Apologies to all the kings out there, no pun intended. We are talking about one king alone, the king of fruits: Mango.
It’s January and Mango is already in the market, albeit not the best quality & bit pricey too. But the temptation to eat a mango is not resistible.
Apparently fibrous content in mangoes can not only de-clutter things at the colon and avoid constipation but also seems to take care of the whole gastro-intestinal system.
The reason is a soluble dietary fibre present abundantly in mangoes called pectin. The pectin can also inhibit the action of galectin 9 protein present in cancerous cells and thus reduce the chance of gastrointestinal cancers.
Not enough?
There is another anti-inflammatory agent called lupeol, found in mangoes, effective to suppress the tumour cells of prostate cancer. Also a phenolic present in mangoes have powerful antioxidant an anticancer properties. Seems the king who prevents constipation is actually the king who fights cancer!
In old days, the country side had children and teenagers with slingshot to shoot down mangoes and other edibles from trees (now it is angry birds in mobile to shoot down pigs!). To shoot down things they required keen eye sight other than skill. Well, this was actually a chain reaction.
Mangoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A, contributing much to one’s eye sight and functioning. They are still an adequate home remedy for dry eyes condition. Another healing trait of mango, anti-oxidants in them can repair skin and reduce acne. Beauticians might be well aware of the role of mango in fruit facial.
Mango also contains Vitamin E which is known to improve male sex hormone Testosterone. It’s also good source of calcium & iron content, so ideal for women with arthritis or joints pain issues.
So far so good – what’s bad?
- A 100gm serving of mango contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates with a GI index of 56. So it gives you an instant energy boost by releasing the sugar quickly to the blood cell. If you are diabetic watchout your portions.
- If you have very young kids and elderly parents/in-laws control their mango portion. Mango is fantastic fruit in moderation, but if eaten excessively can cause loose motion (diarrhea)
- Both mango & jackfruit (another seasonal fruit) has high sugar content which can cause weight gain. But that should not be a reason not to eat. Eat mango & burn excess calories!
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Last Word
Seasonal fruits are nature’s gift to human-being with distinctive features and benefits. I’m yet to find a man (& woman) who says NO to mango. Let’s welcome the summer & eat plenty of mangos this season.
Sheetal Sharma, Msc. ‘Applied Nutrition’ is the medical editor & co-founder of HealthBuzzPortal. Being a Yoga enthusiasts she likes exploring alternative remedies.
