Mangos have risen from relative obscurity as a novel tropical fruit a mere decade or so ago to a well-loved addition to a popular health fad here in the US, smoothies and other types of pure juices and natural drinks. The ultra-sweet tasting fruit is appealing to many palates and makes a wonderful dessert on its own while it also adds a natural sweetness and pulpiness to the smoothies it often is added to.
While it has reached popularity for its naturally sweet taste, there are a lot of things that the average consumer probably doesn’t know about this tropical fruit and its vast health benefits. The first has to do with digestive health, and is probably one of the most powerful and universally beneficial reasons to keep it in your daily diet.
Acts as a natural laxative and regulator
Mango is one of the most potent natural laxatives you’ll find. Even in it’s dried form, mango can help to regulate the elimination process. This is because it has numerous beneficial enzymes which help to move things along, while it also contains concentrated amounts of the types of fiber that help move things along the digestive tract more quickly.
Since it’s natural, you don’t get the typical cramping and discomfort you’d get with a commercial laxative. It simply helps to both clean the intestines and colon while also encouraging these important elimination organs to pass the food or blockages through more quickly. Incorporating a whole mango (medium sized) into your diet a few times a week can really make a difference in your digestive comfort by reducing the bloating, gas and discomfort that typically accompanies irregularity.
Mangos are alkalizing and can vastly improve digestive issues
It may seem contradictory to logic since these fruits are very sweet, but mangos are actually quite alkalizing inside the body. This may explain why they are so soothing to the digestive tract and help to relive constipation and IBS so comfortably. They help reduce excessive stomach acid and acid indigestion as well, and create an alkaline environment. This may also be part of why they have an anti-inflammatory effect on skin conditions like acne.
Surprisingly, mangos are abundant in vitamin E and iron
Most people only expect to find iron and vitamin E in grains and meats, however mangos are surprisingly rich in both. Iron is a necessary mineral to prevent anemia and is essential in the formation of healthy red blood cells. This can make them an excellent food for pregnant women, who are especially in need of this mineral.
The vitamin E offers numerous health benefits, including the maintenance of healthy circulation, and the dilation of blood vessels which helps to enable better blood flow. It’s also great for your skin and hair health, and has multiple benefits for heart health.
Glutamine content improves brain function
Glutamine is an amino acid that our body does not make on its own, which means we need to get it through our diet. Glutamine not only supports a positive mood and can help ease depression and anxiety, but it also improves brain function. It also is thought to help improve memory, and may even play a role in detoxification of the brain. This is because some of the glutamine you consume gets converted into glutamic acid, which is transported to the brain.
Once in the brain, glutamic acid binds to ammonia and helps to prevent ammonia buildup which can have any number of effects on our brain function. Glutamine also functions as a “brain fuel” which can help boost memory, cognitive function, concentration and basically any essential brain function.
Dense in antioxidants
Mangos contain some of the best antioxidants, all together in one fruit. These include quercetin, vitamin C, vitamin E as mentioned previously, betacarotene and astragalin. These are all excellent antioxidants alone, and when taken together they really provide a great preventive fusion of cell health and cancer fighters.
Potassium helps regulate blood pressure, muscle health
Potassium is a necessary mineral electrolyte for the function and efficiency of our muscles, and our heart rhythm as well. It also plays an important role in our blood pressure. The fact that mangos are rich in potassium a well as another heart health mineral magnesium, makes them an excellent choice for those concerned about heart health or blood pressure issues.
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Sources for this article include:
http://science.naturalnews.com/2010/390596_Anticarcinogenic_effects_of_polyphenolics_from_mango_Mangifera_indica_varieties.html
http://www.healingfoodreference.com/mango.html
