Mango – Surprising Reasons For Adding Them In Your Diet!

Mango, the name itself showers, water in your mouth and develops and urge to have it the very right moment. Known as the king of the fruits, mangoes have always been the favorite of people of any age. The sweet and succulent taste it provides you with, is not only delicious to have but also beneficial for many health problems. They carry some similar properties like the papaya, and hence, are very soothing for the stomach. Have it raw or ripe, the mangoes give equal nutrient to the body.


Mango comes from the drupe family, which includes other members like coconuts, dates and olives. The tropical fruit comes with a variety of color, flavor, shape and size of seed. The skin of the mango comes with shades like green, red, orange and yellow, while the fleshy pulp inside comes in golden yellow color. The creamy taste of mango brings you various nutrients useful for your daily life.

Nutritional Values of Mangoes

Mangoes are the cousins to gandaria, pistachios, cashew nuts and mombin. Hence, they carry all the nutritional benefits, necessary for a fit and healthy life. Mangoes carry a lower amount of saturated fats, sodium and cholesterol, and hence, it is the beloved food for even the people looking for weight gain. They are rich in dietary fiber, which makes it useful for the people facing an obesity problem.


They are also a good source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Mangoes also carry minerals like magnesium, copper, and potassium, as well as, anti-oxidants like beta-carotene, astragalin and quercetin. The antioxidants help in neutralizing the free radicals in the body, which are the root causes for problems like cancer, premature aging, heart disorders, degenerative diseases, and much more by damaging the cells.


The thick pulp obtained from mangoes is used to make a tonic, which is widely used in the treatment of constipation, anemia, bleeding gums, cough, fever, nausea, sea sickness, weak digestion, and much more.

Health Benefits of Mangoes

Mangoes have proved to be very beneficial for various health, skin and hair benefits. Here are some benefits of consuming mangoes that may lead you in increasing the consumption.

1. Have A Control Over Blood Pressure With Mangoes

Mangoes are rich in various Vitamins, which are beneficial for the overall health of the body. They also carry a good amount of potassium and magnesium, which posses the quality of natural healing for the people having blood pressure problems. The selenium, iron, calcium and phosphorus it gives you are also beneficial for controlling the pressure of your blood. People having disorders due to deficiencies of vitamins and minerals should have mangoes, which would provide them with sources like riboflavin, vitamins, niacin, thiamin, folate and pantothenic acid to heal the disorders. Vitamin E obtained from mangoes help in boosting the sex life as they activate your sex hormones.

2. Prevents From Cancer And Heart Disorders

Mangoes are filled with pectin, which is a dietary fiber, efficiently working on lowering the cholesterol levels. The dietary fiber is also helpful in the protection against prostate cancer. Pectin by combining with galectin 3 plays a vital role in controlling all types of cancer. Having mangoes on a regular basis would also lower the risk of cancer developed due to the  gastrointestinal tract. It has also proved to be helpful for problems like breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, as well as enzymes. Mangoes are also beneficial in reducing the chances of any kind of cardiovascular diseases.

3. A Boon For Weight Gain

Mangoes have proven to be a boon for the people looking for weight gain options. They are rich in calories, which are easily absorbed by the human body. The starch mangoes have got transformed to sugar, which is helpful in the acquisition of weight. Including mangoes in regular diet through milk shakes, raw fruit, etc. would notoriously increase your weight.

4. Helpful In The Digestion Process

As mangoes carry some of the similar properties papaya does, it is also helpful in improving the digestion process. It carries various digestive enzymes, which boost the digestion process. Mangoes provide you with bioactive like terpenes, esters, aldehydes, etc. that help in improving the appetite, as well as, improve the digestion system.

5. Helpful During Pregnancy

Are you pregnant? The mangoes would be very beneficial for your health in your happy days. Mangoes are rich in iron, which is the prime nutrition for the pregnant women. It can be taken as a supplement to the iron tablets provided by the doctors. The mangoes are also helpful during pregnancy when the taste buds lose their sensitivity hindering your diet or tasty dishes you used to like. So, next time if you don’t feel like having any food, have a mango to change your taste buds.

6. Helpful In Anemia

Mangoes are rich in iron. This means, it is beneficial for the patients of anemia. Having a moderate number of mangoes on a regular basis help in plummeting anemia. It increases the count of red blood cells in the body, which gradually decreases the anemic cells. It is also advisable for the women facing menopause in their elder age.

7. For Getting Rid Of Acne

This might surprise you, but mangoes have been helpful in getting rid of those unwanted acne problems. Mangoes have suspicious qualities that brighten your skin. They help in bringing back the lost glow to your face gifting you with smooth and clear skin. Mangoes treat the acne by opening the congested pores of your skin, which reduces the growth of acne. You can also carry on the treatment by applying the thick mango pulp on the face instead of eating it.

8. Controls The Premature Aging

Mangoes are rich in Vitamin A and C, which help in the production of collagen proteins in the body. The collagen is helpful in the protection of blood vessels and human body tissues, which lower the chances of aging the skin in a natural process. Hence, they are perfectly an anti-aging ingredient. As a supplement of dietary fiber, it helps in giving you a fresh and youthful skin in a natural and tasty way.

