5 Reasons Why People in Hawaii Love Mangoes


Just the other day I found myself in the grocery store pondering if I should buy some mangoes.  At that moment I thought back to when I was a kid, summer was mango season in Hawaii and we ate mangoes every day for 2 months.  Mangoes where plentiful in those days and no one had to buy them from the store.  Everyone had different recipes for making the best pickled mango, and sometimes we ate half ripe mangoes with a potent Filipino fish sauce called Bagoong.  On the morning news they announced that there was going to be a festival held in Hawaii for this highly favored fruit.  I thought I wonder what are the health benefits to eating mangoes.

I was sad when I found out that mangoes did not originate in Hawaii.  Mapsofworld.com claims that the mango originated in North east India and found it’s way to East Asia in 40o Bc.  By the 10th century mangoes showed up in East Africa, and made it’s way to the Phillipines in the 15th century.  In the 16th century Portuguese traders gave mango trees to African and Brizillian colonies.  It was not until the 17th century that mangoes made it’s debut in America.  Before we starting pickling mangoes in Hawaii, pickling mangoes where common in other places to preserve the fruit because there was no refrigeration.  Since mangos are sensitive to frost, they thrive best in tropical climates.  Hawaii has mango orchards that grow and sell most of the fruit locally.

Medicalnewstoday.com reports that there are studies that propose possible health benefits to eating mangoes such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and more.

5 reasons to make mangoes one of your must have fruits:

1) The nutrient beta-carotene is found in mangoes which can lower the risk  for asthma, prostate cancer, and help with good vision.

2) Since mangoes contain vitamin K it could help lower the risk for bone fracture and aid in calcium absorption.

3) If you suffer from episodes of constipation eat mangoes, it’s fiber and water content may help in preventing constipation.

4) Besides the fiber and vitamin content in mango, it also contains potassium which can lower the risk for heart disease.

5) The Vitamin A nutrient contained in the fruit help keep hair and skin moisturized.

So next time you eat a mango just enjoy it’s refreshing taste and wonderful health benefits.

Mango man