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Mango: This Exotic Fruit is so Healthy

There is no question that the mango tastes delicious, but is the fruit also healthy for us? Here you can find out everything about the nutritional values ​​of the yellow tropical fruit.

Mangoes taste sweet and exotic. You can enjoy the yellow fruit both raw and in desserts, juices and jams. Despite the high sugar content, the mango is a very healthy fruit.

These vitamins make mangoes so healthy

Mangoes are healthy – also thanks to the fiber, vitamins and minerals they contain. Hard to believe, but there are more than ten different vitamins in the small, yellow mango. The most important include:
Vitamin A: Protects your eyes and is good for the mucous membranes in your body.
Vitamin B6: Good for strong nerves and immune system.
Vitamin B9: Important for protein metabolism and supports the development of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which has a major impact on your mood and well-being.
Vitamin C: Strengthens your immune system and prevents cancer-causing substances from forming in the body. The vitamin is also said to help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and many other diseases.
Vitamin E: Has a cell-protecting effect and thus slows down the aging process.
Vitamin K: Inhibits bone breakdown and thereby prevents osteoporosis.

Mango: The nutritional values ​​of the fruit

Mangoes contain around 12 grams of natural fructose per 100 grams. But the mango is still healthy. As long as you eat the mango fruit in small amounts, you don’t have to worry about your blood sugar. However, diabetics should be careful: Mango is only suitable for them in moderation.

In addition to sugar, the mango also contains many helpful nutrients.
Put in 100 grams of mango:
Protein: 0.6g
Fat: 0.4g
Carbohydrates: 12.8 g (of which 12.5 g sugar)
Fiber: 1.7 g
Calories: 60 calories
In addition, the mango consists of more than 80 percent water. Dried mango lacks this water, the remaining ingredients are then more concentrated. Therefore, 100 grams of dried mango contains 62 grams of carbohydrates and 290 calories.

Mangiferin: the healthy plus of the mango

Mangiferin is the main active ingredient in the mango and is found not only in the mango fruit but also in the bark of the mango tree. Studies have examined the antioxidant and attribute the following properties to it:
antimicrobial and antiviral
anti-inflammatory
pain relieving
prevents diabetes and sclerosis diseases
protects the heart, liver and nerve cells
antidepressant
reduces allergy symptoms

Mango as a healthy fat burner

A study from Oklahoma State University suggests that you can strengthen your gut flora and lower your body fat and blood sugar levels if you eat mangoes regularly. However, the effect was demonstrated in mice, not in humans. This healthy effect of the mango is related to the hormone leptin it contains.

Leptin has the task of preventing the feeling of hunger. Therefore, it helps to regulate your fat metabolism. In people of normal weight, the hormone usually works normally. However, overweight people are often no longer able to produce enough leptin. They are therefore more often plagued by feelings of hunger.

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Cooking Tips

Coconut Milk: Healthy Nutritional Values or Exotic Climate Killer?

Coconut milk has become indispensable as a vegan alternative to cream or for Asian cuisine. But is she healthy? We reveal more about their nutritional values – and the climate balance.

Coconut milk is a popular ingredient in Asian recipes such as curries or soups. Due to the high fat content of the “milk”, coconut milk is an excellent vegan substitute for cream or crème fraîche. However, it is not much healthier – and cultivation and transport are also ecologically questionable.

Coconut milk nutritional values: high in fat and calories

If you only look at the nutritional values of coconut milk, it is no healthier than cream made from cow’s milk. That’s because it’s high in saturated fat, which is considered to be rather unhealthy.

A comparison of the nutritional values of 100 grams of coconut milk and cream (30 percent fat):

Calories: 230 grams (cream: 280 grams)
Fat: 24 grams (cream: 30 grams)
of which saturated fat: 21 grams (cream: 18 grams)
Carbohydrates: 6 grams (cream: 3 grams)
of which sugar: 3 grams (cream: 3 grams)
Egg white: 2 grams (cream: 2 grams)
Fiber: 2 grams (cream: 0 grams)
Coconut milk is particularly rich in biotin. It is important for enzyme synthesis and metabolism. The potassium content is also not to be scoffed at: With 379 milligrams per 100 grams, you can cover a good ten percent of your daily potassium requirement.

