AVOCADO BENEFITS

Avocado is a bright green fruit with a large pit and dark leathery skin. They’re also known as alligator pears or butter fruit. Avocados are a favourite of the produce section. They’re the go-to ingredient for guacamole dips. And they’re turning up in everything from salads and wraps to smoothies and even brownies. So what, exactly, makes this pear-shaped berry such a superfood?

Avocados have a lot of calories they are also high in fat. But it’s monounsaturated fat, which is a “good” fat that helps lower bad cholesterol, as long as you eat them in moderation.

Avocados offer nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. Avocados are low in sugar. And they contain fibre, which helps you feel full longer. In one study, people who added a fresh avocado half to their lunch were less interested in eating during the next 3 hours than those who didn’t have the fruit.

Avocado Health Benefits

A healthy lifestyle that includes nutritious food can help prevent and reverse disease. Avocados are a healthy food you can add. The vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats you get from avocados help prevent disease and keep your body in good working order.  Avocados may help ward off cancer. The folate you get from avocados may lower your risk of certain cancers, such as prostate and colon cancer. Nutrients in avocados may also treat cancer arthritis and osteoporosis. Studies on oil extracts from avocados show they can reduce osteoarthritis symptoms. The vitamin K in avocados boosts your bone health by slowing down bone loss and warding off osteoporosis. Research shows a link between depression and low levels of folate. Folate helps block the buildup of a substance called homocysteine in your blood. Homocysteine slows down the flow of nutrients to your brain and ramps up depression. The high levels of folate in avocados may help keep depression symptoms at bay. Chronic inflammation can kick off many diseases, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and arthritis. The vitamin E in avocados lowers inflammation in your body.

The nutrients in avocados can also help maintain healthy digestion, blood pressure by lowering sodium levels in your blood and easing tension in your blood vessel walls. It aids the heart most of the healthy fat in avocado is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid. This heart-healthy fat helps lower cardiovascular inflammation. Avocados also help lower your cholesterol levels. Lutein and zeaxanthin are two antioxidants in avocados that are good for your eyes.  They help protect the tissues in your eyes from UV light damage and help prevent both cataracts and macular degeneration.  During pregnancy, you need at least 400 micrograms of folate a day during pregnancy to help prevent birth defects in your baby’s brain and spine. One avocado gives you around 41% of that. Avocados are extremely moisturizing and nourishing because they contain natural oils and both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids (the “good” fats). While these oils can be beneficial to all hair types, they’re especially helpful for dry, dehydrated hair. The fruit is also rich in vitamins that can nourish the scalp and help hair look healthy, shiny, and hydrated. You may have heard that biotin helps hair and nails grow. This is especially true in people who have a biotin deficiency, which is rare. Avocado is a great source of biotin, and adding this B-complex vitamin back into the diet may help hair to grow more healthily. Anecdotally speaking, many people note that their hair feels silkier and stronger after using an avocado mask.

Store avocados at room temperature, keeping in mind that they can take 4-5 days to ripen. To speed up the ripening process, put them in a paper bag along with an apple or banana. When the outside skins are black or dark purple and yield to gentle pressure, they’re ready to eat or refrigerate.

Wash them before cutting so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the pulp. You can also puree and toss avocados with pasta, substitute for butter or oil in your favourite baked good recipes, or spread or slice onto sandwiches.

If you have a latex allergy, talk to your doctor before adding avocado to your diet. People with a serious allergy to latex may also have symptoms after eating an avocado. You may also hear this called latex-food syndrome or latex-fruit allergy. 

By Daboer Gift