Lifestyle
17 Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Eating Mangoes
If you haven’t started eating mangoes yet, you need to. They are delicious and tropical, making it feel like summer throughout the year. At the same time, Mangoes are naturally sweet. You’ll feel like you’re eating something naughty, but you’re getting something healthy and delicious at the same time.
Whether you eat them raw, use them in cooking, or make a smoothie, you will get the benefits of the delicious orange fruit. They are scientifically proven to boost your health in a variety of ways. In fact, here are 17 ways that your health will benefit by eating mangoes on a regular basis.
You don’t need to eat one every day of the week to get all these benefits. Just opt for them regularly.
Decrease Your Chance of Getting Cancer
Let’s start with one of the biggest benefits of most fruits and vegetables. Mangoes are yet another way to keep cancer at bay. Yes, this is backed up by research.
Mangoes are full of various antioxidants. These include gallic acid, quercetin, astragalin, methyl gallate, and so much more that you won’t be able to say. Just because you can’t pronounce them doesn’t mean they are bad for you—I know that’s completely against most opinions when it comes to scientific names you can’t say.
The various antioxidants have been linked to protecting against various types of cancers, including leukemia, breast, and colon cancers. The antioxidants fight against free radicals in the body, reducing the risk of the free radicals affecting the cells abnormally.
On top of that, pectin in mangoes is beneficial for fighting against some cancers. It’s a dietary fiber that helps to keep the cholesterol levels in check and the digestive system working effectively (this is another benefit later). So, you end up with double efforts to protect you against some cancers, especially those in the gastrointestinal tract.
Reduce Your Cholesterol Levels
We’ve already mentioned that pectin in mangoes can help to reduce your cholesterol levels. This is a health benefit within itself, and not just a way to reduce your risk of some cancers. It’s also not just the pectin that offers this benefit.
Mangoes are full of vitamin C and fiber. All these elements work together to keep the bad cholesterol down to a minimum. Your heart health is protected, as your arteries are covered in a protective lining. Blood can flow through your body without friction, meaning your heart isn’t affected by clotting.
On top of that, your body is about to regenerate news cells more efficiently. This is part of the link to reducing the risk of cancer, but also means your blood pressure and heart rate are controlled and kept within a safe and healthy range.
Fresh mangoes are best for these health benefits. You get the potassium and vitamin C at higher levels to help work with the other elements to boost your health. You will also need to follow a healthy and balanced diet.
Keep Your Skin Free from Acne
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What if you could eat food that eliminates pimples and clears out those clogged pores? Well, it’s time to get more mangoes in your diet.
It doesn’t matter what skin type you have; you can use the fruit to clear up acne quickly and effectively. Rather than eating the fruit, you’ll need to apply it directly to the skin. The vitamin C will work its way in, removing and killing the bacteria that cause acne and blackheads.
You will also be able to improve the pigmentation in your skin through the topical use of mangoes. The pectin will help to remove blemishes and dark spots, without causing too many issues when out in the sun. Unlike lemons and limes, there aren’t the high levels of citric acid that makes your skin more susceptible to skin damage from the UV rays.
Opening the pores is most effective for clear and healthy skin. You get rid of dead cells, dead skin, dirt, and bacteria building up in them. Your skin has no reason at all to break out into any pimples.
Do watch out if you have an allergy to pectin. This can cause reactions on the face when used topically.
Fight Dry Eye and Improve Night Vision
Carrots are known for their eye health benefits, but did you know mangoes are good too? Mangoes are full of vitamin A, which is necessary to improve your eye health. In fact, it’s the vitamin A that helps to improve night vision and reduce the chances of your eyes drying out.
It is also possible to reduce the chances of going blind later in life. While you can’t get rid of all reasons for blindness, the vitamin A will help to reduce some of the signs of aging.
You only need a cup full to get a quarter of your recommended daily allowance. That isn’t that much when you consider the size of a mango! You can get the benefits however you eat the fruit. Don’t use it topically on your eyes!
Helps to Boost Your Digestive System
As I mentioned above, mangoes are full of soluble fiber. This helps to keep your digestive system working effectively.
Soluble fiber will dissolve in water. It helps to collect all the toxins, leftover food, and bacteria in your gut and pulls it all out through your colon. You will be left with less gas, bloating, and pain. This is one of the reasons mango sorbet is a favored dessert around the world; perfect for after a big meal.
