Nutrition experts say mangoes must be consumed in moderation and combined with fibre and healthy fats to control glucose spike.
Love mangoes but don't know how many you can safely consume to avoid gaining weight or experience blood sugar spikes? If you are someone who start and end their day and include the ripe fruit in all your snacks, you must exercise caution. Nutrition experts say mangoes must be consumed in moderation and combined with fibre and healthy fats to control glucose spike. Mangoes are full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, but overconsumption can be troublesome and may derail the weight loss journey.
Eating mangoes in moderation can however improve digestion, boost your mental health, heart health and immunity. The vitamin C and carotenoids in mango can help protect the skin from sun damage. The vitamin A in mango is essential for maintaining healthy eyes and preventing age-related vision problems like macular degeneration. Mangoes are a good source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Besides, mangoes have tryptophan, an amino acid that can help boost mood.
How many mangoes one can safely eat in a day
Nutritionist Juhi Kapoor shares the right portion of mango per day in her recent Instagram post.
“To enjoy the benefits of mangoes while practicing portion control, it's recommended to stick to a reasonable serving size, such as half a large mango or around 150 grams. This portion would provide approximately 125-150 calories, allowing you to savour the delicious fruit while maintaining a balanced calorie intake,” says Kapoor.
Consider the size of mango
The nutritionist says one must consider the size of a mango before eating giving an example of a large-sized mango that could contain 250-300 gram calories.
“Consider a large mango, typically weighing around 300-350 grams. A mango of this size can contain anywhere from 250 to 300 calories or more. To put this into perspective, a 300-calorie mango accounts for a substantial portion of the recommended daily calorie intake for many individuals. If an average adult requires around 2,000 calories per day, a single large mango would contribute roughly 15% of their total daily calorie needs,” adds Kapoor.
Combine mango with healthy fats
Nutritionist Lovneet Batra recommends half to 1 fruit a day to prevent sugar spikes but suggests adding healthy fats.
“One medium mango has about 50 grams of carbs, so if you are having half to 1 fruit a day you are absolutely fine. But most important thing here is also how you combine this high-carb fruit. So I would suggest make sure you are having fibre and healthy fats with this. So you can have a cup of lemon water with soaked chia seeds and soaked almond and walnuts before having your mango. This will decrease the glucose spike after eating the fruit,” she says.
Timing of having mangoes
Batra says timing is very important while consuming mangoes and it's always better to have the fruit before a physical activity.
“Make sure you are having it before your activity and again after having fibre and fat. Also make sure you are having mango in its whole form and not in its liquid juice form,” says Batra.
