Go Man, Mango!

Look up and you will see the signs all around you. Flowers blooming on the trees, birds singing their song and the king of fruits declaring that he will arrive in all grandeur in the next couple of months.

So here’s a factsheet on mango that you must be aware of before the season begins, so that you relish the fruit in its full glory and be well-equipped to fight the propaganda of doctors, dieticians and trainers that the Mango is fattening, high on sugar, etc.

Mango for diabetes? YES! Diabetics are asked to eat foods that are low on the glycemic index. Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly your blood sugar rises in response to the food you have consumed. Now mango has a low GI, just like apple and berries. So why is apple ‘allowed’ and mango is not? I am guessing mango is tas­tier. The American Diabetic Association recommends mango for diabetics, our doctors who love flaunting their foreign degrees ensure that you stay away from the fruit a small farmer sells and instead go for biscuits that huge corporations sell. Tch tch.

Mango for high cholesterol? Yes, the pectin, that soluble fibre, is so great for lowering cholesterol levels and so much yummier than the oats you eat. I mean why tolerate the poor taste of oats for fibre when a yummier mango is at hand?

Mango for blood pressure? Yes! They are an amazing source of polyphenols, the same reason why you drink copious amounts of green tea, however bland or yucky it tastes. So these polyphenols protect the heart against damage, and you want that if you have blood pressure issues.