All About Mangoes
By Amy Silva
Mangoes are a delicious and juicy tropical fruit that are popular around the world. They can be used in many different types of food dishes from savory recipes to desserts. They can lend an unexpected flavor to traditional fruit salads and be added to nearly any other recipe where you'd use fruit. Just as other fruit, mangoes are also great for your health because they're packed with nutrients, which makes them a great addition to your diet.
About Mangoes
Mangoes grow on trees that can be up to 60 feet tall. They grow in tropical regions and are related to cashews. Depending on the variety, mangoes can be nearly 5 pounds or a similar size to plums. They can have different shapes, flavors and colors as well. If you live in the United States, you'll notice the different varieties available throughout the year depending on the season. Since the colors vary, you won't be able to know if a mango is ripe simply by looking at it. Give it a gentle squeeze. If it's firm, it's not ripe, so choose a softer one if you'll eat it quickly or set firm mangoes on the counter and they'll ripen in a few days.
Health Benefits of Mangoes
Mangoes are full of an impressive amount of vitamins and minerals. Some of the nutrients they contain include Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, folate, fiber, potassium, thiamine, magnesium calcium and Vitamin K. They also have antioxidants that are good for your eyes and help reduce inflammation in the heart. Mangoes may also reduce blood pressure, fight wrinkles and even reduce the risk of cancer.
Ways to Use Mangoes
Mangoes are versatile enough that you can find a recipe for any meal. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Healthy snacks - You can add a new twist to traditional salsa by making mango salsa, use frozen mango in fruit smoothies, eat mangoes dried, add sliced or chopped mangoes to fruit salads, regular salads and yogurt
- Meat and seafood - Mangoes can be turned into sauces or chutneys to use with meat and seafood dishes, sliced and mixed with vegetables, eaten with rice or added to soup
- Desserts - Cake, sorbet, popsicles and candies made using mango will be a nice surprise if you don't often use tropical fruit in desserts
Mangoes have health benefits and can be used in plenty of recipes making them easy to incorporate into your diet.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Rosemead, Calif.