Mangoes are so delicious that they may seem like more of a dessert than a health food. However, mangoes are actually one of the healthiest fruits out there!
Here are 7 reasons to eat a mango every day.
They’re beneficial to eye health
Mangoes may help ward off age related macular degeneration, which can eventually lead to total vision loss in some cases. The active protective ingredient in mangos is an antioxidant called zeaxanthin, which shields the eye by filtering out harmful blue light rays.
Increasing your fruit intake to 3 servings per day has also shown to protect against macular degeneration, so you can get double the benefits if you make a mango one of these servings.
They may help prevent asthma
People who consume high amounts of the nutrient beta-carotene have been shown to have a lower chance of developing asthma. It has also been found that asthmatics who consume high amounts of beta-carotene have a better quality of life than those who don’t.
Beta-carotene is found in large quantities in mangoes, along with carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cantaloupe.
They improve digestion
Feeling a little blocked up? Try a mango! Mangos are high in both fiber and water – they contain three grams of fiber per serving. This combination can improve digestion and help ease constipation.
They’re good for skin and hair
The vitamin C (100%) and vitamin A (20%) in mangos will keep your skin and hair looking healthy and beautiful. Vitamin C is crucial for building and maintaining collagen, which provides skin and hair with structure and elasticity.
Vitamin A, in turn, helps with sebum production, which keeps skin and hair moisturized.
They may help protect against cancer
In a recent study, scientists found that the antioxidant compounds in mangos could protect against colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers, with the highest impact being on breast and colon cancers.
They might give your memory a boost
Here’s something that could benefit all of us! The glutamine acid in mangos has been shown to boost memory and improve learning and problem solving, especially in children.
Additionally, the mental health benefits of this amino acid go even further: glutamine has also been shown to induce calm and reduce stress.
They’re absolutely delicious
That’s right, the taste of a fresh, juicy, tangy-yet-sweet mango has the power to send your taste buds into a tizzy. And there are so many different ways you can incorporate them into your diet!
You can slice them and drop them on top of your salads, dice them and mix them into salsa or guacamole, blend them into your green smoothies, stir some fresh mango into your Greek yogurt, eat them with some cinnamon on top of your morning bowl of steel-cut oatmeal, or eat them plain for a delicious and refreshing dessert.
To choose the best mango at the store or market, make sure you do some initial detective work. Inspect each one by squeezing and smelling it first. The perfect mango will be tender and soft, like a ripe avocado – without being squishy – and will emit a subtle, fresh, sweet scent.
If it smells fermented, rotten or very strong, it’s probably overripe. Likewise if there is little or no smell, or it smells bitter or tart, it’s not ready yet!
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://today.agrilife.org/?id=1686
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/2/1/20
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8289407
http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(04)00621-9/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23644855
