Eating Mangosteens After Durians Will Cool Your Body Down?
After feasting on durians, my mother used to tell me to #1, eat mangosteens and #2, gargle with salt water. I'm about to rock the boat in this Fact or Fake column and test my mother's beliefs before it gets passed down to my kids in the future. This may or may not necessarily stop me from doing #1.
By Judith Yeoh — 03 Nov 2013, 05:46 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
"Eating mangosteens after durians will cool your body down."
That's what everyone says.
Fact or fake: Eating mangosteens after durians will cool your body down
Image via lifeisreallybeautiful.comASIANS, especially the Chinese, believe that the king of fruits have warming properties which can cause excessive sweating or can make the body slightly feverish.
To counteract this, one can choose to have mangosteens after consuming durians as it is considered to have cooling properties.
All the stalls at SS2 have mangosteens available for customers.
Melissa Lim on Low Yat Forum: "Durian is very heaty. Once you makan you'll feel restless cause your body temperature increses.You'll start sweating like a pig...The trick is, After makan durian, make sure you eat mangoesteen...mangoesteen's are cooling...This will prevent the body temperature from rising..."
THE FACT is there is NO scientific proof that mangosteens can reduce heatiness
THE VERDICT: Honestly, mangosteens had a limited effect in countering “heatiness”. It was just our minds trying to psyche ourselves that they did. We experienced a “heaty” feeling a few hours later.
connexion.sg
THE FACT is there is NO scientific proof that mangosteens can reduce heatiness
Image via wanista.comAccording to conventional Chinese wisdom, a mangosteen, being a cooling fruit, will reduce the heatiness associated with durians. However, there is no scientific research to support this. The habit of eating durians and mangosteens together probably stems from the fact that the two fruits are harvested at about the same time.
healthxchange.com.sg
The belief probably originated from the fact that the two fruits are harvested at the same time
In Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, the season for durians is typically from June to August, which coincides with that of the mangosteen.
Why do I feel 'feverish' after eating durian? What makes the durian a 'heaty' fruit?
Our metabolism increases during digestion of the fruit, says Natalie Goh, a consultant dietitian in Singapore, thus there may be occasional instances of a slight increase in body temperature. This is partly because durian is so dense in calories, demanding greater digestive effort.
Durian is one of the most calorically dense fruits due to its relatively high proportion of fat. Durian is fatty, and not exactly low in sugars either. As for protein, durian is nearly average among fruits.
A breakdown of the fat, carbohydrates, and protein in durian, expressed as a percentage of calories.
Image via blogspot.comDurians and chocolates are considered “heaty” foods because they possess factors that cause ailments that are associated with excessive “heatiness”, such cough with sticky phlegm, chapped lips and mouth ulcers.
What's 'cooling' about mangosteens? Vitamins in mangosteens help metabolise carbohydrates (durians are high in carbs), and help regulate blood pressure.
Unlike durians which are believed to be "heaty" for the body, the Chinese believe that mangosteens are "cooling". As the mangosteen and durian season coincide in Singapore, they are served as the perfect accompaniments.
nl.sg
Alternate names for mangosteen are Garcinia mangostana L., mangostan, manggis, mangis, and mang cut.
Image via zissou.comMangosteen’s vitamin C content is another advantage, providing the body with a water-soluble (easily absorbed) antioxidant, while staving off infections and scavenging harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals. B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, and folate HELP THE BODY METABOLISE carbohydrates, protein, and fats.
To date, very few studies have tested the effects of mangosteen on human health. In experimental research, scientists have shown that mangosteen extract may possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-tumor properties.
Mangosteens have been used in numerous anti-cancer studies, with positive results. One study showed how mangosteens can significantly slow the growth of cancerous colorectal tumors. Another indicated the potential to successfully slow prostate cancer.
What about drinking water from the durian shell? Will that cool me down?
You don’t need a nutritionist to tell you that drinking water from a durian shell does nothing for you.
THE VERDICT: "Durians are famous for their pungency so we were game for anything that would take the smell away from our mouths. Sure enough, the smelly durian breath went away after drinking some water from the shell. However, the smell returned a few hours later. Perhaps it was just a quick fix after all."
connexion.sg