Anyone wanting to lose weight will be sweet on mangoes. This versatile fruit is packed with nutrients, so you can actually eat less per meal and still meet the daily requirements for nutrition. Mangoes are also famous for their fleshy, stringy fruit, which is full of fiber and is a snack guaranteed to keep your raging appetite satiated until dinnertime. If I can’t find fresh ones, I buy the dried version.
This “fruit of India,” as it is sometimes called, is unique in its wealth of nutrients and richness of flavor. Its pungent flavor is loved by most but may be an acquired taste for some. It delivers a great one-two nutrition punch.
If you’re limiting your calorie intake, eating concentrated sources of nutrients makes sense. And mangoes deliver. Mangoes are a superior source of beta-carotene. In fact, they are one of the top beta-carotene providers you can eat. Consuming large amounts of this antioxidant has been linked to a reduced risk of some forms of cancers. Mangoes are also rich in another carotenoid called lycopene, which is a potent antioxidant. Lycopene works to protect cells and suppress tumor growth. No wonder I eat tons of it!
Just one mango provides almost an entire day’s worth of vitamin C. Unlike many other fruits, mangoes contribute several B vitamins and the minerals calcium and magnesium. There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes in every shape, size, and color. The color of mangoes ranges from yellow to red and will deepen as the fruit ripens, though some green may remain even in perfectly ripened fruits. When ripe, a mango has a sweet, perfumey kind of smell, a bit like wading into an Asian market. If it has a fermented aroma, then it’s past its prime. Choose mangoes that feel firm, but yield to slight pressure. The skin should be unbroken, and the color should have begun to change from green to yellow, orange, or red. Though it’s normal for mangoes to have some black spots, avoid those mottled with too many. It’s a sign the fruit is overripe. If you bring home a mango that isn’t ripe, you can speed the process by placing it in a paper bag with a ripe mango. Check daily to avoid over-ripening. Mango sorbet, anyone?
8 Comments
Can you believe that there are people out there who actually do NOT like the taste of mangoes?
To me, there is nothing more sinfully indulgent than the flesh of a ripe mango, dripping juice all over my chin, as I eat it, standing over the sink!
In Mexico, our flatware set had a fork with an elongated middle tine, called a “trenchemango” – made specifically to spear the mango seed with the fork, so you could peel the fruit and eat it like a popsicle!
Not long after my surgery, I made the mistake of eating a delicious, ripe mango that I did not chew quite enough, and I paid the price – but it was worth every bit of discomfort!
I love mangoes, and will happily take the portions that those who do not like the taste…
I’m afraid I’m one of those people, drchelo. I’ll eat it, but it’ll never be my first choice of fruit. Though after reading AAF’s article, I might reconsider!
You will like my mango sauce then!
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One of my favorite summer drinks is a mango shakes made with buttermilk and mint. So easy to make – just put cut up mango, ice, some buttermilk, some mint and the sweetener of your choice in a blender, and go to it.
Try this: make a frappee with mango & rum. Pulverize the ice to a fine dust, add the mango pulp or juive, then the rum, as dark as you can find. Mmmmmm….
That sounds lovely!
It is, even better if you use JUICE, not juive, as I wrote, LOL!
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