Melon is tasty, juicy, healthy and beloved by everyone. Besides the fact that its fruits are distinguished by its amazing taste and smell, it still boasts its useful properties. It’s just a storehouse of useful substances - vitamins, minerals, trace elements.

Product Features and Key Features

Melon is a melon culture, long cultivated. Its fruit is called pumpkin. In the wild, now she can not be met. The first plants were cultivated many years ago in the Indian and Central Asian countries. It was from there that the melon began to be exported and distributed throughout the world.

There are a lot of varieties of it at the moment. They vary in shape, taste, color, density. In summer, on the shelves you can find fruits that are shaped like a ball or cylinder, weighing from 1 to 15 kg, of various colors - green, yellow, lemon, brown, striped, white. Under a thin skin hidden pulp, which has a pleasant aroma, and seeds.

Since melon has excellent taste characteristics, it is widely used in cooking. In addition to using as an independent dish, it is dried, dried and canned, boiled jam from it and get honey, make sorbet and candied fruit.

The main part of the pumpkin is water, it contains almost 90% of the pulp.

In addition to liquid, the fetus contains:

• proteins - 0.6 g;
• carbohydrates - 10.5 g, of which mono- and disaccharides make up 9 g;
• fiber (dietary fiber) - 0.6 g;
• pectins - 0.4 g;
• organic acids - 0.2 g;
• ash - 0.5 g.

Check out in more detail what vitamins are in the melon.

In addition, melon boasts a large assortment of vitamins:

• BUT;
• IN 1;
• IN 2;
• niacin (B3 or PP);
• folic acid;
• FROM;
• E.

It also contains a number of macro- and microelements:

• sodium;
• calcium;
• iodine;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• cobalt;
• copper;
• manganese;
• fluorine;
• silicon;
• zinc.

Consider how a fragrant fruit affects health. Since it is mainly consumed fresh, vitamins are not destroyed, but are absorbed by the body. This is a low-calorie product: 100 g of pulp contains about 38 kcal.

Mature melon can safely be called a cure for many ailments. Enzymes in the fetus have a beneficial effect on the digestive tract, helping to get rid of various digestive tract disorders. Fiber, which is present in the aromatic pulp, affects the improvement of intestinal microflora, and also takes part in the elimination of "bad" cholesterol from the body. Important! It should be remembered that folic acid is destroyed during heat treatment. Melon is recommended to use if there are stones and sand in the kidneys or bladder, as well as for the treatment of rheumatism, gout, diseases of the cardiovascular system, to strengthen the nervous system, strengthen the action of antibiotics, and for the diuretic effect. The presence of melon in the diet will strengthen immunity, increase hemoglobin levels, and improve appearance.

Who is forbidden to use

In addition to useful qualities, melon also has negative properties dangerous to the stomach. First of all, melon is heavy food, and the gastrointestinal tract has been working on its digestion for quite some time. Eating a lot of pulp at a time is not recommended. Because of this property, it must be eaten separately, and not mixed with other products.

This fruit does not combine or has poor compatibility with some other products. For example, if you use it with milk, the reaction will be the same as if you eat cucumber together and drink milk - that is, it will give the same result as a laxative.

It is best to eat melon separately from other foods. It is strictly contraindicated for people with gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, chronic colitis. The consequences can be the most severe, even a fatal outcome is possible.

In addition, its flesh is full of simple carbohydrates. Therefore, patients with diabetes should consult a doctor if this product can be eaten. And for those who want to lose weight, you need to eat it carefully and not overeat. Did you know? Melon variety Yubari King is considered the most expensive in the world. Its fruits are sold at auctions, and the price of a pair of such can draw up to 20 thousand dollars.

What are the prohibited combinations

This fruit has become a favorite dessert for a long time. On the tables of nobles and noble persons, melon occupied a place of honor. But then hardly anyone knew about a healthy diet and that the misuse of delicacies can even be fatal. However, it gradually became clear that this juicy and aromatic pulp is not quite a dessert.

This dish can be enjoyed when the stomach is not overloaded and ready for the next meal. But if you do not adhere to this rule and eat it along with other products, problems will not be long in coming. Everything that was eaten turns into a heavy mass in the stomach, which will ferment and poorly digested. In this case, the consequences in the form of nausea, diarrhea, colic and bloating will come very soon. Therefore, it is very important to know what exactly can not be used with this fruit.

