Catalyz Nutrition

Some sweets that pass nutritional muster with me?   They mostly fall into two categories:  sweets I must MAKE from scratch so I know they are made from mostly healthy ingredients like eggs, milk, and nut flours (i.e. zucchini bread, homemade ice cream, custard) -- and sweets I can just easily GRAB. 

    

And my favorite decadent-tasting new snack to just grab?   Dried Mango.   An unlikely food to have landed in my life as a new staple.  Having growth up in Iowa and NJ in the heydey of Howard Johnson's and Friendlies, I don't think I ever laid eyes on a mango until I was over 21.   And I've still not eaten a fresh mango to this day, to the best of my knowledge.    The mangos I and my daughters have become addicted to lately as our after-dinner treats are DRIED mangos. They're very sweet, but so much more complex and interesting than, say, raisins or apples.   They're also chewy, which means they can't be gulped down quickly.   

 

As for their nutritional credentials:  mangos offer up phytonutrients and carotenoids that act as antioxidant cancer-fighters and boost the immune system. Researchers at the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre in Lucknow, India found that the compound lupeol in mangos offers anti-inflamatory properties and suppresses cancer cells.

 

Mangos are sweet, and like all sweets (natural or otherwise) can do a number on your blood sugar if you eat too many of them.  But in moderation, they make a very satisfying and somewhat offbeat new snack.  They're exotic to many of us, but it turns out they're the 7th largest fruit crop in the world, right behind bananas, grapes, oranges, apples, coconuts and plantains.

 

Final note:  dried mango is great for kids seeking lunchbox treats which look, well....possibly unhealthy.  In a room that is not overly well-lit, they could pass as manufactured fruit rollups.    (As a parent, you need ALL  the tricks you can muster when shifting your children to better foods....!)

 

So go wild:  buy a few slices to trial from the bins at your local health food store or Whole Foods.   Dried mango purchased online in larger quantities  will run you $3-$10/ pound, depending on the type you buy.