The Health Benefits of Avocados
The avocado is characterized as a flavorful and buttery pear-shaped fruit. It has a high fat content and brings more calories than any other fruits. Nevertheless, it is among many of the popular fruits having health-inclined properties and good nutrition profiles. In this blog, you will discover the numerous avocado health benefits. Avocado has become a popular fruit for health-conscious people because of its surprising health benefits. Before going deeper to its health benefits, the common names for avocados are aguacate, butter pear and alligator pear. They are medium sized and the plants have a large green foliage cover. This fruit matures on a tree and becomes ripe only after it is harvested. Its colors turn from light green to deep purple or deep green once ripe. Inside, you will see its cream color flesh with a buttery texture. It has a pleasant aroma and a mild flavor. There are many types of avocados and shapes. The most common type is Hass avocado.
- Avocado Health Benefits - Avocados are very nutritious and contain a wide range of nutrients. The avocado health benefits are explained below.
- Good for the Heart - A regular avocado contains 25 mg. per ounce of beta sitosterol, or natural plant sterol. The daily consumption of this substance is recommended to maintain a healthy heart and to regulate the dangerous cholesterol levels. Like olives, avocados have high levels of mono-unsaturated fats and are rich in essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Great for the Eyes - Avocado contains phytochemicals which are essential to the human body. These phytochemicals are lutein and zeaxanthin, the two carotenoids that act as antioxidants for the eyes. These antioxidants can minimize the damage and risk of age-related macular degeneration.
- Great for Weight Loss - According to studies avocado is good for weight loss. It is low in carbohydrates but high in fiber.These characteristics help promote weight loss. You can add this fruit to your favorite salads. It is creamy with a fatty rich texture and blends well with other ingredients.
- Relieves Symptoms of Arthritis - Arthritis is a chronic and painful bodily problem that many people, particularly older people, can suffer from. Studies have shown that avocado extract, together with soybean oil, can decrease the symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
- Prevents Cancer - Avocado is beneficial in preventing cancer, according to studies. It may also help reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and its extract has shown its potency in blocking the growth of prostate cancer cells.
- Can Help Absorb Other Nutrients - It is important that your body can absorb the total amount of nutrients it needs. Adding avocado or avocado oils to your diet, either salsa or salad or in cooking, can increase the absorption of antioxidants. It helps to dramatically increase the nutrient value of other foods.
- Osteoporosis Prevention - One half of the avocado fruit provides the required daily intake of Vitamin K. Vitamin K is important for bone health. It helps increase calcium absorption and can reduce urinary excretion of calcium.
- Lower the Risk of Depression - Avocado contains folate, which is essential in lowering the risk of depression. Folate blocks the access of homocysteine forming in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid that prevents blood and other nutrients from penetrating the brain. It can obstruct the production of happy hormones or the good-feel hormones. Thus, eating avocados can regulate mood, appetite and sleep as well, since it inhibits homocysteine from forming excessively.
- Natural Detoxification - Fiber is essential for the regular excretion of toxins. The avocado fruit is very rich in fiber. Hence it can help regulate digestion and immune system. It can also help deal with inflammation and flush toxins and waste out of the body.
- Prevents Constipation and Improves Digestion - Its creamy texture is high in fiber, as mentioned above. Therefore, eating avocados can help prevent constipation and can help maintain a healthy digestive tract and lower the risk of colon cancer.
- So, is avocado good for you? Yes! So remember that this fruit has been linked to many health benefits, like those cited above. Eating avocados and making them part of your regular diet can promote overall health.