Unripe mango: amazing health benefits
Native to Southeast Asia and India, the mango is the most widely consumed fresh fruit in the world, with worldwide production exceeding 17 million metric tonnes a year. The mango is a member of the Anachardiaceae family which includes poison ivy, cashews, and pistachios. It is also known as manga, mangga, mangot, mangou, and mangue in other parts of the world.
Cultivated for over 6,000 years, the mango comes in over 50 varieties, ranging in colour from greenish, yellowish, to reddish, often tinged with purple, pink, orange-yellow, or red.
Alexis Mucumbitsi, the in charge of nutrition at the Ministry of Health, explains that mangoes are important in the prevention of diseases because they are rich in various vitamins. He says that the fruit is rich in vitamin A and C, calcium, iron and 82% of magnesium which is vital for the extraction of wastes in the body.
"Raw mangoes contain an acid which helps ease digestion and control constipation. They also help the skin soften and breathe making it healthy. Mangoes also help in the fight against diabetes by reducing sugar levels in the body," Mucumbitsi says.
"We encourage people to also grow other fruits like pineapples and jackfruit so that what they can't get from mangoes, they can find in others."
Click here to read the health benefits and read more at allafrica.com.
