Need something fresh to cool down your sunny day? Or maybe you need a dessert to get rid of the greasiness after some fatty meals? Mango might be the perfect answer for you. Among all varieties of mangoes, there is one of the varieties which has huge benefits but has not been widely known.
It is called Alphonso mango, the reddish yellow mango which is included in one of the most expensive mango varieties. People love this fruit for its delicate, rich and creamy texture of the bright yellow flesh. This kind of mango is very good for sorbet, ice cream, mousse, and the other dessert.
Nutrition Facts of Alphonso Mango
Such as the other kind of mangoes and its benefits like the health benefits of green mango, alphonso mango also has its benefits. And when we are talking about the health benefits of a fruit, we cannot separate the fruit with its nutritional values. On the other hand, this kind of mango is found to be high in Vitamin C which is very good for human immune system. To find out more, we can check the nutrition fact as listed below. The list is based on the value contained in every 100 gr of raw alphonso mango.
- Calories 150
- Saturated fat 2 gr
- Polyunsaturated fat 3 gr
- Monounsaturated fat 2 gr
- Trans fat 0 gr
- Cholesterol 40 mg
- Sodium 733 mg
- Potassium 80 mg
- Dietary fiber 3 gr
- Sugars 2 gr
- Protein 14 gr
The other values contained in the alphonso mango are vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. From the nutrition contained within a single service of mango, we can figure the health benefits of alphonso mango, such as:
- Prevents anemia
As the source of iron, mango is able to prevent anemia effectively. Anemia is the stage when the amount of red blood in our body is low. To increase the production of red blood especially for women, body needs iron which is usually contained in fish, vegetables, and fruits including alphonso mango.
- Support fetus development
Besides its benefit to increase the production of red blood and preventing anemia, iron is also good supplement for pregnant woman. Iron contained in mango is very good to support the fetal growth. As we know, the excellent growth of a baby will be significantly affected by its fetal development during the pregnancy.
Therefore, obstetricians recommend the pregnant mother to add the iron intake by eating more healthy food such as mango. The sweet and sour refreshing taste of mango will also decrease the nausea in pregnancy while giving the needed nutrition.
- Fights cancer
We know that many things cause cancer. One of these is free radical which is able to increase to growth of cancer cell. On top of that, the phenolic compounds in mango are able to inhibit the growth of cancer cell without harms the normal cell. Therefore, consuming mango is good to fight any kind of cancer.
Some research even showed that the polyphenol extract in mango makes a big impact toward breast, lung, colon, leukemia, and prostate cancer. Besides, the other natural ingredients are also able to reduce the risk of cancer, such as pomegranate. Here are benefits of pomegranate for cancer.
- Strengthens digestion system
The sodium in alphonso mango is also able to maintain the good work of the digestion system by stabilizing the bowel movement and combat acidity well. It will also avoid the digestion problem such as constipation. Besides, mango also contains the enzyme which helps to break protein during the digestion process.
In addition, a study in Mexico reveled that mango extract is able to fight giardia, a water-borne parasite that can cause diarrhea to human. Mango is able to perform as anti-giardiac property for human and animal. Therefore, experts suggest to regularly consuming mango in the reasonable serving amount.
- Prevents heart disease
Health benefits of alphonso mango, which is rich with compounds which help regulate the blood flow. Â The ripe alphonso mango usually contains huge amount of vitamin A and vitamin E which are good for heart. Further, if we keep consuming mango, it will avoid us from getting heart disease and strokes.
- Cleanses skin
Besides beneficial for body health, this type of mango is also beneficial for your skin health. the vitamin C and vitamin E of mango actively helps to clean dirt from the clogged pore while making our skin soft and smooth. Therefore, to gain the benefit, you can consume the fresh mango regularly or drink the mango juice.
To get the faster effect, you can also use mango as your facial mask by crushing the mango into paste, put it all over your face, let it dry, and then wash it with warm water. After that, you can apply your favorite toner to close your pores after you cleansed it. Besides mango facial mask, you can also use the other natural ingredients such as benefits of Lavender for skin.
- Improves Sex Performance
Vitamin E in mango is not only beneficial for skin. Surprisingly, it can also improve your sex performance. Vitamin E is in charge to regulate the sex hormones. Therefore, men and women with sufficient daily vitamin E intake will have more desire and mood in having sex, get more sexual energy, and more frequent and intense orgasm.
- Maintains Healthy Hair
Besides the beneficial for skin, the vitamin C in alphonso mango is also good for hair. It will nourish our hair and keep away the hair from dullness, dandruff, and hair fall. There are many things Vitamin c can do for hair. You can also read the other Benefits of vitamin c for hair as your references.
- Regulates body fluid
Mangoes, including alphonso mango are known to have the ability to regulate the body fluid. This kind of ability enables mango to reduce edema because of the excessive body fluids. It can also maintain the health urinary system.
- Relieves kidney problem
The ability of mango to carry out the urinary will also help to relieves the kidney problems such as kidney stones and nephritic. As the urine flow will bring the waste throughout the body, so the risk of some disease will be reduced.
- Reduces fever
Besides the nutrition values, mango also contains water. The water added with the vitamins contained in it will be the perfect remedy for fever. It will also help to accelerate the recovery process of any illness.
- Optimizes brain function
Just like the other fruits like banana, mango is also able to boosts your brain system. The element which is very beneficial for it is potassium. We know that alphonso mango contains high level of mineral such as potassium. Besides consuming the nutritious food, we can also improve the brain function by exercising.
However, if we don’t have enough time to do such a vigorous exercise, we can do some simple exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing. Here are the Health Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing.
- Anti-inflammatory property
Despite of the beneficial flesh, the fruit’s peel can also be used for human health. According to research in Germany, mango’s peel extract has some anti-inflammatory property. The anti-inflammatory property can also be used to fight the cancer cell.
- Improves eye health
Carotenoid might be the one attributes the bright yellow color of mango’s flesh. As we know, all the bright colored fruits and vegetables such as carrot, papaya, tomato, and mango contains carotenoid which is very useful to improve eye health. In the other words, mango can supply our need of Vitamin A which is able to prevent from some eye problems such as night blindness and dried eyes.
The other health benefits of alphonso mango are:
- Optimizes nervous system
- regulates muscle contraction
- strengthen bones
- prevents stroke
- alkalize the body
- Relieves respiratory problems
Cautions in Consuming Alphonso Mango
Based on the nutrition values, we can notice the high level of calories in mango. The level of calories is 150 for the raw fruit, and will be higher in the ripe fruit. As we know, mangoes including alphonso mango are commonly sweet which might not be good for diabetics and for those who are in diet.
In addition, the consumption of mango cannot be separated from touching its peel. A study revealed that mango peel, especially the unripe mango peel might cause irritation. The irritation stimulated by the contained urushiol which can cause skin allergy to some people.
Recommended Intake of Alphonso Mango
In spite of the high calories contained, research found that the glycemic index of alphonso mango is low which is in 51. Although it is not recommended, those who are in low calorie diet are able to consume it in reasonable portion. For example, you can take ½ cup of cubed mango or about ¼ parts of the fruit in one serving. It will impact your blood sugar, but it is still tolerable.