Keep a tab on king of fruits

When your favourite fruit becomes your forbidden fruit,its time to find out more,before you become a rebel finding yourself digging into it on the sly.

When your favourite fruit becomes your forbidden fruit,its time to find out more,before you become a rebel finding yourself digging into it on the sly. Conventional diet advice for weight watchers and diabetics puts mangoes on the red list not without reasons. But taking a holistic viewpoint,the picture may change. In other words,keeping scientific information about mangoes in mind,recommendations about the fruit warrants a re-look. This is so because of its impact on body weight,blood sugars and general health.

It is completely true that ripe mangoes are high in carbohydrates,sugars and have a high glycemic index. One of the seventh most popular fruits worldwide,it provides roughly 80 kilo calories per 100 gms (about 2 sides of a medium-sized ripe mango would provide about 130-150 calories),they mainly come from carbohydrates (20%) chiefly as fructose & glucose. Due to a high sugar content,mangoes are high in calories. Weight for weight they have double the calories of an apple or an orange,but does this mean that diabetics and weight watchers are banned from having it?

Well,the answer is no,if one adjusts for calories i.e. substitutes it for an equivalent amount of calories and carbohydrate in the meal. Better still,combine it with a low glycemic food.

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Practically speaking,this could mean substitution of the carbohydrate in the grain or staple (breads,rice,chapatti etc.). Low glycemic foods include pulses,legumes,low fat dairy (milk,curd),vegetables,nuts and seeds. In fact,the glycemic load (a useful measure of the ability of a food to spike blood sugar and insulin levels) of mangoes is low-medium,specially compared to bananas and potatoes. This means,that mangoes can make a safe entry into the diet,if one is able to keep the caloric intake and carbohydrates constant,i.e. take the right amounts. Gorging on them will obviously raise the calories intake and will result in rise in blood sugar and body weight.

Being the king of fruit with over 2,500 varieties around the world,the popularity of mangoes is clearly in its aromatic sweet taste. This tropical fruit can also boast of a huge array of impressive health benefits. The mango is known to be an excellent source of many vitamins such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid),B vitamins (thiamine,riboflavin,and niacin),and Vitamin A (ß-carotene).

Not only are mangoes rich in these nutrients,they are also high in non-nutrient phytochemical compounds. Reports suggest that the phytochemical content of mango pulp consists of gallic acid,mangiferin,quercetin and many tannins. Ripe mangoes generally possess a higher number of phenolics,researchers say. This makes mangoes a good source of antioxidants with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. With reasonably good fiber content,it provides a good combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Former being good for digestion later for management of blood cholesterol and sugar levels. Being a tropical fruit,research on mangoes is still not extensive and,perhaps,in years to come several more health benefits would be revealed.

But,before you start planning a mango party,there is a need for caution. Remember that mangoes being high on sugars,predominantly fructose,it is prudent to consume them in appropriate portions only,particularly by weight watchers,diabetics and those having high cholesterol.

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Ishi khosla is a former senior nutritionist at Escorts. She heads the Centre of Dietary Counselling and also runs a health food store. She feels that for complete well-being,one should integrate physical,mental and spiritual health. According to her: To be healthy should be the ultimate goal for all.