Dried melon: benefits and harms to the body

Even in the Bible, melon was mentioned. This is a fragrant, nutritious sweet berry weighing no more than 10 kg. But there are fruits reaching 25 kg. Melon is known all over the world, as it is not only a delicious fruit, but also healthy.

There are many different varieties of this pleasant berry. Melons can vary in shape, weight, color, size, but their main advantage is one - the fruits give people health, beauty, strength and youth.

They learned to dry melon in ancient times along with other fruits. In value, it is the same as a fresh fruit, and for the hostess it is salvation. At any time, you can prepare a gourmet dish that will not be difficult to surprise guests if you use a dried fruit. For most adults and children, dried melon is a favorite treat.

For drying, only the best, healthy fruits are selected, without damage. And there is no need to talk about usefulness. In the process of drying, vitamins, trace elements, minerals are not lost. Such a berry is not only pleasant to taste, but also very nutritious. But do not think that dried melon is very high in calories. It's not like that at all. The product per 100 g contains only 341 kcal, so you can safely consume it with diets without fear of getting fat. Moreover, the composition of the melon contains mostly water, so ladies should not be afraid for their weight.

Composition and calorie content

Let's now look at the composition of your favorite dried product and find out what its usefulness and value are.

• Carbohydrates - 82.2 g
• Proteins - 0.7 g
• Fats - 0.1 g
• Dietary fiber - 0.9 g
• Water - 9 g
• Ash - 0.6 g
• Organic acids - 0.2 g
• Starch - 0.1 g
• Monosaccharides + disaccharides - 7.3 g

The beneficial properties of dried melon are explained by the high content of vitamins and minerals in the product.

It contains:

• Vitamins of group B (B2, B3, B5, B6, B9).
• Vitamin A (retinol).
• Vitamin E (tocopherol).
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
• Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid).

If we talk about the minerals contained in the fetus, then the largest amount in it will be potassium. In addition to it, dried melon contains:

• phosphorus;
• calcium;
• sodium;
• magnesium;
• iron;
• chlorine;
• iodine;
• fluorine;
• zinc;
• copper;
• manganese;
• sulfur.

As you can see, the usefulness of the dried product is obvious, and there is no arguing here. Melon is not only tasty and nutritious, but also has healing properties precisely because of its composition.

What is the use of dried melon

General benefit

Dried melon is one of the varieties of dried fruits. You can consume it as a separate snack or as an additive in salads, sandwiches, pastries and even ice cream. The fruit is dried in special chambers. At home, it is possible to dry a melon, but it is necessary to observe a number of rules, which we will talk about later.

With home drying, the product may lose a certain amount of vitamin C. But the remaining trace elements important for the human body, vitamins and amino acids will be preserved. Dried melon is an excellent tool in the fight against anxiety and stress. She is able to maintain beauty and youth. With its consumption, a person provides himself with internal sun protection, normalizes the acid-base balance in the body.

1. Thanks to the potassium, which is part of the product, the work of the heart improves, the muscles strengthen, the water balance normalizes, and the nerves calm down. Potassium salts remove excess fluid from the body and relieve swelling.
2. Sodium helps to avoid dehydration, get rid of cramps, nausea.
3. Probably everyone knows about calcium, that it is indispensable for bone tissue and teeth.
4. Magnesium is the basis of a person’s normal mental state.
5. The presence of phosphorus is useful not only for teeth and bones, but also for the eyes. The lack of this element leads to weakness, fatigue, distraction, loss of attention and appetite. And in the melon there is enough of it to improve your condition and cheer up.

Regular consumption of dried melon fruit in food:

• improves heart function;
• cleanse the liver of toxins;
• will remove kidney stones;
• normalizes the work of the gallbladder;
• help in the fight against fears and insomnia;
• restore strength after an illness;
• prevent vitamin deficiency;
• strengthens bones;
• relieve constipation;
• reduce the symptoms of menopause;
• rejuvenates the body;
• will improve the condition of nails and hair;
• keep tan.

For women

Dried fruit can help women cope during menopause. Folic acid in its composition normalizes the hormonal background, thereby reducing unpleasant symptoms.

In addition, the product strengthens blood vessels, muscle tissue, bones, thereby rejuvenating a woman. Melon strengthens the body and enhances resistance to harmful bacteria and viruses. Its regular consumption improves appetite, mood, raises vitality.

Melon delicacy can help women and get rid of skin problems. Dried fruits will not only remove all acne on the skin and make it clean, but also smooth wrinkles. The fruit will be useful for the hair. It makes them stronger, shinier and thicker.

It is known that melon, including dried, helps to tan better. And with it, the tan on the body will remain longer. It does not matter where you had to get sun baths: in the solarium, or in the sun, the result will be the same.

For men

In addition to the beneficial properties of the dried product listed above, it has a special effect on the male body. It is proved that regular consumption of such dried fruits enhances male strength and sexual desire. Dried melon will make a man active not only during the day, but also at night.

