12 Absolutely Wonderful Health Benefits to Know About Avocado

An Avocado a day will keep the doctor away.

This is not just a twist of an old saying but the absolute truth.

It's not for nothing people call it a Superfood.

Avocado is Cholesterol-free, Sodium-free, very low in sugar content, and a High-fiber Fruit with natural good-fat content?

Have you eaten Avocados?

If not, you have missed out on an amazingly nutritious and tasty fruit.

Avocado (Persia Americana) originated in Mexico and is now grown in South America, Africa, Asia, and Southern USA especially California, wherever there is a tropical or subtropical climate. It is either bright green or dark purple in color.

Some call it the Butter Fruit due to the buttery, creamy texture of the flesh and some as Alligator Pear due to its pear shape and rough skin texture.

Hass is the most common and widely cultivated Avocado variety in the world.

Do you know how Avocados can help you live a healthy and happy life?

Well, let's find out. You'll be amazed.

1. Avocados For Diabetes – Avoids After-Meal Spike in Blood-Sugar

Are you a diabetic?

Then, Avocado is the ideal fruit for?you - if you’re an Insulin-resistant or Type 2 Diabetic. It guards against after-meals spikes in blood sugar.

It has a low GI (Glycaemic Index) of only 15 and is an ideal energy-producing food for diabetics.

The high proportion of monounsaturated fat in avocados helps diabetics process glucose and use insulin produced by the pancreas more effectively.

Not only that:

Vitamin C in Avocado reduces?Sorbitol Sugar in the blood of Diabetics. High Sorbitol content in your body can damage and weaken nerve functions.

Vitamin K in Avocado regulates sugar metabolism and insulin sensitivity in Diabetics.

2. Avocados Protection Against Cancer – Inhibits Cancer Cells

Phytochemicals – which give Fruits and Vegetables their bright color – including Beta-Sitosterol and the antioxidant Glutathione found in Avocados prevent chronic illnesses like Cancer. Phytochemicals also discourage and lull cancer cells. Phytochemicals also minimize chromosomal damage caused by certain chemotherapy drugs.

Avocado has as much as 76 mg of Beta-sitosterol in 100 gms of fruit – 4 times the amount found in other fruits like Apples, Grapes, etc;

It gets better;

Glutathione in Avocado helps search for free radicals and along with Carotenoids and Tocopherols may help prevent or arrest certain types of cancer cells.

3. Avocados are Recommended for High Blood-Pressure

Avocado has a high content of Potassium – 975 mg in an average fruit - almost twice as much as an average Banana which has about 475 mg.

Due to the high content of Potassium, Avocado is recommended for people with High blood pressure. - Click to Tweet??

Moreover:???????

The high Folate and Glutathione content and the Potassium help lower Homocysteine levels, and cholesterol levels, delay the thickening of Arteries, and prevent strokes. High Potassium content also helps balance the Potassium-to-sodium ratio in the body.

4. Avocados Block the Absorption of Cholesterol

Are you concerned about your Cholesterol Levels, as everybody is these days? Then, avocados are a must in your diet.

Natural beta-sitosterol and Omega 9 fats found in?avocados lower the harmful LDL cholesterol and increase the good HDL cholesterol. -?Click to Tweet.

The high content of Lutein and Beta-sitosterol blocks the absorption of Cholesterol.

Not only that:

Avocados also help reduce high triglyceride levels.

According to Australian scientists, people eating 1/2 to 1 1/2 avocado fruits daily can lower their cholesterol levels compared to a low-fat diet.

5. Eat Fat to Lose Fat - Avocados Help You Lose Weight

This may sound silly but true. It’s the type of fat you eat that matters.

The main fat in avocado is the monounsaturated fat - Oleic Acid, a heart-healthy fat. It has a low saturated fat content of fewer than 5 grams per serving, ideal for a low-fat diet for weight loss.

To lose weight, reduce carbohydrates in your diet but to avoid feeling hungry, replace it with healthy monounsaturated fats found in Avocados. It also subdues hunger, making you eat less.

Avocado is an ideal source of Healthy Fats in a Keto Diet Plan. Keto Diet comprises 5-10% of Carbohydrates, 20-25% of Proteins, and 65-75% of healthy fats.

Furthermore:

The healthy monounsaturated fat in avocado also helps the vitamin-rich, low-calorie vegetables in the meal to reduce weight, especially the belly fat.

Avocados with their buttery taste, healthy fats, high fiber content, high levels of proteins, and low carbohydrates make you feel satisfied after a meal.

6. Avocados - High in Vitamins and Minerals

Avocados are dense in Vitamins C, E, K, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B9 (folic acid), and minerals like Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, and Zinc.

The Omega 9 fats found in the fruit also act as a nutrient booster, enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble Vitamins including A, D, E, and K, contained in the foods eaten with Avocado.

Vitamin K is important for bone health, helping to absorb Calcium and avoid excessive excretion of it in the urine.

