No, mangoes don't make you fat and diabetics can have them too
The delightful Badamis, the tart Totapuris, the fragrant Gulab Khas from Bengal, the more red than yellow Sindooris, the sweet-sour Kesars from Gujarat. The prized Malihabadi Dasheris from UP, Baganapalli from Andhra Pradesh, the kind of sour totapuri, the huge langras, the absolutely divine chaunsas, and of course the royal Alphonso... These are just some of the better known names (at least the ones I know) of the 400 or so known varieties being eaten in India for last 4,000 years or so. Yes, that many and for that long!
Well, like most people I know, I too love my mango. I do dig some (like the chausa and the langra) more than the others, but actually I just eat them all, and I eat them with abandon.
No dainty cubes for me, I slice a mango and minus any sophistication just mop up the succulent flesh and juice straight off the peel, often to the chagrin of others eating with me.
Well, that's how I have always eaten my mango - as a child - and continue to do so as an adult. Apparently this way of eating actually pays rich dividends. All ripe mangoes deliver loads of phenolics (antioxidants), which have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, but now we also know that the concentration of these goodies is maximum just below the skin.
So eating it the old-fashioned way is actually the best way to score them the max.
I love mango unconditionally, so much so that if you ask me what my best season is: I'd say the mango season (even though I hate the heat and humidity that comes as a part of the package).
Possibly because mango is a perfect comfort food. One good sized mango in and you feel better instantly. I do!
But a mango does more than just chasing away the blues effectively. For starters it is not as steep in calories (about 120 calories for a medium fruit) as usually thought.
Plus it delivers a lot of beta carotene (which gets converted to vitamin A in the body), is a great source of immune boosting vitamin C, is rich in glutamine acid, a protein that helps boost our concentration and memory, and also delivers lots of heart healthy potassium too.
It helps keep the gut happy, and constipation away too! Ever noticed how your constipation miraculously disappears during the mango season! That's because mango is loaded with fibre, and works like a natural laxative.
Also experts have lately been going hoarse over the importance of keeping our body and gut alkaline. Mango can help do that as well. It is rich in tartaric acid, malic acid and has traces of citric acid - and all these help in maintaining the pH of the body as alkaline. As an acidic body makes us prone to disease, eating mangoes can help counter that effectively.
Now most diabetics I know tend to be really scared of this fruit. But that's naive! As even though mango is a rich source of fructose (a type of fruit sugar),when eaten in moderation and incorporated safely and responsibly in the diet, it is safe enough, for diabetics too.
That's because it's glycemic load (a useful measure of the ability of a food to spike blood sugar and insulin levels) is low-medium.
Also finally it is time to bury, really bury the myth that mangoes can be fattening. Studies show that eating mangoes may help control blood sugar and cholesterol and also reduce body fat.
Eating a mango actually reduces levels of the hormone leptin in the body, a chemical that regulates energy consumption and storage and thus helps regulate appetite.
In fact, some reports also show that mango peel extracts inhibit adipogenesis (fat cell formation), and show results like those seen from resveratrol, a well-known antioxidant found in red wine and grapes.
So whether or not you are on a weight loss diet, one mango a day while it is in season I'd say is mandatory for everyone. There are enough reasons to enjoy this fruit, and the joy they give is just one of those.