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Summers aren’t all bad — sure, it is the warmest period of the year, but this is also the season when exams end, vacations begin, and you get to eat lots and lots of mangoes. It brings alive old memories of coming home to the most tempting aroma of mangoes. But as you quickly grab one from the crate, your grandma asks you to soak it in water for 30 minutes!
While such instances would have sparked a difficult battle of logic vs patience, your grandma did have a fair point! Soaking mangoes in water has been an age-old tradition, and here are some scientific reasons that back this practice:
India's most relished summer fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, A, K, E and B. But its stem also contains a harmful chemical named phytic acid which, if consumed, can impair the body's absorption of vital minerals like iron, zinc and calcium and create mineral deficiencies over time.
However, soaking mangoes in water for a few hours can help eliminate this anti-nutrient from the fruit, making it a complete delight.
If you think the mango season may hinder your efforts of burning excess bodyfat, you're wrong.
Mangoes contain phytochemicals, which may not be good for your body in excess quantities, but are beneficial in smaller doses.
And when mangoes are soaked in water, the subsequent reduction in phytochemical concentration can help bust fat cells in the body, effectively functioning as catalysts in your weight loss journey!
Although the term ‘organic mangoes’ is thrown around quite casually, nothing seems to be truly 'organic'. While you may be certain of a crop being externally pesticide-free, you can never be sure if the soil that it has grown in adheres to similar standards.
In fact, most soils are often chemically adulterated once fertilizers and pesticides have been added. When the fruit takes in nutrients from the soil for its growth, it also involuntarily sponges the highly toxic chemicals that can lead to respiratory tract infection, eye and skin irritation and cancer cell growth.
Soaking releases these chemicals from the mango and helps you stay safe and enjoy the fruit without any worry.
To ripen the mangoes faster, calcium carbide pouches are placed with the mango crates. In the moist conditions of the crate, the chemical reacts and produces the acetylene gas, which artificially speeds up the ripening process.
The easiest way to detect this artificial ripening process is to place the mangoes in a bucket of water. If the mangoes sink, they are naturally ripened; but if they float, they are harvested artificially.
Mangoes are bad-mouthed for increasing the body's heat, creating skin issues like acne and rashes, and causing headaches and nausea.
However, leaving them in water for at least half an hour reduces their thermogenic properties — essentially their tendency to produce heat — which effectively keeps our body heat stable even after consuming mangoes.
All in all, this simple age-old practice of soaking mangoes in water makes the king of fruits a much healthier and safer food to consume, giving us all the more reason to enjoy this yummy, sumptuous, pulpy and amazing fruit!
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