Nigerians advised to eat mango with its skin for good health

Tunde Ajobo, a clinical dietician at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has advised Nigerians to always eat mangoes with their skin.

He gave the advice in an interview on Thursday in Ibadan.

According to him, this is to ensure that consumers of the fruit get the full nutrients and fibre required for the body.

The dietician, however, warned that eating excess mango could cause diarrhoea.The clinical dietician further advised people not to eat unripe or fairly ripe mangoes, as the acidic content of such fruit is high.“It is also not good to take the riped, but let it be ripe and firm such that when you use a knife to cut it, it will be easy, and one can eat it with the skin,” stated Mr Ajobo. “Mango is best eaten when the skin (epicarp) is not yet detached from the middle (mesocarp) of the fruit.”He emphasised that mangoes should be eaten at intervals “and not packed and taken at the same time.“Ideally, one can use mangoes to start the day, but it should be taken at intervals. Do not eat more than one mango at a go,” the dietician explained.

He explained that from the shape of the mango down to the colour and, everything about it speaks about the caroteneous nature of it.Mr Ajobo added that carotene is a good source of vitamin A, which helps with good eyesight.According to him, mango has 80 per cent water as a component, fibre, which makes it good for human consumption and makes digestion easy.“It also contains some protein. The water component is a plus, the fibre component is a plus, and the Vitamin C component is a plus. So, it’s better to take such fruit daily,” the dietician stressed. “The best way is to take it accordingly and in moderation. One can take at least three daily, but not in one go.”Mr Ajobo further advised people with gardens to plant mangoes to provide shelter and income generation.He said, “It can last for many years, and one can easily take advantage of it during the season. You can eat and sell it.”