Posted on: June 22, 2007
You Food: Use Your Melon
If you think this fruit is a summer lightweight, you’re not giving melons, including cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon, their nutritional due
By Bev Bennett
CTW Features
The sculpted shapes provide a seductive introduction to melon’s charms, not to mention its healthy character, too.
Start with cantaloupe
“A one cup serving of cantaloupe almost completes your need for vitamin C and does complete [all you need] for vitamin A,” says Christina Lewis, a registered dietitian.
If that’s news to you, you’re not alone.
“We don’t think of cantaloupe as that nutritious,” says Lewis, nutrition education manager for the Produce For Better Health Foundation, Wilmington, Del.
Watermelon, another of summer’s pleasures, is also a healthful choice, high in vitamins A and C. And, if delicate-tasting honeydew is your favorite, you’ll be pleased to know that a one-cup serving supplies half the vitamin C you should consume daily, according to Lewis.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is how few calories summer melons contain. Melons have an average of 50 calories a cup. You can fill up and feel satisfied on fewer calories.
Although any of the melons are less expensive whole, you may prefer the convenience of cut-up fruit from a salad bar or the supermarket produce counter.
If you’re buying whole fruit, select aromatic cantaloupes and honeydew. The white part of a watermelon rind should be a light cream color. Once you cut into the fruit, prepare the entire melon, discarding the rind and dicing the flesh into bite-size pieces. Store leftovers in a covered container up to six days.
Help yourself often.
Nutrition experts recommend that you eat between 3-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables a day, depending on your age, gender and level of physical activity.
Honey-sweet watermelon is most often served as a snack or dessert. However, it’s also excellent in savory dishes, according to Barbara Boyce, a registered dietitian and vice president of programs for Produce For Better Health Foundation.
Watermelon and chiles are an unlikely but tempting combination. Try the mix in the following salsa served with grilled salmon steaks or simply with baked tortilla chips.
For more information and tips on using fresh produce, visit www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
