8 incredible healthy nutritional benefits to include Mangoes, the king of fruits in your diet
8 Incredible healthy nutritional benefits to include Mangoes, the king of fruits in your diet
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| Health benefits of mangoes as a healthy snack food |
What are mangoes??
Mangoes are amazing
golden-yellow tinted fleshed fruits which are packed with vitamins and minerals.
These vitamins and minerals aid the body in warding-off many diseases and
maintaining overall health, thus making them a whole food supplement.
What more can we learn about this succulent, aromatic, tropical, nutrient dense fruits??
Scientifically named as Mangifera Indica, mangoes, as we all know is an amazing bright yellow to pale orange colored fruit that exudes sweet fragrance making them too tempting to eat.
Having originated from India and typically grown in summer season, they belong to the drupe family (also known as the stone fruit) which has only one large, single seed in the middle.
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| Delicious mangoes with health benefits |
These are so juicy, delicious, sweet, soft, pulpy fleshed and so buttery to touch that only a few can manage to refuse them. No wonder it is called as the king of fruits and is one of the most popular and famous fruit across the whole globe.
In addition to these attributes, mangoes are loaded with various vitamins and minerals which has lot of health benefits and very compelling dietary profile.
In this post, learn about the various vitamins and minerals present in the fruit in great details. Explore the amazing benefits of the vitamins and minerals and know how to reap maximum of these benefits by including them in your diet.
What goodness does one cup (165 gms) of mangoes contain (1)??
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contents in 165 gm (1 cup) of sliced mangoes |
Reference Daily Intake (RDI) fulfilled by 1 cup of sliced mangoes |
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99 |
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1.4 gm |
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24.7 g |
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2.64 g |
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Fat |
0.6 g |
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Sugars |
22.5 g |
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71 mcg |
18% |
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15.08% |
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9.9% for males 12.73% for females |
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9.7% of the RDI |
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5% of the RDI |
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6.5% of the RDI |
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4% of the RDI |
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6% of the RDI for males, 7.7% for females |
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7% of the RDI |
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60.1 mcg |
70% for males 80% of females |
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Calcium |
1.2 mg |
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Iron |
0.264 mg |
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Sodium |
1.65 mg |
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Potassium |
277 mg |
6% of the RDI |
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Copper |
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20% of the RDI |
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Manganese |
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4.5% of the RDI |
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Magnesium |
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4% of the RDI |
It also contains phosphorus, selenium, antioxidants like zeaxanthin and lutein, fibers and water.
What are the health benefits of eating this delicious fruit??
Practically, there needs no reason for eating this sweet flavored delicacy, but knowing these benefits would definitely help to multiply your love for the fruit and a healthy reason for having an extra mango slice!!
1. Can mangoes boost immunity by strengthening the immune system (17)??
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| Mangoes have loads of vitamins like vitamin A,B, C, E, K, antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin! |
Mangoes provides vitamin A that is 10% of the RDI. Vitamin A is responsible for producing white blood cells and increases its activity. Research has also founf that it decreases your body’s susceptibility to various infections (16).
1 cup of mangoes (165 gms) provides 70% of the RDI for vitamin C. Vitamin C and carotenoids acts as an antioxidant and is responsible for boosting immunity and also improves the defense actions of the skin.
2. Do mangoes cause diabetes (4)??
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| Mangoes have a glycemic index of 51, thus can de enjoyed as a sweet snack by the diabetics! |
Most of the sweet foods cannot be enjoyed by the diabetic patient except this sweet fruit!! These fruits are known to have bioactive phytochemicals like mangiferin, antioxidants like beta carotene and polyphenols, dietary fiber which are therapeutic in nature.
Studies have been done and it has been found that mangoes have a glycemic index which ranges from 41- 60. Thus, the average glycemic index for mangoes stands at 51. Foods which have glycemic index of less than 55 is considered to be having a low glycemic index and can be enjoyed be enjoyed as a healthy food snack by the diabetics (15).
This indicates that when mangoes are consumed in moderation would not cause abrupt increase in the blood sugar levels and can be safely consumed.
Mangoes also have soluble dietary fibers like pectin which help in moderating the blood glucose levels. Studies have shown that oxidative stresses like auto- oxidation of the glucose molecules, decrease in glutathione levels intensifies the risk of developing diabetes (14). Thus, eating antioxidants filled fruits like mangoes will fight with the oxidant stressors in the body!!
3. Do mangoes promote a healthy heart (2)??
For a healthy heart, dietary changes are the most important. These changes involve increasing the potassium intake and decreasing the sodium intake.
Mangoes contain potassium which fulfills the 6% of the RDI, 11% of the Vitamin A, antioxidants like mangiferin, magnesium which fulfills the 4% of the RDI (13).
Potassium and Magnesium acts as a vasodilator which increases the diameter of the blood vessels which helps in blood transportation. This decreases the workload of the heart and promoting better cardiac function.
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| Mangoes have potassium, magnesium and mangiferin which promote a healthy heart!! |
Mangiferin is an antioxidant which has the ability to increase HDL cholesterol i.e. the good cholesterol, decrease the bad cholesterol like LDL, free fatty acids, triglycerides and thus decrease the risk of injuring the heart.
The antioxidants in the mango, the mangiferin and beta-carotene protect the heart cells from oxidative stress by preventing the oxidation of the cholesterol in the blood vessels and inflammation. This promotes healthy heart
4. Can mangoes protect you against cancer (3)??
What could be a sweeter way of evading cancer than eating mangoes!! Mangoes are polyphenol-rich fruit and contains various polyphenols like mangiferin, quercetin, kaempferol, rhamnetin, gallic and ellagic acids, catechins, anthocyanins and gallates.