Coconut milk also contains the following minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus.

Coconut milk also contains, among other things:

vitamin C
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B1

Not so healthy: Coconut milk and saturated fat

Coconut milk has a little less calories and fat than 30 percent cream. The components of carbohydrates, protein and fiber, on the other hand, make little difference. But what makes coconut milk less healthy is the type of fat it contains: saturated fat. Not all of the fats contained in the cream are saturated, but in coconut milk they are.

Since saturated fats are considered unhealthy according to many studies, the World Health Organization recommends consuming these fats in moderation.

Coconut Milk Cultivation and Transport: Concerns for the Environment

According to the Okotest, every second coconut product contains harmful substances such as mineral oil, plasticizers or chlorate. In addition, coconut products have a very bad CO2 balance due to the long transport routes. And that’s not all: the growing conditions for coconuts are more than critical because they are being grown on more and more land, with more fertilizer and increasingly in monocultures. This effect is intensified by the fact that the coconut palm grows quite slowly and is not very productive.

It is interesting, however, that coconut milk has a better overall CO2 balance than animal cream. 100 grams of coconut milk emits 0.05 kilos of CO2, and 0.43 kilos for cream.

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Food

Exotic Fruits: Not Only the Climate Balance is Problematic

Exotic fruits are part of the standard range of every supermarket. Here’s why you should avoid the sweet tropical fruits.

You can buy pineapple, mango and Co. at relatively low prices in almost every German supermarket and discounter. A central ecological problem of the exotic fruits is obvious: the plants come from tropical areas. Accordingly, the fruits are grown in distant countries and imported to Germany. They have to cover long transport routes and consequently have a bad ecological balance.

The CO2 emissions caused by transport get into the atmosphere and continue to drive global warming there. But the contribution to the climate crisis is not the only downside of tropical fruits.

Exotic fruits: list

The following types of fruit are among the best-known tropical fruits that you will find in German supermarkets:

Acai
acerola
pineapple
avocado
bananas
dates
figs
goji berries
pomegranate
guava
jackfruit
persimmon
prickly pear
star fruit / carambola
kiwi
lychee
mango
mangosteen
papaya
Passion Fruit / Maracuja
Pitaya / dragon fruit
Tamarillo / Tree Tomato
tamarind

Exotic fruits: monocultures and pesticides

Farmers grow many exotic fruits in monocultures. This not only damages the structure of the soil, but also makes the plants more susceptible to pests. Farmers are therefore increasingly relying on chemical-synthetic pesticides. Many of these pesticides are suspected of being carcinogenic. Occupational health and safety measures are often neglected.

Machines sometimes still spray the environmental toxins when workers are still in the field. In doing so, you regularly come into direct contact with the harmful substance. And even without direct skin contact, there can be health consequences: according to Deutschland Funk Kultur, harmful pesticides are regularly sprayed in large quantities on pineapple plantations in Cartagena, a port city in Costa Rica. As a result, students in a school near the plantations regularly complained of headaches, skin rashes, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Scientists confirmed that the pesticides were not only found on the plantation itself, but also in dust, hair from livestock and human saliva, among other things, and could be detected.

Rainstorms also ensure that pesticides are flushed from the plantations into water bodies. There they harm animals and plants and ultimately contaminate the groundwater. In communities around the plantations, it is therefore extremely dangerous to health to drink water from the tap.

It is not uncommon for rainforest areas to be cleared for plantations or sensitive ecosystems to be invaded. This promotes the extinction of species, as many animal and plant species lose their habitat.

