Known as alligator pear or butter fruit, avocados are a kitchen staple in many homes throughout the world.
They are nutritious, flexible, and delicious.
Avocados ‘Persea americana’ are classified as berries, despite the fact that some people refer to them as fruits and others as vegetables. They belong to the Lauraceae family of plants, which also contains the cinnamon tree.
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fatty acids and a variety of vitamins and minerals. They can provide a lot of health benefits when incorporated into a varied, balanced diet.
Let’s look into avocados, what they can do for our health,nutritional makeup of avocados, as well as all the ways they may enhance our health and some potential concerns.
Table of Contents
Avocado Benefits – Why You Should Eat More Avocados?
Avocados are high in a number of important nutrients, many of which are lacking in modern diets.
Here is the nutrition breakdown for a 7-ounce (201-gram) avocado:
- Calories: 322
- Fat: 30 grams
- Protein: 4 grams
- Carbs: 17 grams
- Fiber: 14 grams
- Vitamin C: 22% of the daily value (DV)
- Vitamin E: 28% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 35% of the DV
- Riboflavin (B2): 20% of the DV
- Niacin (B3): 22% of the DV
- Pantothenic acid (B5): 56% of the DV
- Pyridoxine (B6): 30% of the DV
- Folate: 41% of the DV
- Magnesium: 14% of the DV
- Potassium: 21% of the DV
- Copper: 42% of the DV
- Manganese: 12% of the DV
That’s rich, right? Now, let’s read what avocados can do for our health.
1-Better Than a Banana
Your body needs potassium to work normally. For example, the mineral helps keep your heartbeat steady, and do much more than you think of.
Most people think of bananas when they think of this nutrient.
But ounce for ounce, avocados have more potassium.
2-Supports Heart Health
Avocados are heavy in fat, with 60% of it being monounsaturated fats, which may help to prevent heart disease and decrease blood pressure, according to study. They’re also high in potassium, folate, and fiber, all of which are good for the heart and circulatory system.
3-Lowers Cholesterol
Avocado oil contains unsaturated fats including oleic acid and linoleic acid.
These acids are recommended as part of a balanced diet to help lower cholesterol.
4-Helps Regulate Appetite
Avocados, without a doubt, have a higher calorie content than other fruits and vegetables.
However, a recent study found that avocados’ fat and fiber levels cause feelings of satiety, which might help regulate appetite.
5-Helps Keeps Eyes Healthy
Avocados are high in protective vitamin E as well as carotenes like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help keep the eyes healthy.
They provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage, including from UV light.
6-Folate in Avocados Helps Pregnant Women
Avocado contains 81 micrograms of folate per 100 grams of the oily fruit.
Folate is a B vitamin that is necessary for good brain function and pregnancy health.
During the first several weeks of pregnancy, folate can help avoid birth abnormalities, particularly those that impair a baby’s brain and spine.
It’s critical for all women of childbearing age to have adequate folate in their diet on a regular basis.
7-May Help Prevent Osteoporosis
Half an avocado contains about 18% of the daily intake of vitamin K.
This nutrient is frequently ignored, despite the fact that it is critical for bone health, thus essential to prevent osteoporosis.
Getting adequate vitamin K can help with bone health by boosting calcium absorption and lowering calcium excretion through the urine.
8-May Prevent Cancer
Avocados contain chemicals that may help prevent the development of certain malignancies. A high folate consumption is linked to a lower risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, and cervical cancer.
Avocados are also abundant in polyphenols and carotenoids, both of which may have cancer-fighting qualities. Carotenoids are great at protecting against cancer progression, according to studies.
9-Reduces Depression
A cup of avocado slices contains about 118 micrograms of folate, which is over a third of the daily requirement for most adults.
People who don’t receive enough of this B vitamin may be more prone to depression, and antidepressants may not work as well for them. Studies show that if you have low folate levels, chances of depression are high.
Folate prevents the formation of homocysteine, a chemical that can obstruct blood flow and nutrient delivery to the brain.
Excess homocysteine has been linked to cognitive dysfunction, depression, and the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which control mood, sleep, and hunger.
10-Improves Digestion
Avocados are high in fiber, with roughly 6–7 g per half fruit.
Natural fiber-rich meals can help prevent constipation, keep the digestive tract healthy, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
11-Does Natural Detoxification
Fiber stimulates regular bowel movements, which are necessary for toxins to get excreted through the bile and stool.
Dietary fiber also enhances gut health and microbial diversity, This aids in the maintenance of a healthy bacterial balance in the body. This can help to minimize digestive system inflammation and irritation.
12-Avocado Benefits Your Skin and Hair
Avocado is good for your skin whether you eat it or use it as a mask.
Its antioxidants, like vitamin C, can help smooth out wrinkles and keep your skin appearing young.
The same nutrients that protect your eyes also protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.
Avocado paste can help with wound healing, so apply it to a sunburn.
How to Use Avocado for Your Skin?
Simply rub the inside of an avocado peel on your skin to promote a healthy, lustrous complexion, and use avocado oil as your primary moisturizer.
You may easily produce a cost-effective lotion by mixing in some medicinal essential oils instead of spending money on store-bought lotions that are full of irritating chemicals.
Avocado can also be used to repair, hydrate, and give shine to hair masks.
13-Avocado is a Team Player
Vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as the antioxidant lycopene, are fat-soluble nutrients, which means your body absorbs more of them when you eat them with fat.
Then there’s the avocado, which tends to go well with tomatoes. You can also use pink grapefruit, watermelon, or cantaloupe.
How You Can Use Avocado Benefits in Daily Life?
Avocado recipe ideas abound, with new and inventive ways to learn and include avocado into your everyday diet. Here are a few ways to incorporate avocado into your diet to reap the many benefits it provides:
- Use it as a fat substitute in baking to give avocado brownies a new twist.
- Serve it diced as a garnish for avocado soup or bone broth.
- Put it in the food processor to make avocado smoothies, sauces, guacamole, chocolate avocado pudding, and a variety of other dishes.
- Instead of processed food in a jar, mash or whip it until fully smooth for a baby’s first food.
- To make a great avocado salad, combine it with other fruits and vegetables.
- Make homemade guacamole or avocado salsa with it.
- Avocado pasta, avocado sandwiches, and avocado chicken salad are all great ways to add avocado to your favorite foods.
- Use it to make a relaxing avocado hair mask or use it to your skin as a natural moisturizer.
Bottom Line!
Are avocados excellent for you? Improved heart health, weight loss, improved digestive health, and better blood sugar levels are among potential avocado benefits.
Avocados may also assist to boost mood, promote eye, skin, and hair health, prevent cancer cell proliferation, and lower the risk of arthritis and metabolic syndrome, among other things.
If you want to know more about nature’s amazing fruits, you may consult a well-known nutritionist via Healthwire.pk’s platform.
