Are Mangoes Fattening: The Truth About This Luscious Fruit

Are Mangoes Fattening

Mango is a delicious tropical fruit well-known and loved around the world. Tens of millions of mangoes are put on dinner tables in India and Ecuador, the U.S, and Germany. It is packed with a bevy of nutrients and is quite sugary. This may be the reason some people fear mangoes are fattening and can interrupt your weight loss process.

Is it actually true? Are mangoes fattening or good for health? Are the rumors completely wrong? Can you eat as many mangoes as your sweet tooth wants and never gain a single pound? Read this article to grasp the relation of mangoes to fattening and make your consumption of this luscious fruit balanced and healthy. 

What Are Mangoes?

Mango is a popular tropical fruit eaten raw or as a component of sweet and savory dishes. It is one of the most highly cultivated fruits in the world, most widely grown in parts of Asia, especially India, as well as Mexico, South America, and central Africa. Mango is usually harvested in late spring and summer. It can be green, yellow, orange, red, or a mix of those colors. The fully ripe mango is mostly yellow or red. 

Mango is one of the most nutritious fruits out there, and its benefits are almost uncountable. Here are some of the mango nutrition facts to begin with (3).

Mango Nutrition Facts

One 165-gram cup of mango slices contains: 

• 107 calories
• 3 grams of fiber
• 24 grams of sugar
• 1 gram of protein
• 25 percent daily value of vitamin A
• 76 percent daily value of vitamin C
• 257 mg of potassium
• 0.2 mg of vitamin B-6

Now, what does this actually mean and which benefits do mangoes provide?

What Are the Benefits Of Mangoes?

Mangoes are not only delicious but also fully packed with nutrients. Here are some benefits of mango to reap by including this fruit into your diet. 

• Lots Of Vitamin A

A serving of mango contains a quarter of the daily recommended norm of vitamin A. Vitamin A is crucial for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication (7). It also supports cell growth and differentiation and plays a vital role in the normal formation and maintenance of your heart, lungs, kidneys, and other bodily organs. 

• Lots Of Vitamin C

Mango is one of the best food sources of vitamin C. Just a serving of mango provides you with 76% of daily vitamin C norm. Aside from its well-known immune-strengthening function, vitamin C protects you from cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease, and even skin wrinkling (6).

Read More: Do Vitamins Break A Fast: Exploring The Impact Of Supplements On Fasting

• Cancer-Preventing

Micronutrients in mangoes might fight cancer cells, and the results in research on breast cancer are especially illuminating. For instance, in one study (4) polyphenols from mango managed to block breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in mice. 

• Improves Digestion

Mango can help you prevent constipation while promoting regularity in the digestive tract and keeping it healthy as well because it is high in fiber and water content. Mango has a particularly impressive effect on people with chronic constipation. In a pilot study (5), a group of people who ate mango every day had more improvement in their constipation symptoms than those who ate an equivalent amount of fiber from other food sources. Furthermore, the mango group also adhered to their treatment plan more readily and showed increases in healthy fatty acids and other measures of digestive wellness.

This list is short and non-exhaustive. Mangoes yield many other benefits, but listing them all would require a whole article. For now, it’s time to cover the main question: Are mangoes fattening?

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Are Mangoes Fattening? 

First, let’s consider the energy content. An average woman’s healthy diet should contain between 1600 and 2000 calories per day to support the proper functioning of her body and avoid nutrient deficiencies (2). 

The weight of a medium-sized mango is about 200 grams, so you’ll get around 150 calories from consuming one mango. This is in fact not a lot, just 28 grams of almonds contain a similar number of calories. This is the first indicator that mangoes as such are not fattening, they are not high-calorie products. Another one is that mangoes contain next to no fat and cholesterol. Don’t get it wrong, fats are absolutely essential for your health, and you should never exclude healthy fats from vegetable and fish sources from your diet. The point is: how can the fruit containing zero fat be fattening? The right answer is: it can’t. 

The only concern you might have regarding mangoes is sugar. Mangoes indeed is one of the sweetest fruits out there. However, mangoes also contain a lot of fiber and antioxidants, which play a role in minimizing its overall effect on your blood sugar levels (1). In fact, mangoes are considered a food suitable for diabetics, as its glycemic index is 51, just below 55, the number making a product recommended for diabetics. Nevertheless, you still need to evaluate the acceptable amount of mangoes for you, as individual reactions vary. 

Are Dried Mangoes Fattening?

4 slices of dried mangoes (42 grams) contain 134 calories. This is much more than the energy values of fresh mango. Furthermore, while still a good snack, dried mangoes contain over four times more sugar than fresh mangoes. It is difficult to say whether dried mangoes are fattening, but they’re more fattening than fresh ones for sure. Opt for fresh mangoes whenever possible. 

Are Frozen Mangoes Fattening?

No, frozen mangoes are not fattening and contain roughly the same number of calories as fresh ones.

Does Eating Mango Make You Gain Weight?

It does not unless you go overboard with mangoes and violate your caloric limits. It goes without saying that the rule of calorie intake and calorie burn doesn’t cancel itself when running into mangoes. If you wish to lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit. So, for instance, if your norm is 1500 calories, and you exceed it with two mangoes, you will gain weight. It works the same with literally any food. So, you can consider eating mango not as an add-on to your usual dishes, but as a part of them, replacing with mango some other foods. It is highly likely that mango would be a very good and nutritious replacement in your daily menu.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

SOURCES:

1. A Review on Ethnopharmacological Applications, Pharmacological Activities, and Bioactive Compounds of Mangifera indica (Mango) (2017, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (n.d., health.gov)
3. Mangos, raw Nutrition Facts and Calories (n.d., nutritiondata.self.com)
4. Polyphenolics from mango (Mangifera indica L.) suppress breast cancer ductal carcinoma in situ proliferation through activation of AMPK pathway and suppression of mTOR in athymic nude mice (2016, researchgate.net)
5. Polyphenol‐rich Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Ameliorate Functional Constipation Symptoms in Humans beyond Equivalent Amount of Fiber (2018, onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
6. The Benefits of Vitamin C (n.d., webmd.com)
7. Vitamin A (2020, ods.od.nih.gov)