Adding Mangoes to Your Diet

By far, I love mangoes the best out of all the fruits!  They're juicy, sweet, and pair well with just about any fruit out there.  You can blend them in a smoothie, chop them up for salsa, mix with red wine for a sinful sangria, or enjoy in frozen form - for ice cream or a juice bar.  The smell alone is divine - much like the fresh scent of citrus, but not similar by any means.  To me, they smell like honey and vanilla - definitely ambrosia.  Some people don't like the stringy texture, or the fact that there is a gigantic seed to contend with.  But honestly, the flavor is all in that portion surrounding the seed!  And the fresher a mango is, the less stringy it will be.  Did you know that even the skin is edible?

Why They're Good

These tropical gems are most commonly found in India (but they have become popular to grow in other nations with warm climates), and the people who consume them regularly know how vital they are to your health.  Like most fruits, mangoes contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - in the skin and fruit.  High in vitamins A, B, C, and K, one mango alone is enough for 1 serving of fruit.  Recently, mangoes have been touted as having the ability to help ward off cancers, banish anemia, and lower blood pressure.  Women can glean much from consuming mangoes to help relieve fatigue and muscular aches as caused by pms and pregnancy.  But even men do well to eat mangoes, as they can help replenish the body after vigorous exercise.

Think you can't incorporate mangoes into your every day life?  Guess again!  I guarantee that if you buy even just ONE a week, you can eat it all up before one week's time without even thinking about it.  And before long, you'll want to eat more than just one a week...until eventually, you just might eat one a day.  If you find it boring to eat a mango plain, here are some easy ways to eat them along with other foods every day:

• Sliced and mixed in yogurt
• Pureed with yogurt and ice (add bananas and berries for additional flavor and health benefits)
• Finely chopped with a bowl of granola and milk or oatmeal
• Sliced or chopped in fruit salad
• Sliced or chopped in a garden salad
• Chopped tomatoes, chilies, and other ingredients you fancy for a fresh salsa to put over fish or pork chops

NOTE: if you can't find good, fresh mangoes for dishes where you want them pureed or in liquid form, mango pulp from an Asian (or Indian) grocer works well!  In fact, in Indian restaurants, you will find that the pulp is what they use for the yogurt and mango drink, known as lassi.