutrition, the fruit should be eaten alone and separately from other fruits. At most, it can be eaten with watermelon.
I would like to conclude with an important note regarding all fruits, especially melon as it is a juicy and sweet fruit. We often enjoy eating melon as a dessert at the end of a meal. However, this practice is not recommended at all, as it causes fermentation in the stomach and creates a sort of alcohol. This causes gas, fatigue - and over time even exacerbates symptoms and causes discomfort in the stomach. In light of this, one should enjoy the fruit by itself or as an appetizer for a meal. Additionally, those who may develop sensitivity to it because of the sugar should eat it with care.
Eliyahu Shechter is an iridologist and natural therapist
