5 Amazing Health Benefits Of Honeydew Melon

Another rather distinctive variant is the golden honeydew, which possesses a bright golden-hued rind and crisp, white flesh.

Much like other popular types of melon, honeydew has a high water content figuring at about 90 percent. It also offers a healthy dose of soluble and insoluble fiber, while containing almost no fat and zero cholesterol.

A cup serving of this fruit has only 64 calories, most of which are in the form of simple sugars: fructose and glucose. This serving also provides about 1.4 grams of fiber.

Honeydew is also an exceptional source of the antioxidant vitamin C and the electrolyte potassium, which plays a crucial role in maintaining fluid balance in the body.

Due to its low calorie count and high nutritional density, this succulent fruit has all the makings of a healthful pool-side snack.

# May Reduce High Blood Pressure

Honeydew melon boasts an impressive potassium and water content along with low sodium levels, which make for an ideal combination for lowering elevated blood pressure.

Although hypertensive individuals are typically mindful about cutting back on sodium, sufficient potassium intake is also just as important. Honeydew melon provides a similar amount of potassium as an average-sized banana, but with half the calories.

Potassium is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in numerous body functions, such as maintaining a fluid and electrolyte balance and facilitating proper nerve conduction and muscle contraction.

A potassium-rich diet is also associated with a reduced risk of stroke, protection against loss of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density, and reduction in the formation of.

Besides potassium, this sweet-tasting treat is also richly supplied with fiber, vitamin C, and choline content, all of which support heart health.

# Beneficial for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women have to be extra careful about what they eat to ensure not just their own health but also that of their baby.

Nurturing a life inside you can be quite exacting for your body, which requires an increased intake of nutrient-rich foods to sustain a healthy fetus.

Another consideration for pregnant women is that their immunity is lowered during the gestational phase, which further necessitates the need for disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Given its nutrient-dense and low-calorie composition, honeydew consumption can safely tackle a wide array of health concerns that become all the more threatening during pregnancy.

It can provide you with an instant spurt of energy, increase absorption of plant iron, and maintain optimal blood pressure levels by providing potassium. It may also help prevent leg cramps.

This succulent fruit is also rich in folate, which is touted as a holy-grail dietary element for expecting women. Folate is essential for the healthy growth of the fetus and helps prevent neural tube defects and certain other birth defects.

# Promotes Heart Health

Honeydew melon can be considered a heart-healthy food, and there is enough scientific evidence to vouch for this claim.

One of the prime culprits for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease is an excess of homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid mainly derived from meat, which when elevated can trigger heart and kidney diseases as well as bone mineral loss.

Honeydew melon contains considerable amounts of folate and vitamin B6, both of which can help break down homocysteine and protect the body from its harmful effects.

Moreover, research suggests that an increased intake of carotenoids, such as the beta-carotene found in honeydew, can prove beneficial for safeguarding your heart against disease and degeneration.

These heart-friendly carotenoids help bring down non-HDL plasma cholesterol levels, prevent plaque buildup in the arteries, reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improve insulin sensitivity.

The cardioprotective promise of honeydew is only made more profound by the high levels of potassium present in it. Insufficient levels of this essential nutrient can lead to an irregular heartbeat or subpar blood circulation throughout the body.

# May Improve Eye Health

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two potent phytonutrients that play a vital role in maintaining healthy eye function.Honeydew melon contains both these natural ocular aids in significant amounts.

Eating foods high in these eye health nutrients, including honeydew melon, may help lower the risk of eye-related problems such as cataracts, age-related blindness, and age-related macular degeneration, among others.

# Hydrates the Body

Hailing from a melon fruit family, honeydew too is characteristically high in water content.

Besides the fact that it is 90 percent water-logged, this fruit is also rich in potassium, an essential electrolyte for countering the harmful effects of sodium and maintaining fluid balance in the body.

Thus, honeydew has all the makings of an ultimate thirst-quenching fruit, which can simultaneously hydrate the body at a cellular level.

No wonder that the juice of this honey-flavored succulent makes for a popular drink, particularly during the long, sweltering summer days.