benefits of honeydew

Honeydew is a member of the melon family of fruits and usually has pale green sweet and juicy flesh inside a hard rind. Honeydew melons are a nutritious addition to your diet because they contain several vitamins and minerals. With only 60 calories per half cup, honeydew is a nutritionally beneficial fruit to add to your menu.

Most of the 60 calories in a serving of honeydew come from its 14 grams of natural sugar. This sugar provides your cells with fuel to get through the day. A serving of honeydew also contains 1.4 grams of beneficial dietary fiber. Honeydew is low in protein and fat, and one serving provides less than a gram of each.

A honeydew has a round to slightly oval shape, typically 1522cm (5.98.7in) long. It generally ranges in weight from 1.8 to 3.6kg (4.0 to 7.9lb). The flesh is usually pale green in color, while the smooth peel ranges from greenish to yellow. Like most fruit, honeydew has seeds. Honeydews thick, juicy, sweet flesh is often eaten for dessert, and is commonly found in supermarkets across the world. This fruit grows best in semiarid climates and is harvested based on maturity, not size. Maturity can be hard to judge, but is based upon ground color ranging from greenish white (immature) to creamy yellow (mature).

Honeydew is in fact the American name for the White Antibes cultivar which has been grown for many years in southern France and Algeria.In China, honeydews are known as the Bailan melon; they are a locally famous product near Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province in Chinas northwest.According to Chinese sources, the melons were introduced to China by a Mr. Wallace, who donated melon seeds to the locals while visiting in the 1940s (probably 1944). Henry A. Wallace, Vice President of the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and the former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, had founded a major seed company (Pioneer HiBred) and otherwise had a general background and interest in agricultural pursuits.

Honeydew and other melons are part of the cucurbitaceae (gourd) family, which is divided into fruits (melons) and vegetables (squashes, pumpkins, and cucumbers). Fiber in melon helps in avoiding bowel problems. Vitamins, minerals as well as antioxidants from honeydew melon can easily improve the immune system of both mother as well as the unborn infant. Honeydew melon is abundant with foliate which usually encourages fast division of new cells. A single serving (about 177 g) of honeydew melon consists of about 34 mcg foliate.

A potassium deficiency can result in an irregular heartbeat or an inefficency at pumping blood throughout your body. Many fruits supply a good dose of potassium and a 1cup serving of honeydew will provide you with up to 8 percent of what you need each day. The waterpotassium ratio on honeydew may also help prevent an increase in blood pressure. Add some cubed honeydew to your breakfast or lunch as a healthy side dish or mix with cantaloupe and watermelon chunks to create a mixed melon fruit salad.

Healthy skin and collagen rely on an adequate consumption of vitamin C and honeydew supplies you with a good dose. A 1cup serving of honeydew will provide about half of your daily vitamin C needs. Vitamin C can also boost your immune system so you can help prevent illness and infection. It strengthens your tissues, such as your blood vessels and bones, and promotes brain function.

Copper is essential for healthy skin because it helps aid in skin cell regeneration. Honeydew is a good fruit source of this trace mineral. Your bodys ability to repair its muscles and tissues also relies on a sufficient intake of copper and adding honeydew to your diet may help you increase your levels of this important mineral.

Vitamin C and copper, honeydew is also a good source of several B vitamins, including thiamine and niacin. B vitamins help your body get rid of toxins that can cause illness and disease. B vitamins may also reduce your risk of heart disease and Alzheimers disease.

The sweet, juicy flesh of a honeydew melon is one of summers supreme pleasures. Heres what you need to know about this luscious fruit including where it came from, how to choose it, and the novel deal that Alexander Dumas rigged to get a lifetime supply. Plus, weve got a melon prosciutto salad that puts a new twist on a classic dish.