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There is an oriental parable about how a melon came out of the hands of one of the spirits from the heavenly bushes. The heavenly fruit, giving pleasure only to the gods and the righteous, came to the people. The taste of the melon, as well as its healing effect on mortals, was striking, and since those ancient times these sweet fruits with tender, melting pulp have been honored and grown in the East.
Today you can taste the “divine fruit” without waiting for the gift of heaven and not making trips to Asia Minor and Central Asia, where melons are rightfully honored and loved. You can feel the usefulness of the melon for the body by buying the pumpkin you like in the store or growing a fragrant fruit in your own garden.
Melon's chemical composition
In the East, melons often become the main food, a way to quench your thirst and strengthen your strength during religious fasts and just on hot days.
Crispy or, depending on the variety, the melon’s tender pulp not only replenishes moisture reserves, but also improves one’s well-being, invigorates and improves mood.
What does the health benefits of a melon depend on and is it harmful to its use? In addition, 90% of melon consists of water, 100 grams of juicy pulp contains 0.6 grams of protein, negligible amounts of fat and 7.4 grams of carbohydrates. With such a composition, the caloric content of a 100-gram slice of a ripe fruit is 35 kcal.
But, in addition to nutritional value, the melon has a unique biochemical composition, the main active ingredients in which are: ascorbic acid, iron, fiber, vitamin A and carotinoids, which are present in fruits of a bright, orange color. What else is useful melon for the human body?
A slice of melon, eaten as a light dessert, will help replenish the stock:
- of vitamins, including such compounds as vitamin E and PP, B1, B2 and B5, B6 and B9;
- sodium, potassium and magnesium, chlorine and sulfur, phosphorus, present in the form of macronutrients;
- of iron, iodine, manganese and cobalt, silicon and zinc, in the form of trace elements;
- valuable organic and amino acids.
The average portion of a melon dessert, weighing about 150 grams, is capable of providing the body with 45% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, one-tenth of the iron and retinol consumed per day.
Such a dish is a weighty supplement essential for the sustenance of potassium and magnesium, sodium and calcium, tocopherol, niacin and fiber. The undoubted usefulness of melons for the body and thanks to easily digestible carbohydrates, quickly replenish energy reserves and relieve fatigue.
Inositol, which is contained in the pulp, prevents the deposition of fat in the liver tissues, fiber is an excellent cleansing agent for normalizing the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. Melon has a mild diuretic and laxative effect than melon is beneficial for the body and women, and men.
How is melon useful for the human body?
The healing properties of melons and gourds, including melons, have been well known since antiquity. The benefits of the melon for the body and the harm possible with its thoughtless consumption, described the greatest physician and scientist of the East, Avicenna.
Today, on the basis of the obtained data of the biochemical analysis of sweet fruits, one can speak of the use of melon and its seeds for the treatment of a wide range of human diseases. The fruits are used as effective prevention of atherosclerosis, colds and cardiovascular diseases, nervous disorders and diseases of the urogenital area.
Ancient folk recipes have come down to our times, where melon is used as a remedy for hemorrhoids and constipation, gout and other ailments. A slice of melting, giving freshness of the pulp helps to calm down and recover after a difficult day.
The effectiveness and usefulness of a melon for an organism is determined not only by its composition, but also by the fact that all substances are easily absorbed, practically without any negative or irritating effect.
Without the slightest harm, melon, useful for women and men, thanks to fiber, cleanses the intestines from harmful accumulations, activates the digestive processes, and prevents cholesterol from accumulating on the walls of blood vessels. This is an effective prevention of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and a way to prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Compared with other crops growing on melon, the melon, useful for the body, contains much more ascorbic acid. This explains its active immunomodulatory, tonic and anti-inflammatory effect. In the complex of substances contained in the pulp, cause:
- soothing and invigorating effect, fatigue and irritability disappear, sleep normalizes;
- stimulation of metabolic processes, improves the composition of the blood, which helps to cope with anemia, depressive conditions and reduced performance;
- beneficial effects on the cerebral cortex.
Thanks to the choleretic and diuretic effects of melon, with the benefit of the human body, it can be used as a natural remedy for disorders of the kidneys and gall bladder, as well as at the risk of stones and sand. Since antiquity, the antiparasitic potential of melon seeds and pulp has been well studied. This culture has proven itself as a natural antihelminthic.
Juicy flesh has a rejuvenating, toning effect and when used externally, the melon is useful for the body of women and the men who look after their appearance. The ability of the melon to activate intestinal activity and facilitate cleansing of the body is used for constipation, as well as in the fight against excess weight.
How is melon useful for a woman's body?
Melon is a great helper for women who want to keep their appearance and long life and feel fit and healthy for many years.
Melon is beneficial for the female body not only high in vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids, but also the presence of silicon:
- has a positive effect on hair, nails and skin;
- plays an important role in metabolic and digestive processes;
- has an active effect on the nervous system, mental activity and performance.
During pregnancy, melon in reasonable quantities makes it easier to endure all the physical problems associated with the change.
Laxative and diuretic action helps to reduce the risk of developing toxicity and edema, facilitates bowel emptying.
Sweet melon, rich in vitamins, is useful for a woman’s body and, thanks to her ability to easily and pleasantly replenish the supply of trace elements and other active substances.
Melon's folate is extremely important:
- supporting hormones;
- regulating mood swings not only during pregnancy, but also during menopause;
- strengthens memory and the immune system.
However, with a lot of melon's benefits for women, harm from eating fruits is also possible. It is especially dangerous during pregnancy to use fruits of dubious origin as food, since nitrates and other toxic compounds accumulating in them can cause serious damage to the health of both the mother and the future baby. The same applies to lactating women.
Since the melon has a laxative effect, and brightly colored varieties can cause an allergic reaction, these factors must be taken into account during breastfeeding so that the baby does not feel such action of the melon through the milk.
How is melon useful for men?
A strong half of humanity can feel the beneficial effects of the melon culture on well-being. For men, melon is useful, above all, the content of zinc, positively affecting the quality of sperm.
In addition, due to the content of iron and other active elements, melon improves blood composition, improves performance, soothes and positively affects resistance in stressful situations and self-esteem of men.
Contraindications to the use of melon
The harm to health of the melon, as well as the benefits of the fruit, is due to the high content of bioactive substances in all parts of the melon crop, and especially in the pulp and seeds of the plant.
And although there are no strict contraindications for taking a melon, eating large amounts of sweet fruit should be abandoned if a person has the following diseases:
- of the gastrointestinal tract, especially related to inflammatory and infectious processes, including peptic ulcer and gastritis;
- of the pancreas, gallbladder and urogenital area, accompanied by the outbreak of large stones and sand during the exacerbation period;
- diabetes mellitus or there is a risk of its development.
Do not eat a melon on an empty stomach or after a hearty meal.
It is much better to enjoy a couple of slices 2–3 hours after a meal, without adding to the dessert or drinking water, dairy drinks and alcohol, as this neighborhood with melon is not good, but harmful to health.
