Your health: Mango sorbet refreshingly healthy

Mucho mango

You might think to eat a fresh mango or dried mango, but what about mango sorbet? A cold dessert is the perfect antidote to the late-summer heat.

Mangoes can satisfy your sweet tooth while packing in fiber and important nutrients such as vitamins A and C, which together boost immunity, improve heart health and reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, according to The Washington Post.

And switching from ice cream to sorbet is a great way to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol.

Mango sorbet skips the refined sugars found in most commercial sorbets, so you can feel good about every ingredient. It is also perfect for vegans, those with a dairy allergy or sensitivity or those keeping a gluten-free diet.

Best of all, this refreshing and healthful sorbet has a difficulty factor of zero, and frozen mango chunks are cheaper than fresh mangoes.

Quality quinoa

Packed with protein, ripe with riboflavin, filled with fiber, rich in iron, and gluten free — the power food quinoa is truly the Superman of grains, says the website FabFitFun.

As delicious as it is nutritious, the recent culinary darling should definitely find a place on your plate. Here are all the great things about quinoa:

Ÿ It’s gluten free.

Ÿ One serving provides 45 percent of our magnesium needs.

Ÿ Quinoa is low in cholesterol and sodium.

Ÿ It can be cooked in under 12 minutes.

Ÿ It is a relative of green leafy veggies like spinach and swiss chard.

Ÿ It has more protein than brown rice.

Hold the salt

How much sodium do you consume each day? If you’re like most Americans, it’s a pretty safe bet you’ll have eaten far more salt than current health guidelines recommend, says Harvard Medical School.

Nine out of 10 of us eat too much salt, and most of that isn’t coming from the salt shaker, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Your body works to maintain a delicate balance of sodium and water. When we eat salt, the body pulls in or holds on to extra fluid to keep this balance. The extra fluid increases blood volume.

Our bodies need sodium, so salt itself isn’t bad. It’s the amount of salt we eat that’s concerning. The average American eats about 3,300 mg of salt daily, but U.S. guidelines recommend that most people get less than 2,300 mg of salt a day.