A mango a day keeps the doctor away!
When we travel in South East Asia, hubby will always wander into the day market and buy us a couple of mangos for breakfast. He likes to wash and peel them on the spot and we can actually eat it while walking around. This is a great way to kick start your gut, even before you start to eat anything else. I am of the believe that eating fruits especially mangos first thing in the morning, will help give that pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and poly-phenolic flavonoid antioxidant compounds that your body needs and craves.
Lucky for us in Malaysia, there is no shortage of it.. A 200g serve of ripe mango (the equivalent of less than one mango) provides you with up to three times your recommended daily intake of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Vitamin C, an antioxidant important in protecting the body from infection, is required in the formation of collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle and blood vessels. Vitamin C also aids the absorption of iron, necessary for transporting oxygen from the lungs to cells all around the body.
According to new research study, mango fruit has been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that polyphenolic anti-oxidant compounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers.
Mango fruit is an excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A. Together; these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
Fresh mango is a good source of potassium. 100 g fruit provides 156 mg of potassium while just 2 mg of sodium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin-C and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain. It also controls homocystiene levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke.
Further, it composes moderate amounts of copper. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as co-factors for this enzyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells.
Additionally, mango peel is also rich in phytonutrients, such as the pigment antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols.
Love mango! But I don’t dare eating it too much because it’s very high of sugar 🙂
fruits are good for us. Of course they are high in sugars but you eat cupcakes too right? LOL, that’s the bad sugars. I would eat fruits anytime over cake and desserts. They are way more beneficial and have loads of fiber.
Love mangoes.Such lovel colours and they certainly add flavours to even the most boring green salad:D
Never has a healthy fruit tasted better. I like them first thing in the morn.. and before a run too!