Dried Mangoes

Dried Mangoes Have Numerous Nutritional Health Benefits

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Mangos are one of the sweetest fruits available. The best thing about them is that they provide a great deal of essential nutrients to our diet. Consumers of mangos can enjoy their love of this fruit guilt-free and have confidence in knowing that they are consuming something that is completely healthy for their bodies.

Mangoes are enjoyed on a global scale and are consumed in many forms. Mango slices have sulfites to increase their time on the shelf and to prevent them from hardening. Organic mangoes tend to be stickier and a bit difficult to consume. When they are freeze-dried, they tend to be crunchier and don’t contain added sugars.

Traditional Uses

Mangoes are found in South Asia. Indian Ayurvedic medicine has used this fruit for 4,000 years in various forms. Traditional methods use dried mangos for:

  • Decreasing blood sugar
  • Immune system boost
  • Reducing inflammation

While there are few studies that confirm these effects, mangoes still do provide some health benefits.

Modern Benefits

Modern Benefits

Dried mangoes contain potassium, vitamin A, iron, and calcium. They also provide a good source of antioxidants. Foods rich in this aspect are known to protect a variety of health issues including some types of cancer.

Preventing Cancer

Consuming a produce-rich diet is always a good idea when it comes to preventing cancer. Fresh fruit is always helpful. However, recent research indicates that flavonoids and polyphenols have cancer fighting properties. These are high in dried mangoes. If the mango is pretreated by using citric acid prior to drying, the benefits go up.

Better Eye Health

Vitamin A is linked to eliminating macular degeneration and other issues with vision. Macular degeneration causes a loss of vision and affects over one million Americans. Presently, it has no cure.

Rich in Vitamin A

Dried mangoes are high in vitamin A. Vitamin A is associated with good vision, strong immune systems, and radiant skin tones. Dried mangoes can improve your sight, treat eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma, and conditions linked to aging.

It can treat skin problems like psoriasis, eczema, acne, and burns. It prevents sun exposure and aging skin. Like aloe vera, it can increase the skin’s ability to heal quickly.

Good Source of Fiber

Mangoes have soluble fiber that promotes good digestion and cleanses your system. It lowers cholesterol and, in moderation, can help with some weight loss. Mangoes contain an enzyme called amylases that breaks down food for easy absorption into the bloodstream. It breaks down complex carbs into simple sugars.

Benefits to Women

This fruit contains folate. When it oxidizes, it forms folic acid. This is an important factor in women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant. It helps in developing the baby’s spinal cord and brain. Folic acid prevents problems associated with underdevelopment of a fetus’ nervous system.

They also contain iron and calcium that promote good bone health. Iron prevents anemia, which is common in menstruating women.

Boost Mood

Since mangoes are high in B-vitamins (thiamin, pyridoxine, folate, and niacin), they foster an alert mind. They help to fight stress and increase daily stamina. Some say they help with nerve regeneration in the elderly and good neural development in infants.

High Amounts of Copper and Manganese

High Amounts of Copper and Manganese

Manganese is necessary for bone and tissue formation, metabolizing carbohydrates and fats, and blood clotting. A deficiency in this area leads to dysmenorrhea, anemia, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis.

Small amounts of copper are used to form red blood cells, strong immunity, and nerve health. Even though it is rare, a deficiency can be life-threatening.

Mangoes additionally have potassium which helps the cardiovascular system.

Vitamin C

Some of this is lost in the drying process, but dried mangoes do contain a decent amount of this vitamin. Vitamin C boosts the immune system and repairs tissues. It helps people to recover quicker from colds (boost immunity) and protects against free radicals.

Mangoes prevent deficiencies that can cause bleeding gums, rashes, and scurvy.

Risks

While dried mangoes may have high levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it has a high caloric intake. It can be easy to overindulge in this fruit, and because they are high in sugar, it is easy to gain weight.

Mango peels contain urushiol, a common substance also found in poison ivy, pistachios, and cashews. If the mango is fresh, the largest concentration is located within the skin.

If using fresh mangoes for dried mango recipes, use extra caution when contacting your skin. If you are allergic, exposure to urushiol can cause rashes that mimic poison ivy. Dried mangoes themselves do not contain skin, so they will not generate an allergic reaction to urushiol.

Dried mangoes can cause a runny nose and red eyes should you be allergic to sulfites. This can be avoided by selecting unsulfured dried fruits.

As stated, dried mangos are high in sugar content even if they are fresh. Prepackaged forms can add to the sweet taste of mangoes by adding sugar.

Unsweetened forms of dried mangoes are better; however, even tiny amounts can increase your blood glucose levels. Those at risk for type two diabetes or are managing their diabetes may want to use dried mangoes instead of fresh ones.

Half a cup of fresh mangoes has half the sugar in comparison with dried ones.

Additionally, the calorie count is high for mangoes. Four slices have 120 calories which doesn’t make it ideal for those who are weight conscious. Despite the amount of minerals and vitamins, some people will not find consuming it worthwhile if they are watching their weight.

For managing a sweet craving, in these cases, it may be better to eat fresh berries and apples as they contain fewer calories.

There are several benefits to consuming dried mangoes. Most of the reasons include the fact that they are rich in several vitamins and nutrients essential to maintaining proper health. They also help in preventing certain types of cancers as well, and heart disease.

The only detriment to eating dried mangoes is that they can be high in sugar and calories. Therefore, they should be eaten in moderation.


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