Iron contained in the composition of the product and other useful active elements will improve blood, increase vital activity and working capacity, help to cope with stress, give a man confidence and increase his self-esteem.

During pregnancy

As you know, pregnant women are forbidden to consume much in food, so as not to harm the unborn baby. But doctors even recommend melon. The valuable amino acids, minerals and vitamins located in it are useful both to the woman herself in the position and to her unborn baby. Folic acid, which is present in the product, helps get rid of insomnia, overcome stressful situations, fatigue, loss of strength, which are so necessary for future mothers. In addition, melon will strengthen immunity and memory, normalize the hormonal background of the body. You just should not abuse the delicacy, so as not to harm yourself, and even more so to the child.

Magnesium contained in dry melon normalizes the expectant mother’s sleep, relieves cramps, and has a positive effect on cardiovascular activity.

When breastfeeding

A woman during lactation experiences a severe lack of important minerals, vitamins and protein for the body. One boiled meat and rice with buckwheat will not save. The body of a nursing mother needs good nutrition, because her baby eats milk. If the child does not have allergies, then eating dry melon is not only possible, but even necessary.

It has been proven that melon is able to increase the flow of milk into the mother’s breast, since by 90 the fetus consists of water. In addition, dried fruits will prevent the deposition of salts in the kidneys, as well as remove toxins.

All the necessary useful substances, vitamins and minerals, the baby will receive with breast milk.

The fiber in the melon normalizes the gastrointestinal tract. It will contribute to an increase in the number of lactic acid bacteria that are beneficial to the body. Thanks to it, weight is normalized and excess fluid is excreted.

It will also be beneficial for the baby to receive vitamins through milk.When eating dry melon during lactation, the child develops the immune, nervous and circulatory system correctly.

An increased level of serotonin contained in the fetus will improve the mood of both - the mother and her baby. Melon contains a large amount of vitamin C and iron, which can raise hemoglobin in the body and improve the functioning of blood vessels. In addition, C-vitamin will relieve inflammation, if any, in a child or mother.

For a woman, the use of dry melon after childbirth will also be useful because it quickly restores skin elasticity, since silicon and zinc have antioxidant properties. They will have a positive effect on skin regeneration and the production of collagen and elastin.

For kids

If the child has not noticed an allergic reaction to melon, then it can be given from 9 months. First you need to set a small dose for the sample - drop by drop, gradually increasing the dosage. Older children can be given pulp. Only from the age of 4 can you try dry melon. Perhaps they will like it and have a beneficial effect on the development of the child's body.

Melon is useful for almost all organs, including the organs of vision. It helps to increase the growth of the child, strengthening the immune and nervous system, intestines, heart, stomach. Carbohydrates, fats, fiber in the product are easily absorbed by the body and have a beneficial effect on the development of children.

When losing weight

Dried melon when losing weight will be simply indispensable. When a person is on a diet, his body lacks sweets. Sweets and chocolate will not help, but dried fruit made from melon will be able to fill the need and will not affect the weight.

The melon itself, and even more so in its dry form, contains a scanty amount of fat. It is not high-calorie, but it has natural sugar, fiber and almost 90% of water. Thanks to this, it is easy to satisfy hunger with its help, and due to fiber to effectively cleanse the intestines. The beneficial substances contained in the product will not allow the body to weaken during the diet.

Harm and contraindications

Dried melon can be harmful if misused or mixed with incompatible products. They do not recommend eating melon with sour-milk products, alcohol or honey together. These incompatible foods can be detrimental to health by causing an eating disorder.

There are two important features to keep in mind:

1. The product contains sugar.
2. Such dried fruits are difficult for some people and can cause difficulty in digesting.

It is not recommended to consume dried melon:

• people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• children under one year old;
• diabetics.

How to store dried melon

For storage of dried melon use the usual linen bags or cling film. Prepared, well-dried melon can be wrapped and put in a secluded place in the apartment. In winter, it will be pleasant to enjoy your favorite berry.

You can store dried or dried melon in ordinary glass jars. Lay the prepared melon slices in an upright position and close the container tightly with a lid so that air does not enter.

How to dry a melon

Preparing dried melon yourself will be much more useful and economical. In stores, such a product costs a lot of money.

First you need to prepare it. You need to know that not all varieties can be suitable for drying and storage.

What melon is better to take for drying

A feature of fresh melon is that it can not be stored for a long time. In addition, not all varieties may be suitable for drying and curing. It is necessary to choose a fruit with hard flesh. These varieties include:

• Gulaby;
• Torpedo;
• Collective farmer;
• Pineapple

For the preparations for future use, only fruits that are not damaged by anything are selected. Size is better to take medium.There are many varieties of melons, which differ not only in form, but also in content. Some melons are too juicy and are hardly suitable for drying. It is better to choose a variety of medium juiciness so that the drying time does not take too long a time period. After all, it is known that melon is 90% water. And when drying the product, you need to evaporate all the moisture from the slices. The usual process takes no more than 12 hours, and it is necessary that not a single gram of water is left in pieces of melon.

