Avocados have quickly become a kitchen staple around the world due to their nutritional, flexible, and delectable characteristics.
Avocados have long been considered fruit or a vegetable; while some refer to them as such, avocados (Persea History of the US) should actually be classified as berries as they’re part of Lauraceae plant family – which also encompasses cinnamon tree.
Avocados hail from Mexico and Central America, though their cultivation has spread worldwide, including North America.
California leads the United States in producing avocados with over 5,000 ranches producing 400 million pounds annually.
These natural products are an integral component of traditional Mexican, Central American, and South American cooking, often utilized in dishes like guacamole, mixed greens salads, tacos and others.
Avocados have long been recognized for their nutritional properties and health benefits, making them a highly desired food in health and wellbeing circles.
This article details seven advantages of eating avocados, from health benefits to weight reduction strategies and ways to appreciate them.
- Brilliant Source Of Nutrients
Avocados contain many vital nutrients, many of which are lacking from modern diets.
Below is the nutritional breakdown for one 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
Nutrition-packed superfoods such as magnesium, B6, L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E and folate may be deficient in many people’s diets.
Avocados contain numerous essential vitamins and nutrients essential for optimal health, making consuming avocados regularly an integral component of improving overall diet quality.
- Beneficial For Stomach Health
Avocados are packed with fiber, offering around 14 grams per avocado–roughly 50% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for this essential nutrient.
Consuming enough fiber in your daily diet is vital for the wellbeing of the digestive system as it supports the creation of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
A review with 163 adults considered overweight concluded that those who consumed 175 grams (men) or 140 grams (ladies) of avocado daily for an extended period had lower waste bile corrosive fixations rates and greater bacterial diversity compared with a comparison group.
Many prominent bile acid treatments cause digestive distress and are linked with an increase in microorganisms that lead to negative health results such as colon cancer.
Additionally, avocado samples collected at this gathering contained higher concentrations of Faecali bacterium, Lachnospira, and Alistipes bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) including butyrate.
SFCAs help boost colon cells, providing protection against colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Though these discoveries are encouraging, this research was partially funded by the Hass Avocado Board which could have compromised results.
- May Assist With Diminishing Heart Disease Risk Factors
Consuming nutritious foods such as avocados can help protect against heart disease.
Avocados provide essential vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fiber that play an integral part in supporting cardiovascular wellbeing.
Recent discoveries suggest that an avocado-rich diet could aid in increasing heart disease risk factors and therefore prevent future occurrence of heart disease.
Hass Avocado Board has financially supported numerous studies regarding avocado’s effects on heart health. While this doesn’t invalidate findings, some researchers suggest industry involvement could skew results.
Avocados have the potential to increase heart-friendly HDL cholesterol while decreasing levels of oxidized LDL, the type of cholesterol linked to atherosclerosis or plaque formation on arterial walls.
- A Rich Source Of Antioxidant And Calming Compounds
Within avocados, one can discover more than just valuable minerals, nutrients and fiber. These incredible fruits bear within them countless bioactive elements such as carotenoids, L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E and phenolic compounds – all of which contribute to an optimum state of good health!
It has been exhibited that these compounds possess notable properties such as potent antioxidants, safeguarding the nervous system and heart.
The powerful antioxidant properties of lutein, a-Carotene and b-Carotene are present in avocados where carotenoids reside. Evidence highlights that these antioxidants help shield against oxidative damage which is linked to various chronic illnesses.
Within the structure of avocados lie multifarious antioxidants that potentially assist in reinforcing and amplifying your body’s protective layers against oxidative stress. Consistent consumption may bolster these safeguards, promoting a heightened level of antioxidant fortification within your physiological framework.
According to a research that was carried out on a group of forty-five people, it has been concluded that consumption of an avocado regularly amplified the concentrations of carotenoid lutein in their bloodstream when contrasted with those who followed Western dietary practices excluding avocados.
Partaking of avocado has been linked to better cognitive abilities and cardiovascular wellness, not least because it heightens heart performance; in addition, augmenting one’s consumption levels as well as the degree of L-ascorbic acid and carotenoids within said fruit can result in a surge or spike in mental acuity.
- May Assist With Advancing A Healthy Body Weight
As many factors impact weight, nutrition is of key importance in reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight; this is essential for disease prevention.
Even though avocados contain high caloric intake, they’re packed full of essential vitamins and nutrients that can help promote satiety thanks to their fiber and healthy fat content.
Studies show that following a diet rich in stringy foods like fruits and vegetables can aid weight reduction. Furthermore, those who consume more fiber are generally healthier in body weight management compared to those following lower fiber diets.
An analysis involving 345 participants concluded that fiber consumption was the single best predictor of body weight regardless of calories and macronutrient consumption.
However, most studies investigating the effects of avocado use on weight reduction are funded by the Hass Avocado Board and food industry funding could potentially skew results negatively. While this shouldn’t discredit these findings directly, food industry funding might impact them adversely.
Eating more high-fiber foods, like avocados, could aid weight reduction by increasing satiety. Therefore, eating these high-fiber snacks could be an effective strategy to promote or maintain bodyweight reduction.