Mangoes also contain enzymes that effectively break proteins down into the body. Protein takes a while to break down, which does mean that you feel fuller for longer. However, your body can be left digesting the food for longer than expected, leaving you feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
Unlike some of the herbal remedies or over the counter medications, mangoes promote the natural way the digestive system works. It encourages it to kickstart on its own, rather than doing the work for it. You can be left with a better functioning digestive system afterward.
Help Manage Your Weight
Whether you need to lose or gain weight, mangoes can help.
Let’s start with one of the most common weight management needs women have: to lose weight. Mangoes are full of fiber and other nutrients that make you feel fuller for longer. You feel the need to eat less of the fruit, the snack you have in front of you, and the food you will eat later. Mangoes make it easier to create a calorie deficit so you can lose weight.
They are also naturally sweet. Most of the time when dieting, you want to eat something sweet. Rather than opting for a high-calorie candy bar, why not choose a mango?
Mangoes are also good for gaining weight. There are 86 calories in just 150g of the fruit, which is quickly and easily absorbed into the body. The starchy sugars will dissolve quickly, giving you energy but helping you put the weight on. Mango milkshakes and smoothies are the quickest way to get this benefit while sticking to a healthy diet.
You will need to think about portion control when it comes to weight loss. Considering some calories, you’ll need to keep your intake down to make sure you do create a calorie deficit.
Keep Your Body in an Alkaline State
Your stomach should be the only area that is acidic. Having an acidic body elsewhere can cause discomfort, ulcers, and rashes. It can also prevent your blood circulating the right levels of oxygen around your body. You want to maintain the natural alkaline state everywhere except your stomach.
The good news is mangoes will help to maintain the alkaline state. Although it has a few acids, the result is an alkaline-pH fruit. You will get the likes of citric and malic acid working together.
Fight Against Heat Stroke
Do you get heat stroke, even if you’re not out in the sun that long? You need to look at mango. Green mango juice is the best option for this health benefit. The juice, mixed with a little sweetener and water, will help to rehydrate your body quickly, reducing the symptoms you’ll experience.
Heat stroke is often due to the kidneys working overtime. You will be more likely to suffer from it if you’re not used to hot climates since the sun’s rays are more likely to upset the balance and your hormones. You’ll have more toxins in your body for the kidneys to remove, leaving you dehydrated and weak.
Mangoes will quickly add the moisture back in. They can also add a few sugars to help replace ones that are lost during excess urination and toxin removal.
Can Reverse Your Diabetes
Researchers are still considering all the benefits when it comes to mangoes and diabetes. One of the biggest benefits is that mangoes can help to reverse your Type II diabetes. While the fruit is sweet, it is one of the lowest fruits on the glycaemic index. Depending on the type of mango you get, it sits anywhere between 41 and 60 (50 is needed for the low GI diet).
The great news is that the sugars don’t metabolize in the blood stream as much as many other fruits. You don’t get the same insulin response as you do with the likes of bananas, strawberries, and citric fruits.
It’s not just the fruit that will help you. The leaves have also been scientifically proven to help those who have diabetes. You will need to boil a few and then leave the leaves in water overnight, drinking first thing in a morning. Your morning insulin levels are improved.
Of course, with the sweet taste, mangoes go an extra step in helping to deal with diabetes. You get that sweet taste without all the badness. There’s no longer the need to feel guilty about how much you eat in a week.
As mentioned, research is still ongoing. However, mangoes are no longer the food of the devil for diabetic patients that they once were.
Maintain Your Blood Pressure
The amount of potassium and magnesium in mangoes is impressive. These are two minerals necessary for managing your blood pressure levels. In fact, those with high blood pressure are encouraged to get the two nutrients regularly to help keep their levels under control naturally.
We also can’t forget the other nutrients in the fruit. Mangoes are full of iron, selenium, vitamins A and C, and folate, among many others. They all work together to reduce diseases and conditions that lead to the blood pressure rising.
If you have low blood pressure, you can still safely eat the fruit. The nutrients will help to maintain a healthy level. However, do watch the amount that you eat and talk to a doctor if you are worried.