How to fade

To get the dried pieces of melon at home, you need to cut the fruit along, while leaving a jumper on top. This is done so that you can place two slices from different sides on a rope or wire. The thickness of the cut pieces should be no more than 4 cm. Place the prepared slices on a prepared rope stretched in advance. Drying should be carried out outdoors, so if the process takes place in an apartment, it is advisable to provide a sufficient amount of air.

Drying time is about 2 weeks. Slices must be checked and turned daily so that the moisture evaporates evenly.

You need to know that during shrinkage, the weight of the slices is reduced 10 times relative to their fresh state.

After the product is ready, it can be removed, braided in one braid, wrapped well in a film and left to be stored in a secluded place.

Dryer drying

Not everyone has electric dryers, but this household appliance is universal and can be useful for cooking any vegetable crops and fruits for the future. No need to pick up some kind of super-model. For blanks, the simplest technique is suitable.

Rinse the melon fruit well, wipe it dry with a towel and cut into two halves. Remove the seeds from it, get rid of the peel and prepare for drying only the sweet part of the melon. The unsweetened part will be tasteless.

The next step is the preparation of the dryer. Turn it on for five minutes and cover. Remove the pallets and, while the unit is warming, cut the melon into thin slices. The thickness of the slices should not be more than 1 cm (preferably even 0.5 cm). Long pieces also should not be so that they can fit on a pallet.

When the machine heats up, lay out the prepared pieces. They should not be in contact with each other, some distance must be left between them. It is important to get warm air not only below and above, it is necessary that the slices are blown from the sides. The temperature for drying is set at 70 degrees. Dry at least 10 hours. Time will depend on the type of melon and its juiciness.

The pallets must be interchanged periodically so that the evaporation of moisture is uniform. The equipment will also need rest, so it should be turned off for 10 minutes so that it does not burn out.

Oven drying

There is an oven in every home, so drying in this way will not require additional costs. This is a classic product procurement method used by our mothers and grandmothers. Cooked dried melon from the oven will not be any different from a product from an electric dryer. Even the cooking time will be faster, since you do not have to let the stove rest.

The preparation of the fetus is the same as when drying in the unit: rinse well, dry, remove seeds and peel. Cut the slices into thin layers and place on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 70 degrees. Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remember that there is a lot of liquid in the melon, so the slices will begin to give off a lot of moisture when dried. For this reason, there are two solutions to the problem:

1. Leave the oven door open so that moisture can evaporate without problems.
2. Permanently change the parchment (after 3 hours) so that the slices are not in the water.

Used parchment paper can immediately be dried on an additional grid or baking sheet and reused.

The process will take the same 10 hours. Do not leave the oven unattended for this time! Check and control the drying process regularly.

Interesting facts about melon

Melon is loved by both adults and children. It is a juicy, fragrant and delicious yellow fruit. She loves heat very much, therefore she practically does not take root in Russia. But she is well known in hot countries. So among the Arabs, melon was considered the gift of the gods from the Garden of Eden. In the Ancient East, she was praised and praised. She was a symbol of female beauty. Today, more than 200 varieties of melons are known. The first mention of the product was from Egypt, that country is considered its homeland.

Consider a few well-known facts about fragrant melon.

1. The melon contains a sufficient amount of fiber and alkali, due to which the human body is cleansed. Regular use of the product will remove toxins and thoroughly clean the intestines.
2. The Yubari King melon variety grown in Japan is considered the most unique. It has a unique taste and aroma. Melon of this variety has a delicate pulp, it is quite juicy, mouth-watering and sweet. The variety is sold only through auctions, where the price for a couple can reach up to several thousand $. To be more precise - $ 20,000.
3. In China, nearly 8,000,000 tons of this berry are grown every year.
4. In Central Asia, a sort of cucumber-like melon is known. The pulp of the fruit is quite juicy, but not very sweet. They called this variety serpentine.
5. In Central Asia and the Caucasus, a variety called Cucumis microcarpus is grown. The taste of this melon resembles strawberries. It is ideal for preserving stewed fruit and other delicacies.

Conclusion
As we see, it is impossible to dispute the benefits of melon. The farmers who are engaged in the cultivation of melons are laid out in the work at 100% to get a decent harvest and to please people with tasty, fragrant and healthy melons. Enterprising housewives also found a way to please their loved ones with their favorite delicacy in the winter. They learned to dry and dry the melon in order to be able to receive not only dainty, but also vitamins all year round.

It must be remembered that everything should be in moderation. This also applies to eating melons. Regardless of whether the fruit is dried or fresh, do not abuse it. Melon is not the easiest product and can harm your health.

But still there are more positive points than negative ones. If melon is able to improve mood and strengthen the vitality of a person, then this is a useful berry. So why not prepare it for the future, enjoying the pleasant taste all year long and getting the vitamins necessary for the body.

Photo of dried melon