Melon ( Cantaloupe) Sorbetes
We only use All Natural Ingredients, we use fresh cantaloupe for our ice cream.
When it comes to beta carotene, cantaloupe knocks other yellow-orange fruits out of the park. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), cantaloupe has more beta carotene than apricots, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, tangerines, nectarines, and mangoes.
One study determined that orange-flesh melons like cantaloupe have the same amount of beta carotene as carrots.
Beta carotene is a type of carotenoid. Carotenoids are pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors.
Once eaten, beta carotene is either converted into vitamin A or acts as a powerful antioxidant to help fight free radicals that attack cells in your body.
Vitamin A is important to eye health, a healthy immune system, and healthy red blood cells.
Nutrient Diversity of Cantaloupe
We seldom think about fruits as providing a broad spectrum of nutrients. In addition, when this food group gets placed in the nutritional spotlight, it's usually berries that get first mention among the nutritional standouts. Yet judging from its nutrient profile, cantaloupe is a fruit that should get us thinking differently about fruit and nourishment. This member of the melon family receives 10 rankings in our food rating system—the same number as raspberries, 1 more than strawberries, and 6 more than blueberries. Cantaloupe scores an "excellent" for both vitamin C and vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids). It scores "very good" for potassium, and "good" for a host of B vitamins (B1, B3, B6, and folate) as well as vitamin K, magnesium, and fiber. When the edible seeds of the cantaloupe are eaten, this melon also provides a measurable about of omega-3 fat in the form of alpha-linolenic acid.
Cantaloupe contains more beta-carotene than alpha-carotene. But because it contains both of these carotenoids, it also contains both of their derivatives, including lutein in the case of alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin in the case of beta-carotene. These carotenoid phytonutrients are joined by the flavonoid luteolin, antioxidant organic acids including ferulic and caffeic acid, and anti-inflammatory cucurbitacins, including cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin E. The nutrient diversity of cantaloupe is perhaps its most overlooked health benefit!
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Support of Cantaloupe
As evidenced by the preceding list of phytonutrients, cantaloupe's nutritional strong suit involves its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Even while it is relatively low in concentration of certain nutrients (like total polyphenols) in comparison to other fruits, cantaloupe still provides us with important amounts because we tend to eat it in larger serving sizes than other fruits.
Many researchers understand metabolic syndrome—a group of health problems that includes high blood fats, high blood sugars, high blood pressure, and too much body fat—to be caused by problems in lifestyle that result in chronic underlying levels of unwanted inflammation and oxidative stress throughout the body. In this context, it's not surprising to see decreased risk of metabolic syndrome in individuals with especially high intake of cantaloupe (along with other fruits), since cantaloupe provides a wide range of antioxidants that help prevent oxidative stress and a wide range of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients that help prevent excessive inflammation.
It's also not surprising to see lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the bloodstream of persons who have particularly high intake of cantaloupe, since CRP is a marker widely used to assess levels of inflammation in the body. One final important note: in the study that documented these benefits of cantaloupe for prevention of metabolic syndrome, "high" intake meant at least 12 ounces of total fruit per day. Since cantaloupe was one of five fruits making a special contribution to these 12 ounces, we assume that few of the study participants would go one whole week without consuming cantaloupe. That approach might help all of us increase our protection from unwanted inflammation and oxidative stress.
Other Health Benefits of Cantaloupe
Unfortunately, most of the other studies that we have seen on the health benefits of cantaloupe are studies conducted on animals rather than humans. This aspect of the research limits our certainty about the health benefits for humans. However, especially promising in the animal research has been studies related to diabetes. Researchers have shown that intake of cantaloupe phytonutrients can improve insulin and blood sugar metabolism. In addition, intake of cantaloupe extracts has been show to reduce oxidative stress in the kidneys of animals with diabetes, and to improve insulin resistance in diabetic animals.
Given the benefits of cantaloupe for prevention of metabolic syndrome, we would expect to see future studies showing clear health benefits for this melon in the area of heart disease, including atherosclerosis. Many heart-related problems start out with chronic unwanted inflammation and chronic oxidation stress. Hopefully, it won't be long before we have large-scale human studies documenting benefits in this important area.
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