Since it is rich in Vitamins and Minerals, it is ideal for people in the tropics, where minerals are lost due to high sweating.

And:

It has more protein than any other fruit. It has 18 of the most important amino acids necessary for the body’s Protein building function.

Avocado’s high Dietary Fiber content also helps relieve constipation, thereby maintaining a healthy digestive tract and detoxifying by the excretion of toxins through the stool.

7. Stress Buster - Avocados Help Reduce Stress

The antioxidant Glutathione and the variety of B Vitamins in Avocado protect the cells in the body from the harmful effects of Toxins and Stress.

8. Avocados Promote Eye Health

Avocado also contains important antioxidants like Lutein and Zeaxanthin,?promoting eye health?and?reducing age-related eye diseases like Macular Degeneration.

9. Avocados For Healthy, Clear, Wrinkle-Free Skin

Today, Avocados are increasingly used in Natural Beauty Products. Its rich Vitamin E content is responsible for healthy, clearer, and wrinkle-free skin in women.

It’s used in Skin Creams as a Moisturizer and Sunscreen, stimulating collagen formation in the skin during the healing process.

Avocados can penetrate deep into the skin and are thus used in Skin Masks for women.

Well, that's not all:

What about Avocado Oil?

Avocado Oil is a miracle beauty product for the Skin and Hair. - Click to Tweet

Avocado oil?is a miracle product that beautifies your skin. It goes deep into the epidermis layer of your skin and plumps out fine lines by moisturizing the dehydrated skin.

The high Vitamin E content, an antioxidant, softens rough skin, heals sun damage, blemishes, wounds, etc;

Avocado Oil increases the amount of Soluble Collagen in your skin resulting in anti-aging, skin repair, and skin elasticity.

Not only that:

When used along with Vitamin B12, Avocado Oil responds well as an effective long-term topical treatment for Psoriasis. ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Avocado Oil's high Oleic Acid content helps alleviate several other skin conditions like Cracked Heels, Insect Bites / Stings, Sunburn, Eczema, etc.

10. Avocados For Healthy Hair

Avocado Oil promotes healthy hair growth. It provides your hair with Vitamin B for hair growth and Vitamin E for restoring your scalp. Prevents hair loss due to vitamin deficiency.

It moisturizes, treats dandruff, and helps condition your hair. The high-fat content improves your hair texture making it more elastic and soft.

11. Avocados For Healthy Pregnancy

Since Avocados are rich in vitamin B6, folate, vitamin C, and potassium it is a great way to get the vitamins necessary for a pregnant mother and a growing baby. It can also relieve constipation in babies.

Avocados reduce the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects in babies.

In addition, it can also alleviate morning sickness in mothers.

12. Avocado Oil for Cooking

Avocado oil?which has an extremely high smoke point (as high as 500°F) is the safest?oil?for high-heat?cooking, like frying, use?just like your regular frying?oil and is a healthier choice.

How to Eat Avocados?

Avocados can be eaten in various ways to suit your preferences and tastes – Plain - (blended with sugar or seasoned with pepper, lemon, and salt if necessary), as a Salad, a Smoothie, Soup, or as Guacamole as in Mexico with tortillas or hot toast.

The thick skin of Avocado protects the inner fruit from harmful chemicals and therefore a low risk of toxic contamination.

Plain:

Scoop out the flesh of a ripe Avocado with a spoon and eat straight, either plain. mashed and flavored with sauce, lemon, salt, pepper, sugar, or treacle. You could also use mashed Avocado as a replacement for Butter, Cheese, or Cream in Sandwiches or Toast.

In salads:?????????

Skin the Avocado and slice it into slivers. Use this in a Salad along with other vegetables and fruits.

As Smoothie

Halve the ripe Avocado, remove the seed, and scoop the soft buttery flesh out with a spoon. Add Milk (Coconut or Dairy Milk), and sugar to taste if necessary, and?mix in a blender until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Add ice cubes and drink this exhilarating drink.?Ideal as a cool drink during hot weather

As Guacamole

Guacamole?Recipe -Serves 4

?2??????– Fresh Ripe Avocados – seeded and peeled

2???????– Medium Sized Tomatoes – chopped

1???????– Medium Onion – chopped fine

2???????– Limes – juice only

1/4 tsp.??– Ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp.??– Salt

3 Cloves??– Fresh Garlic – minced

1/8 tsp.???– Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp.????– Sugar

Method:

Mash the seeded and peeled Avocados in a bowl. Mix all other ingredients and serve with Hot Toast or Mexican Tortillas.

And what’s more:

Avocado can also be eaten pickled, grilled, as dessert, in ice creams, and in many more ways, limited only by your imagination.?????????????????

With all these benefits resulting in a healthy life, no wonder Avocado is considered by many as a Superfood.

Next time you go to your favorite fruit seller or supermarket, don’t forget to buy a few avocados and try them out if you have not already done so.

And:

Please don’t forget to share this article and your comments are welcome.

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