With mango season around, it becomes hard to resist a slice. We recommend a low carb lifestyle and if you still are largely on a carbohydrate dominant diet, then let’s understand the pros and cons of doing so!
Mango maybe high on the micronutrient quotient eg., fibre, betacarotene, vitamin C, iron to name a few. Not that we can’t source them from a whole lot of other low carb foods.
Like other fruits, it contains glucose and fructose, the amount of glucose being slightly higher. We know what glucose does: spikes insulin and prevents fat burning. Fructose in large amounts can elevate triglycerides, uric acid and increase risk of fatty liver.
An occasional indulgence called a “cheat” may not hurt healthy exercising individuals. Try to stay within a slice or 2 as it is likely to put you off the fat loss wagon. Any fruit is best eaten as the 1st or 2nd meal of the day as the sugar in fruit (fructose) is likely to be stored as fat in the later parts of the day. This depends on how insulin sensitive you are to begin with. How would you know? Well, if your body fat percent is already over the range, it explains how sensitive you are to the current intake of carbohydrates.
Diabetics (controlled sugar) may also include upto a slice at breakfast. Children within their ideal weight range can include 1 medium mango as a mid meal snack during the day.
Therefore, coming back to the question; treat it as a cheat. We know carbohydrate based foods make us lose control.
Can you handle eating it in moderation or are you enslaved?
