Tuesday 14 August 2012

Mighty Mango Smoothie & It's Health Benefits In A Glass

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Smile triumphantly if you’ve had breakfast today.  Your pride is well deserved as breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. 

I love mangoes and you probably do too.  Except, you’ve probably forgotten how nutritious it is because it is so tasty.  I’m determined that we meet our 5 plus of fruit and vegetables a day.  So what better way to start than at breakfast?



Vitamin C
What’s more is that you’ll also get a glassful of natural vitamin C with every smoothie.  Many of you think oranges or citrus fruits when we talk about vitamin C, but mangoes are another fantastic choice to meet your daily target of 40mg per day for vitamin C.

A 100g portion of this tropical fruit will give you around 37mg of vitamin C.  A portion is generally considered around 80g, but who is counting?  As a result of eating more than one piece of fruit a day, you will be literally smiling away, flashing those healthy gums, beautiful skin and fighting off infections whilst easily meeting your recommended amount of vitamin C for the day.  

Remember that taking large doses of vitamin C supplements in the form of pills has not been proven to prevent colds.



Fibre, Polyphenols & Potassium
Are you ready for more good news?  The dietary fibre and polyphenols found in fruit and vegetables are thought to improve the metabolism of lipids, especially the oxidation of low density cholesterol (the baddies if you like). 

An earlier study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in 1999, found that ripe mangoes in particular are abundant in antioxidants such as polyphenols, gallic acid and fibre.  Being a tropical fruit, I am thrilled that mango has found its voice in the Western part of the world.

It really is time for the generation of the perfect dose of vitamin C, fibre, antioxidants and potassium in a glass.  Enjoy this quick and easy breakfast smoothie idea.



Ingredients
Flesh of 1 mango
1 banana
125g mango yoghurt
Ice (optional)
2 tablespoons mango puree (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Methods
Blend the mango, banana and yoghurt together with the ice if using.  I used a whole mango as mine was mostly seed with a bit of flesh.  Pour the smoothie into a glass and top with the mango puree and sprinkling of cinnamon.  Wow you are ready to take on the world now J


Enjoy your day!  How do you like to eat a mango?