Fruits and vegetables are some of the best foods that you can put in your body. They come in all different shapes, sizes and colours. They are also jam-packed with vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients and minerals that help keep your body healthy.
Many southern travel destinations and resorts often have a fully stocked fruit bar for guests. Lush juicy fruit, chopped up and served on the spot is enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
I love the taste of vibrant fruit so I seldom miss an opportunity to indulge in a plate full of sweet goodness. Some of my favourite tropical fruits include pineapple and mangos. Unfortunately, binge eating mangos is not without its repercussions – something I always forget but am quickly reminded of the following days.
Juices, chutneys, salads and sauces… There is an infinite list of uses for this delicious fruit in cooking. Mango’s are used in cuisines all over the world and are considered the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The mango is a type of stone fruit grown where the tree can reach up to 35-40 meters tall. They are cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. In build, mangos have an inner hairy pit and an outer edible peel. Their colour variation depends on the species and can range from yellow to green. Mangos can take from three to six months to ripen.
As with any fruit, mangos have many health and wellness benefits. Here are the top three:
1. Lots of Iron: Mango’s are a fruit rich in iron. For people who suffer from anemia or have low iron, one mango per day can help increase red blood cell counts in the body. Pregnant women need to have their iron maintained at a certain concentration and will often consume prescribed iron supplements. Why take supplements when you can enjoy a rich, juicy mango to keep your iron in check.
2. Brain Boost: Keeping your cranium sharp has never been so easy. Mango is a fruit that contains glutamine acid which is known to help with memory and concentration. Say goodbye to forgetfulness, eating mangos as part of your diet will help keep your neurons firing.
3. Immune Support: Fruit, in general, is key in keeping your immune system highly effective. Containing more than 20 different vitamins and minerals, mangos are important in helping the body heal from infections and diseases. While all vitamins are important, the two main vitamins in mangos that keep your immune system healthy and strong are vitamin A and vitamin C.
On top of these three great health benefits, anytime I eat mango, I repeatedly experience how the fibers in mango help with digestion and elimination.
Papaya is a 20 inch long pear-shaped fruit native to Central America and Mexico. Two kinds of papaya are commonly grown; red papaya and yellow papaya. The difference between the two is in the flesh of this fruit that can be red-orange in colour or yellow.
Papayas have a very particular flavour that is not for everyone. They are deliciously sweet fruit with musky and bitter undertones. Papayas are used in curries, salads and stews. The fruit also has black gelatinous seeds on the inner core with a sharp spicy taste when eaten.
1. Protects your Heart: Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the world. Being rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, papaya is great at keeping your blood vessel walls plaque-free. By acting as an oxidizing agent, these vitamins, prevent cholesterol from sticking to blood vessel walls causing the buildups that eventually lead to heart attacks and strokes.
2. Immune Support: Fruits in general are key in keeping your immune system highly effective. Like its cousin the mango, papaya is a fruit with an ample supply of vitamins and minerals, vitamin A and vitamin C being the most prominent. Essential to immune support, these vitamins assist in fighting off sickness and infection in the body.
3. Helps Inflammation: Inflammation touches everyone at some point in their lives, be it through a broken or sprained joint, pregnancy, arthritis or simply overuse of a muscle. Bountiful in enzymes, antioxidants and vitamin C, papaya can help soothe excess swelling and dull the effects of inflamed joints. Eating this fruit is a great way for your body to reap the benefits of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Of all the foods that we could be eating, fruits and veggies are by far the most important. It was while traveling abroad that Joey and I were introduced to mango and papaya fruits for the very first time. While mangos are a great way to stimulate emptying your digestive system, papayas work in the opposite manner – counteracting the mango runs.
After educating myself on all the great health benefits surrounding these two fruits, it left me wondering, for something that tastes so delicious and is so healthy, why aren’t more people consuming mangos and papayas?
Do you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis? Have you ever been hit with the effect of mangos and papayas on your body?
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This was a very informative article. It helped me figure out the difference of a mango and papaya. It’s always a bit confusing, as well as all the health benefits!