Mango like any fruit is a storehouse of essential nutrients. Consuming seasonal fruits has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions. But like all things too much of anything can reverse its benefits.
Eating a single mango is great for health but eating too many can lead to weight gain. Nutritional Information: A medium sized mango weighs around 200gms and provides 150kcal combined with 28gms of carbohydrates, protein and negligible amount of fat. Sucrose, the healthy complex carbohydrates available in mangoes are a great source for your daily dose of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
The rich content of fiber, magnesium, iron and antioxidants makes mangoes an overall nutritious fruit that too with zero amount of cholesterol. Mango also has a medium glycemic index ranging from 41-60 making them safe enough to eat in moderation.
Health Benefits of Mangoes:
- Helps in digestion: Mango is rich in fiber and water content, therefore, it may help you in preventing constipation while promoting regularity in digestive tract and keeping it healthy as well.
- Lowers Cholesterol: Mango is rich in fiber, pectin and vitamin C, which helps in lowering serum cholesterol levels
- Asthma prevention: Studies have shown that people who consume more of antioxidants and beta-carotene have less probability of developing asthma and mango is one of the fruits, which contains beta-carotene.
- Bone health: Apart from calcium and vitamin D, various vitamins also play key role in keeping your bones healthy. Low intake of vitamin K have been associated with a higher risk for bone fracture. Adequate vitamin K consumption can be achieved by proper intake of fruits and vegetables, and is important for improving calcium absorption essential for optimal bone health. 1 medium mango contains about 15 mg of vitamin K
- Eye Health: One cup of sliced mango supplies 25 percent of your daily Vitamin A requirement, which promotes good eyesight, prevents night blindness and dry eyes
- Boosts Immune system: The good amount of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangoes with various kinds of flavonoids keeps your immune system healthy and strong.
- Prevents Heart diseases: The fiber, potassium and vitamin content in mangoes helps in keeping your heart healthy. An increase in potassium intake along with a decrease in sodium intake is the most important dietary change that a person can make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
In India, people usually like to have mangoes after meals. So, when you add mangoes to your diet it means you are adding calories without substituting them with something else from your diet. These additional calories can lead to weight gain. So, it is always better to have mangoes in place of mid-morning or evening snacks. This way you can enjoy the delicious taste of seasonal fruit without worrying about the additional calories.
Some low calorie healthy mango preparations are:
Low Calorie Mango Smoothie–
Peel and chop mango into small pieces. Take fresh low fat yogurt and blend till it smoothens. Add chopped mangoes and mix well. Your fruit yogurt is ready. Though it is not required to add sugar into it but if you feel you can add half teaspoon in the yogurt at the time of blending. 1 cup of mango yogurt gives approximately 150 kcal (without sugar)