Reduces Anaemia in Pregnancy
The iron levels in mangoes are good for all women, but especially beneficial for pregnant women. Due to the baby taking as many nutrients as possible, pregnant women are at risk of anemia. This is extremely common and manageable through the diet in most of cases. Your doctor may prescribe iron tablets if worried about excessive anemia.
Anemia is when you have low iron levels. The body can’t create the right amount of red blood cells, leaving you without good levels of oxygen for energy.
During pregnancy, you want to take as few supplements as possible. If you can get the iron naturally then that is better, so why not eat more mangoes. You’ll likely enjoy the juices, as your body can become dehydrated much quicker than normal.
Boosts Your Memory Health
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We’d all love to avoid memory problems later in life. Some of us would just like to stop wondering why we walked into a room two seconds later. If your children are taking exams, you want to give them something that will help them concentrate and remember better, without cheating or resorting to drugs.
Well, it’s all about the mangoes. This fruit is full of vitamin B6, which helps to maintain all functions within the brain. It’s not just about improving the memory, but all cognitive functions. You will find that you concentrate better and have a clearer mental vision. Vitamin B6 is also linked to hormone regulation in the brain, helping to boost the mood.
There is also a good quantity of glutamine acid. This has been linked to concentration improvements and helps to boost your memory capabilities.
Slow Down the Aging Process
Now that you can boost your memory, what about slowing down the rest of the aging process? We’ve already looked at the skin and eye health with mangoes, but the fruit can also help to improve collagen production and protect the cells. Your connective tissues are improved, thanks to the levels of vitamins A and C in mangoes.
You’ll get younger-looking, blemish free skin. Your fine lines and wrinkles will disappear, thanks to collagen boosts. Collagen is the reason for elasticised skin.
Vitamin C has also been linked to the cell health. And remember that there are benefits against free radicals. It’s the free radicals that cause some of the signs of aging since they kill off the cells and cause others to grow back abnormally.
While you can eat mangoes, you can also turn them into a body scrub with some milk and honey. Use them together as an all-over cleanser to get rid of the dead skin and improve the smoothness of your skin.
Give the Immune System a Helping Hand
This benefit has been briefly mentioned. Mangoes have vitamins C and An in good quantities. There are also, all which work together to keep your immune system as strong as possible. Whenever a virus or illness attacks your body, the immune system finds it easier to fight back and win.
The vitamins also help to protect your body from free radicals, which don’t just damage skin cells. They damage all types of cells and your organs. Mangoes will prevent the damage, especially when eaten with a healthy and balanced diet.
Can Help to Improve Asthma
If you have asthma, there are high chances that you’re stuck with an inhaler. But what if you didn’t need it every day to breathe easily? What if one fruit could help?
This is all to do with the vitamin C levels. Research is still relatively new in this area, so don’t go giving up your inhalers completely just yet. However, the research is proving positive now. The vitamin C is linked to improving the immune system to stop it reacting against natural and not always dangerous elements. This can mean no more breathing difficulties.
Again, don’t go giving up the inhalers just yet. However, there’s nothing wrong with adding more mangoes to your diet on the side!
Improve Your Fertility
Did you know that the vitamin E in mangoes offer more benefits than protecting against cancer and improving the look of the skin? Vitamin E has also been linked to good sex lives. This was an accidental generalization at first. Rats were given vitamin E had better sex lives than those without. It was only later that studies proved the find.
It turns out that vitamin E helps to improve the health of the sperm. Not only are men more likely to want sex but they are also more fertile since the sperm is less likely to be damaged.
As for women, zinc has been linked to good fertility. It’s a protective mineral that helps to repair damage and improve blood flow.
Act as a Morning Detox
Mango leaves in water has shown some positive results when it comes to lowering morning insulin levels. It can also help to improve your digestive health.
The trick is to drink the mango leaf-infused water on an empty stomach. You cleanse out everything that has been left from the day before and get ready to start anew. Eating mangoes for your breakfast will boost this detoxing effect.
Add More Mangoes to Your Diet
It’s time to add a mango or two to your week. You can’t lose! Not only do you get something sweet and delicious, but you get something that is extremely good for your health. Mangoes are a gift from the Gods, creating hormone balances, immune system boosts, cognitive boosts, and fertility help all in one mouthful.
There are just so many ways to use mangoes. You can eat them raw or create a delicious smoothie to drink the benefits. Don’t forget the topical uses to improve your skin health.
