Yet another “miracle” food in the news; this time, mangosteen juice. Never heard of it? Me neither, and I have no idea where I can pick my own mangosteen berries. The mangosteen actually comes from Southeast Asia and has been allowed to enter the US now that the fruit is irradiated or fumigated before transport. Puerto Rico is also a growing region. This set aside, a new study reveals that obese adults that drink 1/2 liter a day of mangosteen juice had a decrease in their CRP level. C-reactive Protein is a marker of inflammation, used as a predictor for heart disease, but also a marker of any inflammation. So, reducing CRP is a healthy thing.
But does this mean that you should rush to the store, buy your $40 liter of mangosteen juice and down half of it for breakfast? Not so fast! Before you go empty your bank account at the health food store, consider this:
- Calories: read the food label and see how many calories in a cup of juice. Make that fit into your total nutrition plan. Half a liter equals 2 cups or 16 oz.
- Contents: many of the mangosteen juices are blends, mixed with other red berries. Read the label and beware of what you buy.
Is Mangosteen a MIRACLE food? There is no such thing as miracle food. Previous cure-alls were blueberries, noni juice, acai berry, acerola cherry, almonds, walnuts… take a look: all fresh plants, not processed beyond the juice form.
Once more, I’ll make the case for a plant-based diet, as close to the ground as possible. Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, are good for you, in a variety of colors and textures… forget the packaging, buy the fresh or frozen berries, and juice your own 1/2 cup dose. Your health food store is your grocery’s fresh aisle and frozen fruit locker. Mix it up, it’s a healthy thing.
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Jay K Udani, Betsy B Singh, Marilyn L Barrett and Vijay J Singh. Evaluation of Mangosteen juice blend on biomarkers of inflammation in obese subjects: a pilot, dose finding study. Nutrition Journal, 2009
Yet another “miracle” food in the news; this time, mangosteen juice. Never heard of it? Me neither, and I have no idea where I can pick my own mangosteen berries. The mangosteen actually comes from Southeast Asia and has been allowed to enter the US now that the fruit is irradiated or fumigated before transport. Puerto Rico is also a growing region. This set aside, a new study reveals that obese adults that drink 1/2 liter a day of mangosteen juice had a decrease in their CRP level. C-reactive Protein is a marker of inflammation, used as a predictor for heart disease, but also a marker of any inflammation. So, reducing CRP is a healthy thing.
But does this mean that you should rush to the store, buy your $40 liter of mangosteen juice and down half of it for breakfast? Not so fast! Before you go empty your bank account at the health food store, consider this:
- Calories: read the food label and see how many calories in a cup of juice. Make that fit into your total nutrition plan. Half a liter equals 2 cups or 16 oz.
- Contents: many of the mangosteen juices are blends, mixed with other red berries. Read the label and beware of what you buy.
Is Mangosteen a MIRACLE food? There is no such thing as miracle food. Previous cure-alls were blueberries, noni juice, acai berry, acerola cherry, almonds, walnuts… take a look: all fresh plants, not processed beyond the juice form.
Once more, I’ll make the case for a plant-based diet, as close to the ground as possible. Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, are good for you, in a variety of colors and textures… forget the packaging, buy the fresh or frozen berries, and juice your own 1/2 cup dose. Your health food store is your grocery’s fresh aisle and frozen fruit locker. Mix it up, it’s a healthy thing.
-
Jay K Udani, Betsy B Singh, Marilyn L Barrett and Vijay J Singh. Evaluation of Mangosteen juice blend on biomarkers of inflammation in obese subjects: a pilot, dose finding study. Nutrition Journal, 2009