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That Honeydew Melon Looks Good, but Does Anyone Eat It?

Every time I see a fruit platter at a hotel or a conference, I ask myself the same question: Where does all this honeydew melon come from, and does anyone actually want to eat it? I understand the advantages of honeydew if you’re putting together a buffet. It provides a splash of vibrant green at low cost. It keeps a long time. It smells good: If you’ve bought a melon-scented candle or bath product lately, it almost surely smelled more like a honeydew than a cantaloupe. But there’s a major downside to serving honeydew: Americans don’t like to eat it.

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Articles of Interest

Why You Should Wash A Melon Before Chowing Down

Have you ever heeded the advice to wash and dry a melon before digging in? Does anyone actually eat the skin of a honeydew or a cantaloupe anyway? Well, even if you're not planning on a mega-dose of fibrous skin and rind, there is a good reason to rinse off that melon: germs. The knife that cuts through the melon's tough exterior can transfer nasty bugs to the sweet flesh you do consume.

Honeydew Melon

Look for honeydew melons with a waxy rind. The melon should feel heavy for its size and the surface should give slightly to pressure, bouncing back quickly when pressure is released. Avoid melons with a fuzzy rind.

Honeydew Melon

The sweetest of the melons, Honeydew can be delectable with its pale green flesh when eaten at the peak of its ripeness. This succulent member of the Muskmelon family may fall by the wayside next to its Watermelon and Cantaloupe cousins nowadays, but the ancient Egyptians prized this fruit thousands of years ago, and ages before that in Persia, where the muskmelon is thought to have originated. The slightly oval honeydew is distinguished by a smooth, creamy-yellow rind and extraordinarily juicy and sweet flesh, ranging in weight from 4 to 8 pounds.

Honeydew Melon Health Benefits and their History

Ever wondered what makes honeydew melons so satisfyingly juicy? Well, it's their water content, which constitutes a whopping 90% of their weight. Carbohydrates make up about 9%, with minimal traces of fat and proteins. Moreover, honeydew melons are incredibly low in calories, boasting just 36 kcals per 100g serving. But here's where it gets even more interesting – these luscious fruits are a nutritional powerhouse. They're bursting with Vitamin C, with 100g providing 22% of an adult's daily recommended intake. Additionally, honeydew melons are rich in B-Complex Vitamins, particularly Thiamine, and contain a significant amount of potassium.

Honeydew or Cantaloupe better for your health?

Most studies focus broadly on the health benefits of melons or fruits in general, rather than on honeydew and cantaloupe specifically. However, in general, they’re both low in calories, which can help with managing overall calorie intake. They also have minimal sodium and fat content.

Marvelous Melon: Spotlight on Cantaloupe & Honeydew

Honeydew has less carotene than cantaloupe, but like its melon cousin, it’s a source of potassium and vitamin C. It’s slightly higher in sugar—about 10 grams net carbs for a large wedge, but still not really enough to scare away those who are carb-conscious. There’s an interesting difference in the composition of the sugars in these two melons, though. Cantaloupe contains about 55% sucrose, 19% glucose and 24% fructose, with smaller amounts of other carbohydrate. Honeydew is a bit lower in sucrose and higher in the monosaccharides: it’s about 30% sucrose, with 33% glucose and 36% fructose.

Snacking on Honeydew Can Lower Blood Pressure and Ease Indigestion

Did you know that honeydew is the sweetest melon? You might have thought the opposite was true, especially if you’ve ever experienced a bland, crunchy cube in a packaged fruit salad. But if you get a perfectly ripe piece, it will not only taste delicious, it boasts a slew of health benefits. Unfortunately, most Americans don’t like the green melon, as The New York Times discovered. But this is because the fruit is often harvested before it’s ripe, and sometimes it’s grown out of season. Since the fruit does not ripen after it’s been cut from the vine, there’s no option to wait for the melon to get better with age.

The Big Health Benefits of Melon

The green flesh is probably the sweetest of the group. It’s a rich source of vitamin C, although it has less than cantaloupe. Like other melons, it contains compounds that enhance the body’s production of nitric oxide, which helps to relax blood vessels. This can help with blood pressure and blood flow.

The Remarkable Health Benefits of Honeydew Melon

Not only does Honeydew Melon boast a juicy, sweet flavour which can be enjoyed in desserts, smoothies, salads and snacks but it is also super nutritious with a range of benefits we think go overlooked!

Resources

8 Honeydew Melon Benefits to Boost Your Immune System, Skin, and More

But don’t let its natural sweetness fool you, this popular fruit is also packed with nutrients, benefitting our health in a multitude of ways.