Cantaloupe

This article is part of a larger article titled "100+ Healthiest Foods On Planet Earth."  Read it here.

Cantaloupe melons are a welcome and refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day. What’s more, they can be eaten pretty much guilt-free and are a brilliant source of vitamin C. Plus they are a fun way of helping you stay hydrated thanks to their high water content. Here are some of the benefits the bring:

Help Relieve Symptoms Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. As part of a diet containing other recommended foods, cantaloupe can be enjoyed as a sweet, refreshing treat for people suffering from IBS, according to this study. The list of foods that could not be very well tolerated by IBS sufferers included pretty much every other type of fruit and vegetable, therefore making cantaloupe, along with watermelon, the only fresh source of vitamin C for people suffering intensely with IBS.

Have Anti-Inflammatory Effects. A study conducted in 2004 looked at the effects of cantaloupe melon extract on inflammation and antioxidant levels in mice. Researchers gave different supplements to each group of mice – 1.) a placebo, 2.) the cantaloupe extract, 3.) gliadin, which is a protein from gluten found in wheat, 4.) a combination of cantaloupe extract and gliadin, 5.) a cantaloupe extract and gliadin formula where the extract had been specially treated to produce superoxide, which is an enzyme that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.

After twenty-eight days, the researchers found that the only treatment that protected the mice from artificially induced inflammation was the cantaloupe extract and gliadin combination. This suggests that eating cantaloupe either immediately before, after or with a wheat-based food will help to protect you against inflammation of cells, which can help prevent diseases from developing.