Mango, a tropical fruit, is very rich in several nutrients that are good for your health but is it good to eat mangoes for a weight loss diet? Let’s find out!
Mango and Weight Loss
Fruit consumption is very important in your daily healthy diet. If the goal is to lose weight there is important information we should know. Why?
In general, fruit is very rich in sugars, which, if not taken in the correct quantities can lead you to a weight gain situation instead of loss. This delicious fruit is no exception, so if you want to eat mangoes be careful.
Nutritional Value
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Mango fruit (specifically Mangifera indica), on average per 100g, has the following nutritional composition
Mango fruit has a rich nutrient profile, composed of several minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. The essential vitamins in mangoes are A, B5, B6, C, and vitamin E.
| Component | Amount |
| Energy | 60 kcal |
| Water | 83,5g |
| Protein | 0,82g |
| Fat | 0,38g |
| Carbohydrates | 15g |
| Fiber | 1,6g |
Is Mango Good for Weight Loss?
Mango doesn’t have cholesterol or salt and it is very low in fat. This makes it one of the best fruits for weight loss because these three components are the main problem in people that are overweight. Additionally, you can check ColonBroom for faster weight loss.
Excess of “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein – LDL) in your body will block your veins and arteries, making it harder for the blood to circulate and can lead, for example, to heart attacks.
Excess salt can lead to similar health problems by increasing your blood pressure. In terms of calories, mango is a low-calorie fruit, like grapes, another fruit that can be included in a weight loss diet.
Is mango fattening?
Like all fruits, mango is also rich in sugars. This could be a big problem if it wasn’t for natural sugar, called fructose. Each 100g of mango has around 15g of sugar, of which 5g is fructose. This means that if you eat mangoes regularly in high quantities, it can compromise your goal of losing weight.
When to Eat Mango to Lose Weight?
There isn’t a proper hour to eat fruit and the same principle applies when eating mango. Fruit should be eaten outside the main meals if the goal is weight loss and this can also be applied for other objectives.
Fruit should be eaten with other food rich in protein (e.g., eggs) and sugars with a low or moderate glycemic index because the sugar in fruits is usually absorbed very fast (except fructose which has a low index).
The consumption of food rich in sugars with a high glycemic index (GI) will cause a peak in blood sugar, making it easy to accumulate it in your body and a sensation of hunger can appear in the next few minutes – and we don’t want this in weight loss.
5 benefits of eating Mangoes
Mango fruit has several health benefits and positive characteristics that can help you lose weight. Here are five of them:
#1 Lowers cholesterol
Scientific studies have shown that cellulose fiber in fruits and vegetables facilitates the process of lowering your “bad” cholesterol (LDL), and this also happens when you eat mangoes.
#2 Helps your gut
Consuming high fiber foods helps to promote digestive health. Each 100g of mango has 1,6g of fiber, which helps to facilitate your digestion process. Dietary fiber will be nourishment for some bacteria in your gut that facilitates digestion.
#3 Promotes eye health
Another vitamin present in mango fruit is vitamin A. This vitamin is also a powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of macular degeneration (part of the retina in the eye) and vision loss.
#4 Boosts immunity
Mango fruit has 36,4mg of vitamin C in 100g. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. They have the job to boost your immune system, which makes this vitamin an ally against diseases such as flues or colds.
This vitamin is very important in growth development and repair of your body tissue process, as well as in protecting cells of free radicals (promoters of several chronic diseases like cancer).
#5 Heart-healthy
Around the world, every year, around 14.5 million people die of heart attacks. The fiber in mangoes decreases the probability of having heart diseases because it helps to lower LDL in your body and it also improves insulin resistance. Also, it doesn’t have cholesterol and fat. These factors make mango a great fruit for heart disease prevention.
A Word from Our Nutritionist
The mango fruit has several positive characteristics which make it a good food for weight loss and for the prevention of several diseases related to being overweight.
Mango has no cholesterol or salt, is low on fat, and has several components that improve your health and prevent several diseases like stroke (in the USA there are around 600 000 people who have strokes every year).
Although mango is considered a fruit of moderate GI (56), the sugar in this fruit might not help you while trying to lose weight. If you want to consume mangoes and you are trying to shed a few pounds, the ideal ingestion of mangoes is between 1 to 3 pieces a week.
Conclusion
Mango is compatible with weight loss but you have to be mindful of the portion size. This fruit might also help to prevent cardiovascular diseases and has several other health benefits for your eyes, skin, muscle, immunity system, and gut health.
Eat a balanced diet, have an exercise routine, and count calories to be within the calorie deficit. That way you could eat anything you want and still lose weight.
