SOURCE: Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald
June in Miami is challenging. The heat and humidity start to rise and it marks the start of hurricane season.
But June is national mango month and the trees are heavy with delicious mangoes. I am biased on this topic, as I love this tropical fruit. Once a friend visiting from the North went mango crazy. She was eating at least 8-10 a day. That was until the palms of her hands turned orange with carotenemia. This benign condition is caused by eating excessive amounts of carotene from primarily bright orange foods. This is most commonly seen in infants.
Another friend was allergic to the mango peel but not the fruit. The skin and sap of mango contains allergens similar to those found in poison ivy or poison oak. A mango rash usually presents as redness, itching and minor discomfort. I wear non-latex gloves when cutting up my mangoes.
Is the delicious mango nutritious? The answer is a resounding yes. A ¾ cup serving has 70 calories, no fat or sodium, 1 gram of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Their rich color is an indicator of their high beta-carotene content. Other polyphenols in a mango are lutein, anthocyanins, and flavonoids.
We know polyphenols promote heart health and reduce cancer risk. A 2018 research article in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research intrigued me. This was a small four-week study of men and women with chronic constipation. About 20% of Americans suffer with constipation. The two study groups, in addition to their usual diet, received five grams of additional fiber a day.
One group ate a mango for their five grams and the other group received five grams of psyllium fiber. In this study, mangoes were more effective in reducing the symptoms of constipation. And of course tastier.