Hi everyone, I hope the week has treated you well and will continue to do so. Today’s topic reverts back to healthy food, and I would like to highlight the avocado. It has recently become a much talked about food due to its healthy nature and high concentration of nutrients. It also blends in well with many types of food, making it a desirable ingredient in many healthy recipes. Let me elaborate further on its benefits and nutritional value.
What Nutrients are in Avocado?
Individuals that are health conscious will love this fruit, with many varieties of it available. The most popular type that is commonly found is the Haas avocado which contains 20 types of minerals and vitamins. Talk about a superfood!
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| The Haas avocado is the most common type found (pic from womenshealthmag.com) |
In addition to vitamin C, E, K, B5 and B6, avocado also contains potassium zinc, copper, iron and many other minerals. A single 100g serving contains only 160 calories, 2g of protein and 15g of healthy fats. It also contains 9g of carbs, but 7g of this is fibre, making avocado a low-carb option for anyone looking to diet!
What About the Health Benefits?
Plenty. For starters, avocado is full of fat (77%), of which most is oleic acid. This monounsaturated fatty acid is very healthy for your heart and has been linked to a reduction in inflammation as well as being beneficial to genes that may lead to cancer. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that avocados can significantly reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your body, while increasing the “good” cholesterol your body needs. This can lead to a much reduced risk of heart disease!
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| Avocado can help reduce the risk of heart disease (pic from veteranshearthealth.com.au) |
As mentioned earlier, avocado contains high amounts of fibre, which can help to reduce spiking levels of blood sugar or help you to lose weight. This is very helpful to maintain a healthy metabolic rate and it can also lower the risk of various diseases in the body. Research conducted in the United States showed that individuals that regularly consumed avocados had a higher intake of nutrients and were 50% less likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome – a potential risk that may lead to diabetes and heart conditions. These individuals also tended to have a lower body mass index (BMI) and less belly fats!
However, the benefits of avocado are not only limited to your body, but it also helps to bring out the best in other foods! The healthy fats contained in avocado can often combine with “fat soluble” nutrients in other fruits and vegetables, allowing your body to absorb a much higher number of nutrients. This includes the various vitamins, as well as antioxidants such as carotenoid, meaning that not only is avocado good for you, it also elevates the healthiness of the other fruits and vegetables you consume. You may want to start putting avocado into your salad regularly!
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| Adding avocado to salads can help your body absorb more nutrients from the other vegetables (pic from simplyrecipes.com) |
Avocados are an extremely versatile fruit, with its creamy texture adding layers of richness to many types of recipes and foods. Unlike other vegetables which may not taste fantastic, avocado is flavourful which explains its increasing popularity. There are many recipes out there which you can try to follow, so why not give this superfood a try?
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