Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information

Oftentimes, we go to great caloric lengths to cool down, whether it’s slurping down a fluorescent margarita by the pool or downing a teetering ice cream cone. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If there’s anything that melon’s good for, it’s cooling you down. And the refreshing capabilities of cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon go far beyond the category’s prominent presence in fruit salad. On the contrary, melon does wonders in a salad, adds creaminess to a cool soup or can be transformed into something entirely unexpected. Melon fettuccini, anyone? Unlike other ultra-tangy, sugary fruits, melon serves as a foundation for bigger things. Seriously, the options are endless.

Not only that, cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon are brimming with good-for-you nutrients. Really, this triumvirate of melons can do you some serious good. Now, when the juicy spheres are in season and at their peaks, there’s never been a better time to integrate melon into your diet.

And here’s the fun part. Take your pick from these ice-cold melon refreshers. Whether cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon or a mix of all three, these rejuvenating concoctions are perfect for slurping or scooping.

Melon Refreshers
Wine, Honeydew and Tarragon Granita (pictured above)
Thornton Melon-Ball
Spiked Watermelon Pops
Melon Smoothies
Watermelon, Lime and Mint Granita

More melon recipes from family and friends:

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Watermelon-Mint Freeze
What’s Gaby Cooking: Melon and Prosciutto Salad
Cooking With Elise: Quinoa Crunch With Melons, Blueberries and Yogurt
Haute Apple Pie: Watermelon and Feta Salad
Cooking Channel: Five Things to Make With Watermelon
Ingredients, Inc.: Melon-Arugula Salad
Daily*Dishin: Honeydew Melon Salad With Genoa Salami and Mozzarella Fresca
Made by Michelle: Cantaloupe Popsicles
Chez Us: Cantaloupe Lime Agua Fresca
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mixed Melon Smoothie
Virtually Homemade: Melon-Mint Popsicles
Thursday Night Dinner: Cantaloupe With Figs, Basil and Kalamata Olives
Zaika Zabardast: Cantaloupe Soup With Cardamom Infused Cherry Syrup
Sweet Life Bake: Paletas de Melon
HGTV Gardens: Garden-to-Table: Melons
FN Dish: There’s More to Melon