Are mangos good for you or healthy? Unfortunately - as is the case with many tropical fruits - the nutritional value of mangos, while still exponentially higher than most meats and dairy foods, is anywhere from 50% to 90% lower when you compare a mango vs. apple, blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries in terms of their total antioxidant content.To add insult to injury, the mango is high in sugar. Fortunately, as long as you're eating the fresh fruit, the its fiber content will help slow down how quickly that sugar hits your bloodstream and therefore reducing its glycemic impact.There are also some positive nutritional aspects and health benefits of mangos. One cup of the fruit contains 100 calories, which may seem a bit high for a fruit, but with that you also get 100% of your daily value of vitamin C, 35% for vitamin A, 10% for B6, 20% for folate, 35% for vitamin A, and 8% for vitamin K (vitamin K2 is important for bone health, especially for vegans).So even though it may not be the healthiest fruit, it's still relatively nutritious and certainly much better than any typical dessert food. Try substituting out ice cream with a bowl of delicious sliced up mangos. The sugar content helps to satisfy your sweet tooth, but with a lower glycemic impact, a lower calorie count, and vitamins + minerals to boot.
ORAC Source
USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2 - Prepared by Nutrient Data Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center (BHNRC), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - May 2010