Mango
Description: Mangos come in a range of colors - many shades of green, yellow and red - and lots of mangos show more than one color. The colors of a mango will vary by variety, growing region and even that mango's position on the tree. That's because in some varieties, the red blush on the skin is an indicator of how much sun that mango received.
Availability: Spring
Facts: Mangos originated in Southeast Asia and India, where references to the fruit are documented in Hindu writings dating back to 4000 B.C. Buddhist monks cultivated the fruit and in fact, the mango is considered to be a sacred fruit in the region because it is said that Buddha himself meditated under a mango tree. The mango belongs to the same family as the cashew and the pistachio nut.
Serving Size = 1/2 CUP 
Selection: Choose slightly firm mangos with sweet aroma. Avoid sap on skin.
Storage: Store at room temperature 1-2 days. Refrigerate peeled, cut mangos.
Nutrition Benefits: Low fat; saturated fat free; sodium free; cholesterol free; high in vitamin A; good source of vitamin C.
Pigments: beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, anthocyanins
Phytochemicals: gallic acid, gallotannins, mangiferine, quercetin, kaempferol, syringic acid, phytoene, phytofluene
ORAC: 302
Reprinted with the permission of the Defeat Diabetes Foundation.
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