It’s the first time you hear about kiwano. Here we detail everything about this exotic fruit the kiwano, benefits and contraindications.
The horned melon or kiwano (botanical name Cucumis metuliferus) is a delicious fruit from the Cucurbitaceae family. This family also includes cucumber, cantaloupe, squash, squash, gourds, watermelon, and watermelons.
It is native to the Kalahari desert in southern Africa. It is currently grown in parts of the US (such as California or Mississippi), Portugal, Germany, Italy, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia.
This fruit is also known as African horned melon, gakag, African horned cucumber, jelly melon, melano, spiked pears, covered gourd, or puffer fish fruit.
What does the fruit taste like? This fruit has a combination of lime-green and yellow-orange skin, a texture similar to that of a cucumber, and gelatinous flesh with a sour taste.
The flavor of the fruit has been compared to a mixture of zucchini and cucumber or a combination of cucumber, banana and lime. However, when it is very ripe, the flavor of the banana will start to feel better.
The seeds are covered in a gel-like substance and can be eaten like a pomegranate. These seeds are full of antioxidants like y-tocopherol and α-tocopherol, which are organic types of vitamin E.
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Nutritional properties
The fruit consists of more than 89% water and is a source of minerals, such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, zinc, selenium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus; vitamins, such as – A, B1, B3, B5, B6, B9 (folate), C, E, K; fiber; omega 3 and 6 fatty acids; protein.
Some people eat the peel, which is very rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C.
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Kiwano health benefits
bone health Vitamin K is capable of opposing many of the major chronic diseases in Americans today, including atherosclerosis and diabetes, because it has the unique ability to activate proteins involved in preventing these diseases.
Scientists have also shown that vitamin K is also involved in building bones.
A 1999 study at the Harvard Department of Medicine, Boston, USA, concluded that women who get at least 110 micrograms of this important vitamin daily are 30 percent less likely to break a hip than women who they get less of it.
100 g of this fruit contain 14% of vitamin K of the recommended daily intake.
prevents anemia Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control, with nearly 10% of women considered iron deficient.
Iron is needed to make hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body to cells.
Additionally, dietary iron is particularly beneficial for the health of T cells (a type of lymphocyte essential for human immunity) and the ability of white blood cells to consume bacteria. 100 g of this fruit contain 14% iron of the recommended daily intake.
Increases the performance of physical exercise Magnesium plays many important roles in the health of your brain and body. Numerous studies have shown that consuming magnesium-rich foods can increase exercise performance for athletes.
According to a 2014 study, this mineral helps remove lactic acid and move blood sugar into the muscles, which can build up in the muscles during physical exercise and cause pain. 100 g of this fruit contain 10% magnesium of the recommended daily intake.
Reduce stress Vitamin C is important for the growth and repair of tissues in our body and since the body does not store vitamin C in its tissues, we need a daily intake.
Additionally, vitamin C helps the body deal with stress by reducing elevated levels of stress hormones. 100 g of this fruit contain 6% of vitamin C of the recommended daily intake.
improve your vision Beta-carotene is a molecule that is easily transformed by the body into vitamin A that has potent antioxidant functions that help the body scavenge free radicals and thereby limit damage to DNA, cell membranes, and protein structures in tissues. .
Additionally, beta-carotene is converted to retinal (a polyene chromophore) which is crucial for vision, and eventually to retinoic acid for cell growth, including in the eye. 100 g of this fruit contain 5% of vitamin A of the recommended daily intake.
skin health Zinc is responsible for many different functions in the human body and also helps stimulate the activity of 100 types of enzymes.
Additionally, zinc is required for the production of collagen, the main component of connective tissue that is required for skin regeneration and repair.
Additionally, this mineral prevents cell damage in the retina, which helps slow the progression of vision loss and AMD, according to a 2001 study. 100 g of this fruit contain 4% zinc of the recommended daily intake.
Prevention of Autoimmune Diseases and Diabetes In 2016, a study from the Australian National University established that consuming enough omega-3s in the first year of life is strongly associated with a reduced risk of many autoimmune diseases and type 1 diabetes.
Also, omega-3 supplements do not reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes, so it is best to eat whole foods. 100 g of this fruit contain 19% of omega 3 of the recommended daily intake.
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Contraindications and side effects of Kiwano
There are no known side effects of consuming this fruit. However, consuming the fruit before it is ripe can cause stomach problems.
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Selection and storage
Before buying it, be sure to choose a fruit without blemishes and bruises, not too hard and orange in color (the brighter the orange peel, the sweeter the fruit pulp). Also, it’s ideal to buy a fruit with the horns intact, as damaged horns can be an indication of difficult handling.
Immature kiwano can be stored at room temperature for approximately 10 to 14 days, although it will keep for a few weeks under refrigeration. A ripe fruit will last 3-4 days at normal room temperature.
This fruit can be eaten when fully ripe. A common method of eating the fruit is to cut it in half and then take pieces with a spoon.
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