Pick of the Day: Mango Madness!

Mangos are at their peak of the season! Mangos not only taste great but they are also good for you (and for your skin too)!

Vitamin C: One cup of fresh mango contains 90% of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamin C. Vitamin C is not only essential to retain a strong immune system, it is also a wonderful antioxidant. Vitamin C also plays a critical role in repairing the body tissues that is needed for wound healing. In addition, vitamin C is also necessary for the production of collagen in the skin, bones, and teeth. Yes ladies, vitamin C’s collagen building activity can help you retain a youthful appearance! But do not go overboard and buy a bunch of those supplements, because vitamin C in great excess can become unstable and also have pro-oxidant effects which do the opposite (along with some adverse affects on the gastrointestinal tract).

Vitamin A: Mangos are high in a form of vitamin A called beta-carotene. Vitamin A is essential for vision (it is needed to form rhodopsin, a vitamin A-containing pigment protein found in our eyes). Among vitamin A’s many functions in the body, like vitamin C, it promotes skin health my stimulating cellular growth (thus, turnover) which can therefore help promote a younger appearance along with giving skin a gorgeous glow (note: vitamin A in major excess can also cause the skin and eyes to appear yellow). Furthermore, vitamin A has some powerful antioxidant functions.

A fun way to incorporate Mango: A Simple Yogurt Parfait

 

You don’t need to be a culinary mastermind to make fruit look delicious. Here is an easy way to make fruit and yogurt look fabulous.

Ingredients:

½ cup mango, cubed (Use my friend Catherine’s video if you need help cutting a mango - http://vivaglammagazine.com/food-drinks/food-tips/3199-how-to-cut-a-mango.html)
2-3 raspberries (for garnish).
½ -3/4 cup of yogurt of choice (I used Fage® total 2%).
2 tsps Agave Nectar.
1 tsp shredded Coconut (optional).

 

You will also need (optional):

Cool transparent dish, like the martini glass shown here.
Ziploc bag and scissors.

Instructions:

Spoon yogurt into the bottom corner of Ziploc bag. Using your scissors, cut a small slit into the corner of the bag. Tap the bag onto a hard surface to move the yogurt to the bottom of the bag. Place the bag onto a paper towel (to avoid a yogurt mess). In a transparent dish, place half of the mango to make the first layer. Using the Ziploc bag, gently squeeze the yogurt over the mango.  Drizzle on the agave nectar. Gently assemble the remaining mango over the agave. Finish off by sprinkling the coconut on top. Add the raspberries. Enjoy!


© Kate Ezra Wolf, 2012