November 27, 2023

Mango in The Third Trimester

By Prashant Powle • 6 minute read

Mango in the third trimester is fine for most women when the fruit is ripe, washed and eaten in sensible portions. It brings vitamin C, folate and fibre. Women with gestational diabetes or other conditions should ask their doctor about portions first.

For what is available now, see Alphonso and other fresh mangoes.

The third trimester runs from about week 28 until birth. Appetite changes, heartburn and constipation are common, and many women crave something sweet and cold. Mango is one of the fruits people ask us about most. This guide gives general nutrition information, not medical advice, and your own doctor or dietitian knows your health best.

nutritional benefits of mango in the third trimester of pregnancy

Why mango suits late pregnancy

Mango is soft, sweet and easy to eat when food feels heavy. It is also a fruit with fibre and water, which helps with the sluggish digestion many women notice late in pregnancy. Three things matter most when you decide whether mango belongs on your plate:

Nutrients. It provides vitamin C, folate, potassium and fibre.
Sugar. It is a sweet fruit, so portion and timing matter, especially if your blood sugar needs watching.
Food safety. Late pregnancy is a time to be careful with cut fruit, street juices and unpasteurised dairy.

What mango contains

These are approximate values for 100 g of raw mango, taken from the nutrition table on Wikipedia's mango page. Individual varieties and ripeness vary, so treat them as a guide.

Nutrient (per 100 g raw mango)	About	Why it matters in pregnancy
Vitamin C	36 mg, roughly 40% of the Daily Value	Supports the body's use of iron from plant foods
Folate	43 micrograms, around 11% of the Daily Value	A B vitamin that pregnancy needs more of
Potassium	168 mg, 6% of the Daily Value	A mineral that works with fluids in the body
Dietary fibre	About 1.6 g	Helps keep digestion moving
Energy	About 60 kcal	Mostly from natural sugars

Mango does not replace a prenatal supplement or a balanced diet. If your doctor has prescribed iron or folic acid, keep taking it. For more on folate and fruit, see our note on folic acid in pregnancy.

A practical way to use the vitamin C is at mealtimes. Iron from plant foods such as dal, spinach and chickpeas is absorbed better when vitamin C comes with it, so a few slices of mango after a lentil meal is a simple pairing. It also helps with fluids. Mango is mostly water, and late pregnancy often brings swollen ankles and a feeling of thirst, so fruit is a pleasant way to add to your fluid intake. Your doctor may still want you to drink more water, and to limit fluids if you are told to.

How to eat mango safely in the third trimester

Wash the fruit before you cut it. The knife carries whatever is on the skin into the flesh.
Peel it, and do not bite the skin. The skin and sap can irritate the mouth and hands.
Eat it fresh. Refrigerate cut mango and finish it within a day or so. Do not leave cut fruit out for hours.
Pair it with protein or fibre. A few nuts or a bowl of curd slows the rise in blood sugar for most people.
Keep portions sensible. Treat mango as one fruit serving among several, not as a whole meal.
Choose pasteurised milk and curd if you make a shake or lassi, and skip unfiltered street juice.

When to ask your doctor first

Ask your doctor or dietitian before you add mango regularly if any of these apply:

You have gestational diabetes or high blood sugar readings.
You are gaining weight faster than your doctor advised.
You get heartburn easily, since sweet or acidic fruit can bother some women.
You have a known allergy to latex, cashew or other fruits. Mango is related to cashew.
You notice loose stools, rash or itching after eating it.

A doctor can give you a portion that suits your numbers. We will not name a number of mangoes, because the right amount differs for every woman. You can read our longer pieces on mango for pregnancy and the benefits and risks of mango in pregnancy, and see mango and diabetes if sugar is your concern.

Why ripening matters in pregnancy

Selling fruit ripened with calcium carbide is prohibited in India under Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. Even so, it is reasonable to ask any seller how the fruit was ripened, and to buy from someone who answers clearly. No home test proves it, so treat colour and smell as rough clues, not proof.

We are AlphonsoMango.in, run by Powle Home Foods in Mumbai. Our fruit is sourced across 48 villages of the Ratnagiri and Devgad belt on the Konkan coast, and we hold GI Authorised User certificate AU/5974/GI/139/260 (GI No. 139). We do not use carbide. Our Alphonso mangoes are ripened naturally on hay beds. Fresh Alphonso is sold in season, which opens on 1 February 2027, and it is harvested about February to June. Outside that window, Alphonso pulp tins are available all year from Rs 590.

Ways to eat mango

Slices with a bowl of pasteurised curd.
Mango cubes with a few almonds or walnuts.
A mango shake made with pasteurised milk and no added sugar.
Aamras with chapati or puri, in a small bowl. Our aamras recipe shows the method.
Mango pulp from a sealed tin when fresh fruit is out of season, after reading the label.

If you prefer a different time of day, our article on eating mango at night explains the usual advice.

Other fruits for late pregnancy

Variety helps. Bananas, oranges, kiwi, apples and berries all add different nutrients. Two products from our own store come up often in pregnancy questions.

Sweet Tamarind Meethi Imli – pregnancy-safe tangy snack for 3rd trimester cravings

Sweet tamarind (Meethi Imli) is a tangy, lightly sweet snack many women crave. Enjoy it in small amounts, and mind the sugar and salt if your doctor has asked you to.

Dried Prunes Sun-Dried Plums – iron and fibre for pregnancy third trimester

Dried prunes are a fibre-rich dried fruit that people often use when constipation bothers them in late pregnancy. They are a food, not a treatment, so ask your doctor if constipation is severe or lasts.

For nuts and figs, see our guides to nuts during pregnancy and figs during pregnancy.