Tropical fruits: working conditions on plantations

In addition to a lack of occupational safety, there are other labor and human rights violations on tropical fruit plantations. According to an Oxfam report reporting on the cultivation of bananas and pineapples in Ecuador and Costa Rica,…

Employers deliberately do not inform their workers about their rights.
some employees do not receive a copy of their employment contract.
workers have to work up to twelve hours at a time on the plantation to receive the daily minimum wage, which actually applies to an eight-hour day.
pregnancy is often a reason for dismissal without notice.
Employees usually have no social security.
immigrants who do not yet have their own apartment and work in the fields have to live together in a very small space.
Employers do not offer medical care in the event of pesticide poisoning or work-related accidents.

Exotic fruits at cheap prices

Precarious working conditions, environmental toxins, deforestation and long transport routes are behind the relatively inexpensive exotic fruits in European supermarkets. Or in short: exploited people and an exploited nature.

According to Oxfam, German supermarkets should take responsibility for these abuses. After all, it is the German corporations that want to keep lowering the price from suppliers in order to be able to score points with customers with cheap prices. Farmers in the country of origin have to bow to this aggressive price policy.

You can do that!

In order not to support the abuses surrounding the cultivation of exotic fruits, you as a consumer can use:in your purchasing power:

It is best if you eat tropical fruits in moderation. For a good ecological balance, you should prefer regional and seasonal fruit varieties. You can find out which fruit is available when from German cultivation in our seasonal calendar.
Pay attention to organic certified goods when buying! In this way you can be sure that farmers have avoided chemical-synthetic pesticides during cultivation. Seals with particularly strict requirements are Demeter and Naturland.
When buying, also look for trustworthy seals that guarantee compliance with ecological and social standards. You should not only pay attention to the organic, but also to the Fairtrade seal.
Fruits with the Rainforest Alliance seal are also subject to far-reaching social and ecological requirements. Although the seal with the green frog cannot quite keep up with the strict Fairtrade seal or the EU organic seal, it still stands for high social and ecological standards.

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Food

Kumquat: How to Plant and Eat the Exotic Fruit

Kumquats are small, orange fruits that have a sweet and tart aroma. The “dwarf oranges” originally come from Asia, but they also thrive here. You can find out how to plant and eat kumquats here.

Kumquats are also called dwarf oranges because they are very similar in color to traditional oranges. However, with a maximum length of five centimetres, they are significantly smaller and more pear-shaped to egg-shaped than round.

Properties of the kumquat plant

Growth: Kumquats grow on an evergreen shrub or small tree that can grow up to 15 feet tall. If the shrub is in a bucket, it will be a maximum of one and a half meters high. The branches can sometimes have small thorns and bear white flowers in spring.
Yield: A mature tree can produce several hundred to several thousand fruits per year. The fruits are edible and have a sweet and sour taste.
Origin: The kumquat tree originally came from Asia, but today it is also cultivated in America, Africa and in warm southern European locations, such as Corfu.
But you can also grow kumquats at home. So you can enjoy the fruit without having to travel long distances that cause a lot of CO2 emissions. However, kumquats are not the most resource-efficient plants either: They need water every day in summer and also have to be fertilized regularly.

Plant kumquats

Kumquats are exotic fruits that come from a warm climate. Accordingly, they are not hardy and do not grow well outdoors. A bucket is better because the shrub can be outside in summer and move to winter quarters in autumn.

You can grow kumquat bushes from seed, but then you’ll have to wait a few years for the first fruit. The first harvest is quicker if you buy a pre-grown shrub from a garden store. In order to avoid long transport routes, you can make sure that the shrub comes from Europe if possible or was grown locally in specialist shops.

Location:

Kumquats need sun and warmth. Therefore, you should choose a bright location where the shrub gets as much direct sunlight as possible. For example, conservatories, balconies and terraces are good if they are on the south side of the house. The kumquat shrub should be in a wind-protected corner and protected from drafts.

