There’s a way to avoid plowing through the whole table of chips and dips at the barbecue this weekend.
Choose water-filled fruit for your first nibbles -- like slices of juicy ripe cantaloupe. According to Jonny Bowden, PhD, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, eating foods with high water content tends to be even more filling than chugging water with your meal.
An Orange Oasis
Cantaloupe flesh is 90 percent water -- which means it’s a wonderful paradox for the calorie conscious. It makes you feel really full when it’s in your stomach, but it’s really low in calories: An entire large cantaloupe has only 277 calories. What’s in that other 10 percent, you ask? Loads of good stuff, like blood-pressure-friendly potassium (427 milligrams per cup of cubed cantaloupe) and cancer-fighting beta carotene (3,000 micrograms). Use this online tool to find more foods that are high in potassium and beta carotene.
Melon Makeovers
Fresh cantaloupe at the peak of ripeness is pretty hard to beat and doesn’t necessarily need much accompaniment. But if you’re feeling creative, try some of these summer-inspired recipes from EatingWell:
RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.
RealAge Smart Search: Find more delicious ways to use in-season summer melons with RealAge Smart Search.
Take the RealAge Test
Choose water-filled fruit for your first nibbles -- like slices of juicy ripe cantaloupe. According to Jonny Bowden, PhD, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, eating foods with high water content tends to be even more filling than chugging water with your meal.
An Orange Oasis
Cantaloupe flesh is 90 percent water -- which means it’s a wonderful paradox for the calorie conscious. It makes you feel really full when it’s in your stomach, but it’s really low in calories: An entire large cantaloupe has only 277 calories. What’s in that other 10 percent, you ask? Loads of good stuff, like blood-pressure-friendly potassium (427 milligrams per cup of cubed cantaloupe) and cancer-fighting beta carotene (3,000 micrograms). Use this online tool to find more foods that are high in potassium and beta carotene.
Melon Makeovers
Fresh cantaloupe at the peak of ripeness is pretty hard to beat and doesn’t necessarily need much accompaniment. But if you’re feeling creative, try some of these summer-inspired recipes from EatingWell:
- Turn your melon into an Italian-style lunch salad: Melon Panzanella.
- Use it to start a light, refreshing summer meal: Chilled Melon Soup.
- Freeze it into a treat that’ll help you ignore the ice cream truck: Cantaloupe Ice Pops.
RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.
RealAge Smart Search: Find more delicious ways to use in-season summer melons with RealAge Smart Search.
Take the RealAge Test