So Many Reasons to Eat Mangoes

If you’ve had your fill of citrus fruits this past winter, now is the time to go a little tropical with mangoes, which are in season now through September. With their sweet and juicy taste, versatility, and abundance of nutrients, mangoes make a great addition to your diet and cooking. Throw them in a blender for smoothies or slice them into a salad — you’ll be treating your body to much-needed vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting compounds.

Versatile

Sweet and slightly tart, mangoes are a welcome addition to the spring and early summer fruit season. They taste great alone or in salads, salsas, smoothies, chutneys, cakes, and tarts. Grown on trees and cultivated in India, mangoes are now raised in temperate climates throughout the world, including in Florida and California, says the American Institute of Cancer Research.

Salsas made with mangoes are fabulous for topping off fish or lean chicken, or rolling into a sandwich wrap. For a terrific tasting and heart-healthy salsa, try this recipe for Avocado and Mango Salsa from the AICR.

Rich in vitamins

Mangoes supply lots of nutrients, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. They are especially high in vitamins A and C and beta-carotene, as well as potassium. One cup of sliced, raw mango has 25 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 76 percent of recommended daily intake of vitamin C. As a good source of potassium, mangoes are considered a great post-workout snack because the mineral helps keep electrolyte levels steady. Potassium also helps with blood pressure regulation.

Cancer fighter

Vitamin A in mangoes is known for promoting vision health, but it also helps cells reproduce normally and may cut the risk of certain cancers. What’s more, Runner’s World magazine reports that the antioxidant compounds known as tannins, which are found in mangoes, discourage the growth of breast- and colon-cancer cells.

Mangoes also pack in dietary fiber — 3 grams in one cup of raw mango — adding to their title as a champ in the battle against certain cancers as well as heart disease.

Pick them carefully

To choose the best fruit, give the nose a squeeze and take those with some give — mangoes soften as they ripen. The peel is tough and inedible and its color ranges from yellow to red to green. The flesh is typically golden colored.

Eat the mango by slicing it top to bottom along the long, flat pit. Then, with the skin side down, use a knife to crosshatch each half without cutting into the skin and spoon out the flesh, advises Runner’s World magazine.