Planting:

The kumquat shrub thrives best in very nutrient-rich soil mixed with plenty of compost. Calcareous soils are unsuitable.
So that the soil does not become too compact but remains permeable to water, you should add some leaf soil or peat substitute. Read more: Peat-free soil: why peat is a problem. In another article we will show you how to make peat-free soil yourself.
Your planter should be about an inch larger in diameter than the one you purchased the shrub in. The jar should have a drainage hole. Lay stones or shards of pottery over the hole so that the water can drain off easily.
Cover the potsherds or stones with some soil and then plant the shrub. Fill the container with soil and water the shrub well. But make sure that no waterlogging forms.

Caring for and overwintering kumquats

Care

Watering: From spring to autumn, the kumquat bush needs plenty of water. It can also be watered again when the soil is still a little damp. In extreme heat, it may need water every day. Rainwater or low-lime tap water is best.
Fertilizer: In the growth phase (mid-April to the end of August), the shrub needs fertilizer regularly. You can mix some mineral fertilizer into the soil about once a week, and occasionally add some organic fertilizer as well.
Repotting: Every two to three years you should replant the shrub into a pot that is about four centimeters larger. Spring is best for repotting, before the shrub sprouts again.

Hibernate

Although kumquats do not like frost, they can withstand slightly below zero. Nevertheless, they should be brought indoors over the winter, from the beginning or middle of November, depending on the region. A bright place with temperatures between five and ten degrees Celsius is suitable. That would be, for example, bright garages, frost-free greenhouses or unheated conservatories and hallways.
In the winter quarters you do not have to fertilize the kumquat shrub and only water it sparingly when the soil is superficially dry.
Hibernation ends at the beginning of April. The transition to the outside should be done carefully. Choose an overcast day to put the shrub outside again, otherwise it could get sunburned.

Harvesting and eating kumquats

You can simply pick kumquats from the bush as soon as they have turned a beautiful golden yellow to dark orange colour.

The fruits have a sweet skin and sour flesh, so they taste especially good if you eat the skin as well. To intensify the sweet taste, you can rub the kumquat back and forth between your fingertips and apply light pressure to the skin. In this way, the aromatic substances in it are released better.

You can easily pull off or cut off the base of the stem. Inside are the seeds of the fruit. They have a bitter taste. If you don’t like this one, you can cut the kumquat in half and remove the seeds before eating the fruit.

The fruits are not only suitable for direct consumption, but also taste good when you cook jam with them.

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Food

11 Exotic Fact About Lychee

The exotic lychee fruit that grows in the region of Southeast Asia has other names: Chinese plum, dragon’s eye, liji, laysi.

  1. Lychees are also called Chinese plum, dragon’s eye, the fruit of love, paradise grapes, Chinese cherry.
  2. Chinese plum fruit began to be called in the middle of the 17th century, after the European Juan Gonzalez de Mendoza described it as a plum that can be eaten in large quantities without harm to the stomach.
  3. The Chinese ate this fruit even before our era (about the 2nd century BC). One ancient Chinese emperor even executed his gardeners for failing to breed lychee trees in North China.
  4. Lychee is a versatile fruit. It is added to meat, fish, desserts, as a snack. It is used to make alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, sauces and mousses.
  5. Lychee`s season in Thailand is in May-June.
  6. In ancient times, lychees were considered the fruit of rich and noble people, the poor only collected fruits from trees and were engaged in their transportation, and even the slightest test of the fruit was punishable by death for them.
  7. In India, from the moment they got to them, lychees were christened “the fruit of pleasure” and used as a powerful aphrodisiac.
  8. In the Thai province of Chiang Rai, a lychee festival is held annually. It coincides with the harvest time of the fruit. At this time, fairs, all kinds of musical performances, and even a contest for choosing the beauty “Miss Lychee” are held on the streets of the town.
  9. From huge bunches of fruits, only a very small part of them ripens – 15-20 pcs.
  10. Lychee fruits are widely used in folk medicine: treatment of heart disease, acceleration of hematopoiesis, weight loss.
  11. The main disadvantage of lychee is that fruits plucked from a tree lose their taste and nutritional properties within three days.
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