9. Helps In A Healthy Brain

Mangoes come with a complete lot of Vitamin B6. B6 is quite important for the improvement and the maintenance of the functions of the brain. The vitamins help in the consolidation of foremost neurotransmitters, which are helpful in the shaping of the mood and in changing the sleeping patterns. The natural nutrient you get from mango give you a healthy brain by boosting its functions. It also contains glutamine acid, which helps in concentrating and improves the power of your memory.

10. Immunity Booster

Mangoes are also similar to carrots when it comes to immunity. They are rich in beta-carotene, which serve as a strong carotenoid. This helps in increasing the immunity by boosting the immune system in the body. Mangoes also have proven to be impermeable to toxins and bacteria. The surplus of it gets converted into Vitamin A, which works as an antioxidant, protecting you from free radicals harmful to the internal systems.

11. Helpful for Diabetes

According to some studies, mangoes have proved to be a natural tonic for diabetes. It helps in the management of blood sugar levels, lipids and insulin level in the body if the water of the mango leaves is taken on an empty stomach on a regular basis. The fruit itself contains a low glycemic index, which control your sugar levels when taken in moderate quantity. In the similar way, it is helpful in the prevention of asthma.

12. For Healthy Skin, Eyes And Hair

Mangoes help you with Vitamin A, which helps in the production of sebum, that keeps your hair moisturized. It is also helpful in the growth of body tissues, even of the skin and hair. Sufficient amount of mangoes on a regular basis, would help in the production and maintenance of collagen, an important ingredient for healthy skin and hair. Vitamin A from mangoes would also help in stimulating good eyesight, especially, for the dry eyes. It also helps in the prevention of night blindness.


Henceforth, having a judicious quantity of mangoes on a regular basis would not only give you health benefits, but also skin and hair benefits.
 

Side-Effects Of Consuming Mangoes

As mango comes with bundles of nutrients, it is surely good for health. However, it has some side-effects too. The over consumption of mangoes would lead to the following problems:

1. Increase In Blood Sugar Levels

The ripe mangoes come with abundant quantities of sugar. This increases the blood sugar level in the body, which can be harmful for the people having high blood sugar problem. Also, the people suffering from diabetes are advised not to have ripe mangoes.

2. Diarrhea

Mangoes are also rich in fiber. The overeating of mangoes would lead to diarrhea, which is a common disorder. Even a medium mango gives you enough fiber, hence, over eating it would surely lead to diarrhea.

3. Reactions Due To Allergy

There are people with sensitive skin who face some kind of allergic reaction by consuming mangoes. The allergies can be listed as watery eyes, breathing problems, running nose, sneezing, abdominal pain, etc. Serious conditions may also lead to situations like anaphylactic shocks.

4. Contact Dermatitis

Mangoes contain a chemical known as urushiol. There are people who are allergic to this kind of substance. The sensitivity of this chemical leads to problems like contact dermatitis. In such cases, the results would be visible on the skin like itching, crumbling, blistery, etc.

5. Increase In Weight

Mangoes are bulked with calories. If the intake of mangoes increases more than required, it would lead to increase in weight. Mangoes are also rich in sugar, which is the enemy for those who are willing to reduce weight. Hence, if you want to shape up your waist, avoid having mangoes in your diet.


Thus, mangoes are good for health only if they are taken in a limited number. The excess of it would surely give you one or the other side-effect causing few disorders.

Some Interesting Facts About Mangoes

• Mangoes come in two different types of varieties. One comes from India, while the other come from the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Indian mangoes are bright yellow and red in color, while the other come in pale green color.
• The mango trees grow to nearly 65 feet. Some of the mango trees live to nearly 300 years or more giving similar quality and quantity of mangoes every year.
• The shape of a mango grows to nearly 2 to 9 inches in length, while the shape would be either like kidney shape, oval or round. They fully mature in nearly 100-150 days after the flowers mature completely.
• The tropical fruit grows well in regions like California, Central America, Florida and Mexico.
• The mango is not only an amazing fruit, but its bark, skin, leaves and pit have used in folk remedies for centuries.
• Mangoes are available in six different varieties in the U.S., namely Haden, Tommy Atkins, Kent, Honey, Keitt and Francis.
• When a ripe mango is placed into a refrigerator, the process of ripening slows down.
• A single mango contains more than 20 varieties of minerals and vitamins.
• Gifting a basket of mangoes is considered to be a gesticulation of friendship in India.
• It is believed that Lord Buddha meditated under the tree of mango, as it provided him with cool shadow.
• The mango seeds are believed to travel from Asia to East Africa, Middle East and South America in the initial period of 300 or 400 A.D.

Mangoes whether raw or ripe, are used in several different ways. They can be transformed in the form of a smoothie, chutneys, salads or salsas, to increase their taste into something sweet or tenderizing. It is also used in making various delicious snacks or desserts. The mangoes carry a natural marinating property, which makes it a great ingredient in making marinades. When consumed raw, it can be combined with salt, chili powder and lime juice, to experience the mouth tempering flavor.