You should also know that people who eat avocados are healthier and with higher nutrient intake. They even have lower body mass index than those who don’t eat avocados. Recent studies have proved that. However, this delicious fruit can offer a lot of healthy benefits, but we are going to mention just 20 of them:
- Source of Healthy Fats
Even though avocados contain high amount of fats, that actually is a good thing. Avocados contain the “good” fats, including the monosaturated fat. The monosaturated fat can help you lower the risk of heart attack or stroke, along with the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood.
- Weight Loss
Recent studies have shown that avocados can actually help you with losing weight. According to the study that was published in the Nutrition Journal, eating half an avocado for lunch can help overweighed people to feel full for a longer period of time after the lunch. People who participated in this study reported 40% less desire to eat over a 3 hour period after the meal, and a 28% less desire over a 5 hour period after the meal. And another good thing is that these participants had less desire to snack and were fuller after the meal.
- Control Blood Pressure
This delicious fruit is also a great natural source of potassium. It contains more than 28% of the recommended daily potassium intake in just one avocado. But, you should be careful. Because avocados are fruits high in fat, you should balance your food intake in other areas to balance your diet. The AHA (American Heart Association) says that foods high in potassium are very important for a healthy heart, because of the potassium’s ability to reduce the effects of sodium in the body and regulates the blood pressure.
- Lower Cholesterol Levels
A recent study has shown that consumption of avocado can help you lower your cholesterol levels. Numbers in the recent statistics show that one in three American adults has high cholesterol issues, with higher risk of getting a heart attack. But, there are a lot of different natural ways to lower the bad cholesterol levels. Avocados can lower triglycerides in your blood, reduce the total cholesterol and lower LDL while increasing the HDL cholesterol.
- High in Nutrients
Avocados are also a great source of healthy nutrients and contain more than 20 vitamins and minerals in each serving. One fruit of avocado contains (Recommended Daily Values):
- 33% Vitamin C
- 26% Vitamin B6
- 21% Vitamin E
- 28% Pantothenic Acid
- 19% Copper
- 28% Potassium
- 53% Vitamin K
- 41% Folate
- Improves Nutrient Absorption
Did you know, that when it come to vitamins in minerals, it doesn’t really matters how much or how we eat them. The way vitamins, minerals and nutrients are being absorbed is extremely important for us and our health. Some vitamins or nutrients are fat soluble. That means that they need to be combined with fat in order to get absorbed by our bodies. For example, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K are fat-soluble nutrients, alongside with some other antioxidants. Add ½ of avocado in a salad of spinach, lettuce and carrots and your body will absorb the antioxidants:
- Alpha-carotene – 8.3 times better
- Beta-carotene – 13.6 times better
- Lutein – 4.3 times better
- Prevent Diabetes
The recent statistics that came from the CDCP (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) have estimated that diabetes will affect almost 40% of the American population at some point in their lives. That’s why is very important to keep your blood sugar levels low in order to reduce the risk of getting diabetes. In a recent study, people who participated in it consumed ½ of avocado with lunch, and had their blood sugar and insulin levels measured at specific time. Even though they ate ½ of avocado and it increased their calorie and carbohydrate intake, the participants who ate avocado didn’t get their blood sugar levels increased, compared with those who didn’t ate an avocado for lunch.
- Pain Relief
Cause of its anti-inflammatory benefits, the avocado extract is suitable for treating and reducing symptoms of arthritis of the bones, also known as osteoarthritis, and other types of inflammatory related aches and pains.
- Fight Inflammation
Several studies have shown the beneficial healthy properties of the oleic acid – the monosaturated fat found in avocados, olive oil and canola oil. The oleic acid will help you fight and reduce all kinds of inflammations in the body. This is very important for you, because it’s believed that chronic inflammation in the body can lead to several diseases, such as: asthma, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer.
- Eye Health
According to the latest researches, avocados are among the top 20 fruits in the world consumed on regular basis, which are rich in Lutein and a good source of zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are extremely beneficial in fighting macular degeneration. This is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Foods high in phytonutrients, such as avocado, can provide high.
Source: HealthyRecipesBox.com