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| Mangoes have pectin which stops cancer progression and tumor growth! |
These polyphenols are found to have antioxidant effects. They reduce DNA damage due to the oxidative stress which is the root cause of various diseases.
Apart from polyphenols, they have carotenoids, vitamin C, terpenoids in the juicy mango pulp which help the body to fight against various cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer liver cancer, leukemia (blood cancer), skin cancer
Lupeol is a triterpene which helps against prostate cancer (12).
5. Can mangoes improve the health of the gut (5)??
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| Polyphenols in mangoes promote the growth of bifidobacteria which help in bsorbing esssential nutrients! |
Mangoes are warehouse for dietary fibre called as pectin, digestive enzymes called as amylases, water, polyphenols, aldehydes, esters and terpenes.
Fibers present in the mango are known as pectin which is found more in green unripe mangoes than ripen yellow mangoes. These fibres increases the bulk of the content in the digestive tract, thus helping you to poop. Pooping effectively decreases the load on the digestive system and improves its health.
Amylases present in the mango helps to convert the complex carbohydrates into simple sugars i.e. the glucose which is easily absorbable thus aiding digestion.
Polyphenols like the mangiferin, catechin present in the mangoes promote the growth of the useful bacteria like the bifidobacteria in the colon which promotes absorption of the essential nutrients (11).
6. Do mangoes improve vision and promote healthy eyes (6)??
Human eye has two carotenoids: Lutein and Zeaxanthin are the powerful antioxidant carotenoids which are responsible for visual health. These are not produced by our body and needs to be taken. They convert the light rays that enters in the eyes into brain signals which can be detected.
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| Mangoes contain lutein and zeaxanthin which decreases the macular degeneration! |
They act as a sunblock and hence protect the retina and the lens from the harmful blue light, increases the visual range of the eyes as they are responsible for seeing various colours, decreases the glare discomfort as it is responsible for the barring the entry of excess harmful UV sunlight.
Mangoes contain both these antioxidants . Thus, eating mango may help you in decreasing the macular degeneration (10).
Deficiency of vitamin A causes serious eye health issues like night blindness, dry eyes and serious vitamin A deficiency causes corneal scarring. Beta- carotene, which is a precursor for synthesizing vitamin A is found in mangoes.
Eating mangoes would aid in improving the visual health. Vitamin A, which is also found in abundance in mangoes which improves the function of the cornea and decreases the possibility of macular degeneration thus improving the visual health.
7. Can you lose weight with mangoes (7)??
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| Dietary fibers in mango promotte weight loss!! |
Mangoes are truly a sweet way to lose weight!!!
The tropical fruit contain fibers, wide array of phytochemicals like mangiferin, gallic acid, vitamins and essential nutrients.
Mango peels as well as flesh extracts has wide range of Gallo-tannins are considered to be fat- busters which has demonstrated adipogenesis inhibition i.e. stopping the formation of the fat cells.
Fibers in mango flesh boosts weight loss as it gives a satiety effect for longer period of time and would decrease the urge of eating more. When the fruit eaten in moderation would be a healthy snack option and may promote weight loss (9).
Thus, changes in lifestyle and a healthy diet accompanied with sweet delight may promote weight loss!!
8. Does it do any good to the skin (8)??
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| Vitamin C in mangoes help in collagen production which is responsible for skin elasticity and preventing skin ageing! |
As this summer fruit is enriched with vitamin A and vitamin C, regular intake of it would help you in having a healthy skin!!
Vitamin A is a beta- carotene which acts as antioxidant. Being an antioxidant, it acts as a natural phytochemical. This phytochemical scavenges the free radicals that might have formed during the phytochemical reactions taking place on the epidermis of the skin and hence protecting the skin against the harmful UV rays.
Thus, it prevents premature ageing of the skin which is induced by the UV-B rays and improve the health of the skin.
Vitamin A is also responsible for developing and maintaining the various types of epithelial tissues found in the body as well as maintaining the sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands i.e. the oil glands are responsible for secretion of oil on the skin surface.
Moderating these glands would prevent under secretion as well as over secretion of the sebum by the sebaceous glands.
Thus, eating
mango would help to keep to skin the moist and healthy as well as prevent the
growth of acne due to over secretion of sebum!!
Consumption of 165 gms of mangoes (1 cup of sliced mangoes) would provide you with 60 mcg of vitamin C which is 70% of the RDI. Vitamin C is essential for production and maintenance of collagen in the body. Collagen is in turn responsible for elasticity of the skin. Consumption of the mangoes may prevent the skin from having premature wrinkle and sagging of the skin that is caused due to deficient production of collagen in the body!!
Conclusion:
As discussed above, mangoes apart from being the most sweet and delicious fruit, it can also be a very healthy snack. The fruit can be taken in moderation as a part of the regular diet.
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| Mangoes can be a part of your diet as a healthy food snack! |
They contain Vitamin like A, B-complex, C, E, K, minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, copper and selenium, antioxidants like lutein, zeaxanthin, mangiferin, beta carotenes, dietary fibres like pectin and water!!
It possesses many health benefits like boosting immunity, regulating the blood glucose levels, promotes the health of the heart, evades the risk of cancer, decreases the macular degeneration, promotes digestion, improves skin texture and many more.
You can also consult the doctor before consuming the fruit if you have any allergy towards the fruit.
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