Cantaloupe
Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps
Cantaloupe is mostly water and natural sugar, but it still packs a real dose of vitamin C and vitamin A into every juicy bite.
Stage by stage
- Chewing & Release (Mouth): Chewing breaks down the melon's cell walls, releasing its water-soluble vitamin C and carotenoid-rich juice.
- Fast Gastric Transit (Stomach): Cantaloupe's roughly 90% water content and low fiber let it move through the stomach quickly, requiring little breakdown.
- Absorption in the Gut (Small Intestine): In the small intestine, beta-carotene is absorbed with dietary fat while vitamin C, potassium, and folate are absorbed through their own transporters.
- Storage & Circulation (Liver & Bloodstream): The liver converts and stores much of the absorbed beta-carotene as vitamin A for later use, while vitamin C and potassium circulate in the bloodstream almost immediately.
Timing
Cantaloupe is commonly eaten alone as a fast-digesting snack, but pairing a serving with a small amount of fat, such as nuts, yogurt, or cottage cheese, improves absorption of its beta-carotene.
Time to effect
- Hours to weeks: Vitamin C from cantaloupe raises blood levels within a few hours, while the beta-carotene it supplies needs weeks of regular intake to meaningfully build vitamin A body stores.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.
In season
June to September in the northern hemisphere, December to March in the southern.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 24 kcal per 100 g that is 1.0 kg of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
1.1 kg CO2e and 199 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Other fruit" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £3 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 23.9
- Protein: 0.6g
- Carbohydrate: 4.8g
- of which sugars: 4.8g
- Fat: 0g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 1g
- Sodium: 16mg
Food vs. supplement
A 100 g serving of cantaloupe provides vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber together for only 34 calories, and unlike high-dose beta-carotene supplements, whole-food carotenoids from cantaloupe carry no evidence of increased cancer risk in smokers.
Kitchen tip
Wash and scrub the whole rind under running water with a clean produce brush before cutting, and refrigerate cut cantaloupe promptly, since it is a low-acid, high-moisture fruit that can support bacterial growth.
Common myth
"Cantaloupe is basically sugar water, so it isn't very nutritious." In reality: Per USDA FoodData Central, 100 grams of raw cantaloupe (34 calories) supplies about 41% of the Daily Value for vitamin C and 19% for vitamin A, plus potassium and fiber, making it notably nutrient-dense relative to its calorie content despite being roughly 90% water.
Recipes that use it
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