Mango is the fifth most popular fruit in the world. It’s actually sixth if we count tomatoes, but that’s just nerdy. Nearly half of the 40 million tons produced worldwide every year come from India.  Bangladesh, not to be outdone, made the mango tree its national tree, so the award for top mango-loving nation isn’t quite settled.

The American mango scene, however, isn’t quite as…sweet.

The average American eats about three pounds of mangos per year, compared to the 26 pounds of bananas we gulp down.  In fairness, the first mango wasn’t introduced into this country until just 100 years ago, but still—that’s not right.

The low consumption levels here are a shame for two reasons: mangos are addictively delicious and they are #actuallyhealthy.

The airfare marketplace is trying to change these habits, one snack at a time. We already carry the best dried mango in the world from Massachusetts-based partner Healthy Truth, and today we’re adding another mango version.

For those who love the taste and need no more discussion, proceed to the bottom and place an order. For for the health nerds like us, here’s the science on mango health.

Researchers found that when feeding four randomized groups of mice either dried mango, foods in high fat, a weight loss drug, or a glucose control drug, the mango-eating mice performed the best. The mice that ate dried mangos had better weight control and glucose tolerance, even better than even the high-fat diet group. Surprise, Keto people.

While rodents obviously aren’t humans, they have enough similarities in metabolism and DNA (nearly 98 percent the same) to give a strong indication that the effects will hold true in our bodies.

Let’s get to human studies.

Population research shows that those eating mangos are better off in most health markers compared to non-mango consuming groups. These metrics include things like body weight, diet quality and measures of body inflammation. While correlation isn’t causation, epidemiology—similar to mice—is a strong indicator of a good thing.

Lastly,  let’s talk about direct cause. There are a number of studies that directly fed humans mango versus other foods and compared the results, like here and here. They all found favorable results in the mango-eating group. Though these studies weren’t perfect, we can’t find one study where mango made something worse.
The summary finding in all of these studies was similar: eat more mangos, starting with our newest snack below.

Winner winner, mango dinner.

Karen’s Naturals Just Mango

The newest addition to the airfare marketplace will help our under-mangoed nation, and it will also give tastebuds across the country a ride.

This new snack brings the same crisp, tasty simplicity that we’ve come to love from Karen’s Naturals’ other options. As Karen’s says, “nothing’s more scrumptious than a sweet, juicy mango ripened by the sun.” With just one ingredient, picked fresh and dried at low temperatures in California, this is a nice 90-calorie addition to any snack mix.

Try some for the taste, and enjoy the side benefits of increased antioxidants and decreased inflammation. Members of the airfare team love these as a crunchy dessert topping on yogurt or a sweet treat after a day on the trails.