TOP 5 HEALTH BENEFITS OF MANGO

 

Mangoes are one of the most popular fruits World- consumed. Mangoes(mangifera indica) are tropical stone fruits. This means that a mango has a big seed inside of it. It also has an edible part which is mostly fleshy and juicy on the outer part( leaving the seed inside). There exist hundreds of types of mangoes, each with it's characteristic difference in taste, size, colour and in every aspect of a fruit tree.

Mangoes are a native of southern Asia especially India and it's also grown in many different countries like US, Mexico, Carribean and even in our beautiful homeland, AFRICA.

In Africa, mangoes is grown in most countries within the continent with 100 different species of the delicious fruit. Mangoes are grown and harvested by many countries in Africa but Nigeria remains the top producers of Mangoes occupying the position of the 8th largest producers of Mangoes. Although, almost all of the harvested Mango fruits are consumed locally or rot away as waste.

Studies has shown that mangoes have great nutritional value to the human body with health benefits such as improved immunity, easy digestion and many more. 

Below are the TOP 5 HEALTH BENEFITS OF MANGOES TO THE HUMAN BODY.

* Rich in protective antioxidants: 

Mangoes are a very good source of protective compounds with antioxidant properties. These antioxidants in gives strong ability to the human body to counter oxidant stress with day to day living and exposure to toxins.

* Aids digestion:

A 2018 study illustrated that people with serious issues of constipation who ate mangoes for 4 weeks, enjoyed instant improvements on their symptoms. This is achievable due to the fibre content and other compounds in Mangoes.

Also, the phytochemicals in mangoes have been studied for their gastro-protective effects which offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to the digestive system in the human body.

* Maintains Healthy skin and hair:

Mangoes contain a high level of vitamins A and C. These antioxidants aids in providing a healthy skin and hair for the body. Vitamin C is one of the important antioxidant which plays a protective role against environmental damages to the skin.

Our skin and hair needs vitamin A for growth. Both antioxidant provides potential protective effects to signs of aging, wound healing, cell growth and repair.

* May support heart health:

An animal study of 2016 suggested that mangoes offers protective heart benefits, including reduced inflammation in animals. Further stuides in animals also suggests the plant chemicals in mangoes aids cholesterol balance.

It is pertinent to note that, this research has not been carried out on human beings so there are no results as to whether these heart benefits of mangoes can be provided for man when he eats of it.

* May support eye health:

The edible ( fleshy and juicy) part of mango is rich in carotenoids which supports eye health. This plant chemical plays a role in the retina of the eye which protects the eye from sunlight and blue light form digital devices. 

Thanks for reading to the end. Show your love for this delicious fruit with likes and comments.

 

SOURCE: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-mango/amp

Eating insects is as old as mankind. Globally, about 2 billion people practice entomophagy (which simply means the consumption of edible insects). Entomophagy is more common in Africa than anywhere else in the world. This is because the African continent is home of the richest diversity of edible insects.

The consumption of edible insects is a healthy practice since insects are a good source of protein and other minerals for the human body. According to the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Development, the consumption of edible insects is viewed as a strategy to mitigate food insecurity and alleviate poverty in Nigeria and Africa at large.

The dominant insect-eating countries in Africa are; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Today, the delicious edible insect I will be discussing today is called Lepidoptara litoralia (edible caterpillar).

As we all know, Caterpillars are the larva of a butterfly or moth (Lepidoptera). Caterpillars usually have cylindrical bodies consisting of multiple segments. The head has six small eyes (stemmata) on each side that function in light detection but not in image formation. They have short-segmented antennae and strong jaws. 

Leaf-eating species, caterpillars, can cause extensive damage to fruit trees, crops, ornamental plants, hardwood trees, and shrubs. Lepidoptara litoralia (edible caterpillars) mostly feed on the leaves of the Shea butter tree and are more common during the rainy season. 

 

Research (According to the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development) shows that Lepidoptara contains 59.8% crude protein, 17.0% fat, 20.2% Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE), 3.1% crude fibre, 4.3% ash, and caloric value of 473.0kcal. 

In Nigeria, The edible caterpillar is popularly called Egu and is consumed by the Igbo-speaking tribe of the eastern and southern parts of Nigeria. The Yorubas call it Monimoni while the Tiv people call it Igyô. Lepidoptara is greatly enjoyed as a snack or meal by many tribes in the country. It is prepared in different ways, some enjoy igyô(in Tiv) when it's peppered or prepared with sesame soup.

 

I💁 prepare and enjoy eating igyô in both ways either peppered (like in the display picture) or with sesame soup. It's delicious 🤭😊.

To my viewers, what do you think about this delicious edible catarpillar💁

Photo credit: Tiv people (Facebook page)

Sources: 

#https://www.britannica.com/science/caterpillar

#https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajfand/article/view/82789

#https://theconversation.com/eating-insects-has-long-made-sense-in-africa-the-world-must-catch-up-70419?