Properties of mango

Nutritional benefits of mango

MANGO, EDIBLE PROPERTIES

Antioxidant nutrients of mango

• Mango is one of the best antioxidants: For its wealth in acids (malic, palmitic, myristic and p-coumaric acid), vitamin C and, especially, also for its high content of vitamin A, mango fruit is a good antioxidant. It can neutralize free radicals and provide your body with an extra defensive power against degradation of the cells.
• Mangoes have a very effective anti-cancer function because of these vitamins as well as for its richness in flavonoids, among which kaempferol and quercetin are the main ones.
• Vitamin C will help prevent many diseases like cancer, or allergies, help lower cholesterol levels and reduce hypertension or improve eye health. A 200 gr mango will provide about 56 mg of this vitamin which represents almost 60% of the recommended daily dose.
• The presence of the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin helps prevent the onset of cervical cancer in women, as seen in some studies that showed that women who had high levels of this component were less prone to this type of cancer.

Mango for the beauty of the skin

Mangoes have many carotenoids that are converted in the body into vitamin A. This vitamin, like vitamin C, has antioxidant properties and helps with vitamin C, to maintain the good condition of the cells.

Among other properties, Vitamin A helps to preserve vision and hearing and helps correct or prevent many skin diseases.

Mango as a source of vitamin A

Mango contains many carotenoids, which give it its orange color. These components that are transformed in the body into vitamin A (pro-vitamin A function).

A medium mango provides much more vitamin A than the required daily amount for an adult in the form of carotenoids which are mostly those which give to the pulp of this fruit its unique yellowish or orange color. The same components are responsible for the orange color of other vegetables, such as carrots.

A piece mango, weighing about 200 gr., contains about 8000 IU of vitamin A, which is 60% more than the recommended daily dose. (Only cantaloupe melons have a higher amount of this component)

Digestive properties of mango

Mangos, along with papayas, pineapples and kiwis, contain proteolytic enzymes, digestive enzymes capable of digesting or degrading proteins. Alimentarily, the importance of these enzymes is crucial because they help the body digest food and help make better use of nutrients.

Mango, like fruits that contain enzymes, is suitable to help digestion and avoid intestinal discomfort, indigestion problems, slow digestion, hypochlorhydric dyspepsia, people with pancreatitis, gas, diarrhea, etc. Eating mangoes helps boost the immune system by not having to subject it to a continuous effort eliminating foreign substances from the intestine.

From a cooking point of view, the proteolytic enzymes of mango are very interesting to soften meats and make them softer and digestible. In Asian countries mango is commonly used for seasoning and for preserving fish or meat.

Mango purifies the body and increases muscle mass

The ingestion of these proteins not only helps to keep the organism cleaner inside, but also helps to keep it from being younger and pure, without the presence of many skin diseases that have their origin in the elimination of organic impurities such as acne.

On the other hand, a greater use of proteins allows a greater increase in muscle mass, which is why many athletes or bodybuilders ingest supplements of proteolytic enzymes, to achieve better brands or a more muscular body.

Among these sports supplements, the papain of papaya or the bromelain of pineapple are well known. Without being so pretentious, we can take advantage of these properties only by eating the commented fruits.

Mango for weight loss

Mango is a fruit rich in fiber. Some varieties have such a high proportion that they are too fibrous and difficult to swallow. Eating mango is a good way to increase intestinal transit and prevent the accumulation of fecal material in the intestine that will be responsible for the appearance of constipation and hemorrhoids.

• Avoid constipation, the mango will prevent the formation of intestinal rottenness very negative for the health of the organism such as colon cancer.
• Mango is low in fat and does not contain cholesterol. Its calorie content is moderate – about 130 calories for a medium piece.
• It is low in salt and very rich in potassium, so it can be very suitable in the diet for hypertension and fluid retention.
• They are very rich in folic acid (vitamin B9), a vitamin that helps reduce homocysteine ​​levels, thus improving the health of the heart.

Does the mango have a lot of sugar?

Mangoes have carbohydrates and sugars very easily assimilated. All this makes it suitable as a snack or between meals to eliminate the sensation of hunger without having to resort to foods with more calories and without the vitamin and mineral richness that this fruit possesses.

Mango is a fruit that can be included perfectly in the diet to lose weight. It can also be taken in case of people with diabetes, who have to count it within the carbohydrate rations (100 grams of mango = 17g of carbohydrates = 2 servings).

Mango for the nerves

Mango contains quite a lot of tryptophan, an amino acid with relaxing properties. Together with vitamin B, it will help to keep us calmer and will allow us to have a calmer sleep.

At the same time, eating mango will make us feel happier, since the hormone serotonin, a neurotransmitter known as the “happiness hormone”, is produced from tryptophan,

Good levels of these components help to make us feel better, not to have negative thoughts, depression, compulsive thoughts or other behaviors that make us unhappy.

A fruit with various minerals

Mangoes contain iron which is interesting to prevent anemia, especially for vegetarians who eat little meat or during certain periods of women life, such as during pregnancy or menstruation. Equally important when you lose a lot of blood as in the regular nosebleeds. Do not forget eating mangoes for its richness in vitamin C and carotenoids that facilitate the absorption of vegetable iron.

They also contain good levels of potassium, which is adequate to prevent fluid retention, for the proper functioning of the heart and nerves, as well as the formation of bones with calcium.

Other minerals that appear in its composition are:

• Zinc: interesting for hair health, vision, and for the maintenance of sexual desire or libido and to achieve better orgasms
• Copper: needed for collagen formation, for maintaining the color and appearance of hair, or for the adequate formation of iron in the body.
• Magnesium: necessary for good health of the nerves, muscles, and the formation of proteins.

Mangoes make you feel better and look after the appearance of your hair and skin

Besides vitamins A and C, mango is rich in B vitamins, including niacin (Vitamin B3) necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system, skin health and metabolism of fats) and, above all, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), whose importance is crucial for the synthesis of amino acids, fat metabolism and healthy hair and skin or fluid balance in the body.

Thus, eating mango is a good way to prevent hair loss and dermatitis, but also to overcome insomnia, to be more relaxed or prevent the onset of cramps or muscle weakness.

Mangoes contain a lot of tryptophan, an amino acid with soothing properties. Together with vitamin B, it will help us keep calm, enable us to have a more restful sleep and, at the same time, will make us feel happier, because, from tryptophan, our body produces the hormone serotonin, a neurotransmitter commonly known as ” the hormone of happiness” because it helps us feel better, to have no negative thoughts, depression, compulsive thoughts or other behaviors that make us unhappy.

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Written by Editorial Botanical-online team in charge of content writing

12 October, 2021