HealthPlace Articles

The Mango has become a very popular fruit although it is not a melon. There are some who consider it the “king of the fruits”. Whether you agree or not, the mango is rich in nutrition, has a pleasant yet rich sweet taste with a mild tartness. Depending on the cultivar type, it comes in different shapes and sizes, with paisley outer skin color. Its orange-yellow flesh envelopes a single large kidney-shaped seed. Mangos contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals, including flavonoids—beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin as well as antioxidant compounds. Some consider a super health food with just 99 calories per 1 cup serving. Mangos were first grown in India and gradually migrated with travelers to the Middle East, Africa, and even South America. They are actually related to cashews and pistachios.

Mangos can be enjoyed fresh, added to salads, blended with milk or other non-dairy drink for a mango smoothie/milk shake. The mango has become quite popular in sauces as well as salsas, and don’t forget jams, jellies, sweet candy, and ice cream. As we mentioned with papayas, Mango fruit should be avoided for individuals on warfarin therapy. As always, it is best to check with your doctor before digging into this particular fruit, especially if you are aware of a mango-related allergy. Mangos also have natural tenderizing properties and are great for marinades. Perhaps it’s time for you to try the versatile mango in salads, chutneys, smoothies, on chicken or pork, as a dessert, or just plain as a delicious fruit snack. Here’s to your health.

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The Papaya is a pear-shaped type fruit with yellow-orange flesh enclosed in a thin skin. They are not considered a melon type fruit but continue growing in popularity, especially as restaurants are incorporating them into many dishes. Their sweet, buttery flavor enhances sauces, jellies, preserves, ice cream, drinks, and much more. Papayas are rich in Vitamin A and C, and even a half of a small papaya can provide 150% of the recommended dietary intake of Vitamin C. They are fat free, cholesterol free, a good source of potassium, folate, and fiber with only 119 calories per 1 cup serving. The peak season for papayas, usually imported from Hawaii, is early summer and fall, although you can find them year-round. Smaller quantities of papayas also come from Florida, California, Mexico, Central and South America, and Puerto Rico. There are two types of papayas, the Hawaiian and Mexican, and are found most often in supermarkets. You might not have thought of the papaya as an aid in steak cooking, but it holds a papaya enzyme called papain that helps break down tough meat fibers, and South American cooks have long used papaya for tenderizing meats for ages. These pear-shaped fruits usually weigh about a pound each, but some Mexican varieties are larger than the more common Hawaiian types and can weigh up to 20 pounds. If you are taking Warfarin (Coumadin) used to slow blood clotting, please be aware that Papaya may increase the effects of warfarin and increase the chances of bruising and bleeding. As with any medical restrictions from your doctor, please be sure to follow his advice. If you have no health/medical restrictions, then enjoy the papaya as a sweet treat.

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The casaba, like the honeydew melon, is a cultivar group of muskmelons (Cucumis melo Inodorus). They are a rich yellow color with very little green on the skin. They are a larger melon, compared to cantaloupes, and should be firm. When checking ripeness there should be just a small amount of softness at the stem. When the melon is ripe the skin will have a slightly waxy feel, and you should be able to hear the seeds rattle inside a juicy melon when shaking it. Casaba melons are low in sodium, very low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and are a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin K, potassium, copper, as well as a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. For a 1-cup serving, there are only 48 calories. It is suggested that keeping the seeds inside a cut melon will help keep it moist, but be sure to wrap a casaba when storing it in your refrigerator. Many folks claim they taste better when wrapped and brought to room temperature before eating. They can be enjoyed with your breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or in a mixed fruit salad anytime. These melons peak in the fall but you can find them in your markets in July through December, so there’s still time to enjoy this healthy fruit.

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This type of melon isn’t part of your ‘honey-do list’ but it sounds like it should be. The Honeydew melon is an enjoyable breakfast melon by many. My husband really likes them but I’m not so fond of the flavor. Honeydew are actually a variety of Muskmelon that originated in France. Many consider this melon to be the sweetest of all melons. The Honeydew is a cultivar group of muskmelons (Cucumis melo Inodorus) which also includes Casaba melon, Persian melon, Winter melon, Crenshaw melon, and other mixed melons. The Honeydew was revered by the ancient Egyptians as a sacred food. Both Napoleon and Pope John Paul II considered Honeydew melons their favorite fruit. It is, as other melons, low in sodium and calories (just 61 per 1 cup serving), low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It is a good source of Vitamin B6, folate, potassium, along with Vitamin C. For a healthy fruit or snack, you can’t go wrong with a Honeydew. It is available year round but best from June through October. When picking a good honeydew, avoid ones that are too firm or too soft or that have dark blemishes on the skin or is green colored. When honeydew melons are ripe, they will turn a creamy yellow color and the skin will have a slightly waxy feel. Be aware that these melons are ethylene sensitive so will ripen faster if stored with other ethylene-producing fruit because the ethylene gas they produce increases ripening in fruit/vegetables that are in close proximity. You just might want to serve some honeydew to your honey, along with your honey-do list.

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Did you know that watermelon is considered one of America’s favorite fruits, but is really a vegetable (Citrullus lanatus)? Some would argue, however, that it is still a fruit. It’s a cousin to the cucumber, and still considered related to the gourd, thus considered part of the gourd family. Watermelons can range in size from 7 to 100 pounds, with the largest watermelon, 255 pounds for the world record, grown in Oklahoma. Most historians agree that watermelons first grew in the middle of the Kalahari Desert and were a source of water for thirsty traders. Traders soon began selling their seeds on ancient Mediterranean trade routes where their cultivation grew and spread throughout Africa. By the 1600s watermelon had made it way to not only Great Britain, Spain, but China and beyond. Thanks for European colonists and African slaves who brought them to North America. The most popular of the watermelons is the Red Watermelon, although Yellow watermelon is gaining in popularity. Both contain high concentrations of the antioxidant lycopene that many believe helps reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases. Watermelon—red or yellow—is fat free, nutritionally low in calories, and considered a great diet food. It is certainly a welcome treat on hot summer days. They are available all year but you’ll see an abundance of them from May through September, peaking from June to August. Although they are 92% water, and only 46 calories per cup serving, they are considered a natural energy booster. There are actually more than 50 varieties of watermelon grown commercially. Yellow Watermelons are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They’re also a good source of Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, the same with the Red Watermelons—both seeded and seedless. With more people choosing the seedless red watermelons, kids of all ages are missing out on seed-spitting memories. Maybe you can share that experience with them today. Enjoy watermelons, either red or yellow—or some of both!

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I’m sure you’ve enjoyed a sweet cantaloupe for breakfast or in a mixed fruit salad at lunch. They are a favorite for many people. It’s interesting that what we Americans call cantaloupes are actually must melons. True cantaloupes do not display netting on the exterior, they have a smooth-to-rough skin, and are not grown commercially in the United States. They originated in the Orient, via Armenia on their way to Europe and then to America, where today Europeans recognize a clear distinction between a cantaloupe and muskmelon. Whatever you call it, it’s a healthy addition of fruit to your eating plan. Cantaloupes are low in saturated fat, calories—just 53 per 1 cup serving–sodium, and very low in cholesterol. They also are a good source of dietary fiber, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate, a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium. Cantaloupes of good quality will have large webbing or netting on the exterior skin with orange/yellow coloring, and be slightly soft on the stem end and firm elsewhere. Also, at the stem end there should be a sweet smell. Usually, the sweeter the smell, the sweeter the cantaloupe. You should be able to find them in your local stores year-round but June through August is peak season. Enjoy cantaloupe for your health.

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