Mango, the tropical fruit and its benefits

Mango is a tropical fruit with a very characteristic flavour. In addition, it has very beneficial nutritional properties for our health.

What is mango?

This tropical fruit of Asian origin is the fruit of the tree, also called mango ( Mangifera indica ).

It is found within the group of semi-acidic fruits, and curiously, the tree is from the same botanical family as the cashew and the pistachio.

Enjoy this juicy and tasty fruit with such striking colors.

The fruit is oval, rounded and sometimes flattened. Its weight varies between 150 grams and can reach up to 2 kg.

Depending on which of the varieties in question, its colour varies between green, yellow and shades of pink, red and purple. The skin is thick, and inside, you can find the edible part of yellow or orange colour.

Origin of Mango

The mango tree ( Mangifera indica ) is native to regions of India, Sri Lanka and the slopes of the Himalayas, from where these foods have been marketed since ancient times.

Texts of the Hindu culture are known as the Holy Scriptures in Sanskrit, the legends and the Hindu folklore that speak about these trees and their fruits. In these texts, its use dates from approximately 2000 BC, and it is commented that its use at that time was already ancient, being able to date its first cultivation more than 5000 years ago.

In Hindu culture, the mango tree has been the object of veneration and its fruit as a highly esteemed food since ancient times.

According to the Buddhist religion, its founder Siddharta Gautama was illuminated under a mango tree more than 2,500 years ago.

This tree had been cultivated in India for almost two millennia, but it would not be until the 16th century when it began to become global.

The great forerunner of this crop was the Indian emperor Akbar (16th century), the “King of kings,” who planted 100,000 mango trees at the foot of the Himalayas. Besides being a good ruler, he was a great visionary.

Handle expansion

This tree usually is 10 meters high but can reach up to 20 meters, although there are specimens in the area of ​​origin that reach up to 40 meters.

It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the planet, thanks to commercial expansion. As a result of this expansion, Portuguese and Spanish traders mainly introduced this fruit in areas of South America and southern Africa.

Later it expanded to areas of Central America, North America and recently to Europe, where mangoes are fully growing.

According to the FAO, mango is the primary tropical fruit produced worldwide, followed by pineapple (pineapple), papaya and avocado (avocado).

Where is mango grown?

Today, many mango varieties are grown in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide.

On the one hand, these foods are grown locally to supply small towns or rural areas, and on the other hand, there are massive crops from which these foods are exported internationally.

They are not more exported foods, but in areas where it is grown it is one of the most consumed fruits.

The countries with the most mango exports are India, China, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt and Bangladesh.

India is the country that produces the most mangoes on the planet, with more than 18 million tons, and that reaches almost half of the mango plantations than the rest of the countries combined. However, Mexico is increasing this production, being the leading producer in Latin America.

This fruit is also cultivated in Spain, the Andalusian coasts of Malaga and Granada being the most developed. However, new crops have been made in the northern part of the Canary Islands.

Mango season

The mango harvest season begins in August and lasts until November. However, the season can be extended to July, depending on the year.

You can check the calendar of the fruit season to be able to consume these foods at their most optimal moment. In addition, when they are in season, they provide us with more benefits for our health; they have a better aroma and are tastier, among other advantages.

How do you eat mango?

Mango is recommended to be consumed in a fresh, raw and seasonal state to benefit from all its beneficial properties for our health.

The fruit reaches the most suitable level of maturation on the tree; it is essential that it is not harvested ahead of time and that it ripens outside the tree since the nutritional properties, sweetness, and flavour would be affected.

It is advisable to consume the mangoes at their right point of maturity, when they are slightly soft, to enjoy their flavour and aroma fully. Consuming cold if the recipe calls for it is possible but unnecessary.

It is also essential to know that the colour of the skin is not an indicator of the mango’s ripeness. That can change according to the varieties, but the pulp’s colour indicates its optimal consumption stage, with the orange indicating that the mango is ready for consumption.

Mangoes are widely used to prepare different recipes, such as salads and accompaniments, to various savoury dishes, jams, preserves or jellies.

They are also used in various fruit drinks, juices or smoothies, combined with other fruits and ingredients to enhance their properties.

In addition, it can be eaten as dehydrated fruit that is like candy and that we can include in different salad recipes.

This fruit is increasingly used by the pharmaceutical industry thanks to its nutritional properties.

Mango Properties

First, it is a fruit with a high water content, which can be more than 80% of its weight. It is a fruit with a significant caloric intake due to its amount of carbohydrates.

In addition, it is a fruit rich in vitamins and minerals, being of special mention due to its content in this food magnesium as a mineral and provitamin A and vitamin C as vitamins. It is a semi-acid fruit that is very rich in nutrients and has, like mandarin, benefits for our health.

It also contains iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, sodium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B9—as well as vitamins C, E, K and phosphorus.

Mango is a healthy and medicinal fruit, endowed with a high vitamin richness.

Thanks to its composition, we can speak of fruit with nutritional and antioxidant properties. In addition to being an exquisite fruit with an exceptional aroma and taste, it is liked by the whole family and age ranges, children and adults.

Average nutritional information of 100 grams of mango:

Mango benefits

It is a food with multiple benefits for our health thanks to the fact that all its varieties have a great content of vitamins and minerals, among other nutrients. Among its advantages, we can highlight the following:

Source of antioxidants

This food is rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, precursors of vitamin A. This composition makes mango a food rich in antioxidants.

Therefore, it provides nutrients beneficial to health, making your skin look more radiant and elastic and delaying premature oxidation of cells.

Help for menstruation

In addition, vitamin C helps us absorb iron in our body, so it is recommended for people with iron deficiency and women with heavy menstruation.

In addition, thanks to this characteristic, it can help us in cases of anemia, helping us absorb iron. Also, being rich in carbohydrates increases energy in moments of decay.

A satisfying fruit

Like most fruits with a lot of water, the magician is also a satiating fruit that can help us in our weight loss diet, moderating its consumption.

In addition, despite its sweet taste, it does not provide too many calories (60 kcal per serving). Therefore, we can include it in our diet, typically raw or through different recipes.

A natural laxative

Its high fibre content gives it the property of a natural laxative. Fibre regulates intestinal transit in case of constipation. In addition, fibre can help us reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and control blood glucose levels.

Renal insufficiency

This fruit is rich in potassium and is suitable for people suffering from kidney failure, as it provides a controlled dose of this mineral. Considering that this fruit gives us a steady amount of this mineral, people who suffer from this pathology can consume it with peace of mind.

In any case, we always recommend that you consult a nutritionist or health professional if there is any doubt about consuming this fruit.

Improves eyesight

This fruit is rich in beta carotenes, considered a provitamin A. The liver transforms them into vitamin A only when the body needs it. In this way, our body avoids the excess of this vitamin.

This vitamin also helps us prevent ocular degeneration, lubricate our eyes, infections, and general visual health.

A source of energy

Thanks to being a fruit rich in water, fibre and carbohydrates, it helps us fight fatigue in moments of exhaustion.

Strengthens our immune system

Thanks to its magnesium, beta-carotene and vitamin C content, this food is recommended to strengthen our defences against colds and flu, among other pathologies.

Conclusions

Therefore, summarizing all the benefits of this delicious fruit, we find a breath that is more than recommended to add to your diet if you have not already done so.

Please take advantage of all the virtues of this fantastic fruit. Now that you know some benefits of mango, do you dare to add it to your diet? Enjoy it with the different fun and delicious recipes in which you can add the mango.

We also recommend reading the article about the African mango and its weight-loss properties.