Let's consider why there is nothing to eat right after a melon, and also with what it cannot be eaten and with what it is incompatible:

1. In combination with milk or dairy products, it has a violent laxative effect. And with sour cream, and with cottage cheese, and with kefir, and with yogurt, frequent visits to the restroom are guaranteed.
2. Many people are interested in what kind of wine a melon can be combined with, and whether it is worth using a melon as a snack with wine and champagne, with beer, whether cognac and vodka are suitable for it. The medical answer is absolutely no! This fruit and alcohol are incompatible. If you neglect this rule, you can earn constipation or diarrhea, as well as end up in a hospital bed with gastric lavage.
3. Nursing mothers should refrain from aromatic fruits during feeding: the baby will have diarrhea, as a result of which dehydration may occur.
4. You should also not drink water with this fruit, as colic, diarrhea, or fermentation may begin.
5. The combination of melon with honey is sometimes called the “explosive mixture”, because after consuming these products there is a risk of bowel obstruction. This is especially true for those people who had abdominal surgery and who have scars and adhesions on their internal organs. Of course, after honey with melon such a reaction may not occur, but still it is better not to risk it.

Find out if you can eat melon on an empty stomach.

What melon can be combined with

If you want to diversify the menu and cook some dish from melon, there are many recipes. You can, for example, make a fruit salad. Which fruit will be tastiest with you is up to you, depending on your own preferences. It is perfectly combined with all berries, with apricots, peaches, pears, pineapples and bananas. It is also worth preparing a melon salad with cheese and grapes.

Many believe that melon and fish are incompatible. However, in the Middle East it is popular to serve this fruit as a side dish for fish. In the Mediterranean countries, in the tradition of serving with meat and ham, in Spain you can often see melon with jamon, and in neighboring Italy with prosciutto.

However, although there are many recipes and combinations, nutritionists advise carefully or not at all to combine fresh melon with other products. With bread you can eat jam or jam, cooked from a fragrant fruit, drink tea and coffee.

Did you know? 25% of the melons consumed in the world come from China. This country grows 8 million tons of melons annually.

How to use

Due to the fiber contained in the melon, it is considered a rather heavy product. Therefore, it is best to use it on an empty stomach in the morning or in between main meals. The interval should be 2 hours after or after a meal, otherwise a feeling of heaviness in the stomach cannot be avoided.

It is worth eating this fruit in small portions - an excess of minerals and vitamins can harm the body. And because of the very high glycemic index of melon, after an hour the body may require the next meal. Important! If you eat a small amount of fruit at night, you can overcome insomnia. However, the pancreas will experience stress, so you need to be careful not to eat too much juicy pulp. After its use, it is better to refrain from dairy products. With what it is definitely not recommended to mix the fruit, it is with cottage cheese, kefir and eggs, so as not to cause violent gas formation in the stomach.

The fragrant product can be consumed with coffee. In the process of brewing coffee in a Turk, add a couple of small pieces of dried or fresh pulp there, and then drink coffee and enjoy the unusual taste of the drink.

Tips for choosing a good melon

Consider the main selection criteria for this fruit:

1. It needs to be bought "in season", that is, during its natural maturation. The most suitable period is from July to September.
2. Sniff your favorite fruit. The pleasant aroma that is felt from the peel indicates maturity.
3. The largest amount of pesticides and nitrates accumulate in the peel and in the area of ​​the cuttings. Therefore, when used, it is necessary to cut off another 1 cm of pulp from the skin in order to rid the body of the possible ingress of toxic substances.
4. The appearance of the fetus should be perfect. There should be no cracks, cuts, dents on it. If there are flaws, then there are harmful microorganisms inside.
5. The aroma should be bright, saturated.
6. The peel should be soft, the stalk should be thick, the thickness of a pencil.
7. When tapping, the pumpkin should make a dull sound.
8. With full ripeness, the upper layer, if scratched, is easily removed.

Read what to do with unripe melon and how to choose ripe.

So, melon is a very healthy and nutritious fruit. It helps in the treatment of many ailments, and also strengthens the human immune system. But you must be careful and accurate when using it and, if possible, do not mix it with certain products.