This article has been Fact-Checked by Kendall Kennedy MS, RD, RYT
Even foods like fruits that are considered to be healthy can sometimes lead to weight gain. Find out whether cantaloupe is good for weight loss.
Cantaloupe is relatively low in calories, high in water, and offers you a bit of extra fiber.
This combination means it is fair to say that cantaloupe is good for weight loss.
By adding this food to your diet, you will likely feel fuller and in turn consume less of other foods that are less helpful for losing weight.
At the same time, you want to keep in mind that just adding cantaloupe to your diet may not be enough to see results. You also need to make these other changes.
Additionally, there are a variety of important nutrients that play a role in losing weight and health that cantaloupe does not offer. The rest of your diet plan needs to be good too.
Calories in cantaloupe
If you are trying to lose weight you have likely heard that the calories in foods like cantaloupe can be important. And while the total number is not the only thing that matters, it does indeed influence your results.
100 grams of raw cantaloupe contains around 34 calories (1). One whole medium cantaloupe of 552 grams contains around 188 calories.
Even compared to other fruits that help weight loss, cantaloupe is relatively low in calories. This is generally helpful when trying to lose weight.
29.6 of the calories above come from carbohydrates (8.8 g per 100 grams of which 0.9 g fiber). You can fit in some cantaloupe on keto and other low-carb diets but you may have to limit your portions.
That aside, while you still want to find out what other sources these calories come from, cantaloupe looks relatively good in a weight loss context for now.
Micronutrients in cantaloupe
The first thing to look at is the amount of micronutrients in cantaloupe.
Micronutrients are a group of nutrients your body absolutely needs to survive and thrive. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. These are involved in basically every aspect of your health, including weight loss.
100 grams of cantaloupe provides you with approximately (1):
- Vitamin A: 68% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin C: 61% of the DV
- Potassium: 8% of the DV
- Folate: 5% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. The amount of vitamin A and vitamin C in cantaloupe is great and some extra potassium and folate are usually welcome.
That being said, overall, cantaloupe is not the greatest source of vitamins and minerals.
Cantaloupe also contains antioxidants, substances that can help your body deal with oxidative stress.
Fiber in cantaloupe for weight loss
Another very important factor for weight loss is the amount of fiber in your food.
Cantaloupe contains around 0.9 grams of fiber per 100 grams (1).
That’s not a lot of fiber per 100 grams compared to many other whole foods.
Fiber has multiple benefits for weight loss. First of all, it feeds your microbiome, the microbes that live in your intestines. The health of your microbiome influences your body’s health and weight. Feeding it well is usually not a bad idea.
Fiber also helps you feel less hungry without adding a lot of calories to your diet. Hunger and cravings can be a big pitfall for people trying to lose weight, so avoiding this is a big plus.
With the amount of fiber in cantaloupe you can reduce the time you spend craving for food a small amount. Other foods can offer you more fiber with a smaller volume of food.
Will cantaloupe help you lose weight?
Cantaloupe is relatively low in calories, offers you a bit of fiber, and contains a lot of water.
This makes this fruit relatively filling. In turn, you could consume less of other foods that are less helpful for losing weight.
If that is the case, you can say that adding cantaloupe to your diet can help you lose weight.
On the flip side, only eating more cantaloupe but changing nothing in the rest of your routine will likely not lead to weight loss. You still need to make these other changes to see results.
Additionally, you want to keep in mind that there are a variety of other nutrients that are important for losing weight and health that cantaloupe does not offer.
Just doing something like a cantaloupe diet where you barely eat other foods will typically not give the best results in the long term.
Can you eat too much cantaloupe?
Cantaloupe is high in vitamin A. Too much vitamin A from animal sources and supplements can cause adverse effects. Higher amounts of the vitamin A found in cantaloupe and other plants does not seem to have the same effect (2).
That means that it’s hard to eat too much cantaloupe.
You do have to keep in mind that the more cantaloupe you eat the less appetite you will have for other foods. Cantaloupes are not the most nutrient-dense food there is. It’s important to have variety in your diet.
Exactly how many cantaloupe you can eat every day depends from person to person and from diet to diet. In general, cantaloupe should not play too big of a role in your diet.
Does cantaloupe help you lose belly fat?
Targetting fat loss in a specific area like your belly is generally not possible. Not by eating more of a specific food or by doing a specific exercise. To lose belly fat you have to lose weight overall.
Since cantaloupe can help you lose weight in general this fruit can also help you lose belly fat once your body wants to lose fat in that area.
Cantaloupe vs other melons for weight loss
You now know that cantaloupe will most likely help you lose weight but how does it compare to certain other melons? Find out how good cantaloupe is for weight loss vs watermelon and honeydew.
Cantaloupe vs honeydew
Honeydew is another popular variety of melon. If you look at calories, honeydew contains about the same amount. Honeydew contains around 36 calories per 100 grams vs the 34 calories per 100 grams of cantaloupe (3).
In terms of fiber, these fruits are about the same. Cantaloupe contains around 0.9 grams of fiber per 100 grams, honeydew 0.8 grams. Cantaloupe contains more vitamins and minerals, for vitamin C and vitamin A a rather significant amount.
In short, cantaloupe is likely better for weight loss than honeydew if you look at these numbers.
Cantaloupe vs watermelon
Watermelon is most likely the most popular variety of melon out there. Watermelon is a small amount lower in calories than cantaloupe, 30 calories per 100 grams (4).
The amount of fiber in both of these melons is a relatively high difference. Fiber is very important for weight loss. Watermelon contains around 0.4 grams of fiber per 100 grams, cantaloupe 0.9 grams. Cantaloupe is also higher in vitamins and minerals.
The difference in fiber makes cantaloupe most likely a better choice than watermelon for weight loss.
Chart of cantaloupe vs other melons
There is a difference in how good these melons are for weight loss but the difference is very small. The best choice is most likely the one you enjoy most, in terms of weight loss it won’t matter that much.
The amount of vitamins and minerals in the foods does matter for weight loss and health but you can’t simplify that in one number. You can check out the numbers for cantaloupe (1), honeydew (3), and watermelon (4) to compare.
| Values Per 100g | Cantaloupe | Honeydew | Watermelon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 34 calories | 36 calories | 30 calories |
| Fiber | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 0.4 g |
Healthy uses for cantaloupe
Cantaloupe makes for a great snack on its own but it also combines great with other healthy foods. Here are some healthy dishes you can combine with cantaloupe:
