There’s no denying that avocados are the favorite fruits, not only with the Americans but with people from everywhere. Intriguingly, it tastes so great that you may be of the notion that it doesn’t offer too
many health benefits. The fact is that this fat-filled fruit is loaded with nutrients and provides so many health benefits.
Besides, those who consume avocados have great health as a general rule. They have lower Body Mass Index and better nutrient intake and compared to those who don’t take it. This has been found in many studies. There are so many health benefits of taking this highly versatile fruit. Here you will find 20 of these benefits.
Rich in Healthy Fats
Avocados have high amounts of fats. All these fats are good fats, having monounsaturated fats. These fats help in reducing risk of heart attack or stroke and bad cholesterol levels in your blood.
Helping with Weight Loss
Consuming avocados can help with weight loss. As per a study (published – Nutrition Journal), taking just 1/2 avocado with your lunch can be helpful for those who are overweight. It can make you feel satiated for longer.
The study’s participants said that they had 40% lesser desire for eating for over 3 hours and 28% lesser desire for eating over 5 hours after their meal.
Controlling Blood Pressure
According to the American Heart Association, the power of potassium in reducing sodium effects on the body means that a diet containing natural sources of potassium can help in blood pressure control.
Avocados are rich in potassium. A fruit has 28% of the recommended daily dosage of potassium. But because avocados have high fats, you should minimize your fat intake in other foods for balancing the fat levels.
Reducing Cholesterol Levels
According to stats, 1 in 3 American adults suffer from high cholesterol problems. This doubles the risk of heart disease. The good news is that you have so many natural methods for lowering cholesterol levels.
According to studies, taking avocados regularly is a great way to lower cholesterol levels. The fruit offers the following benefits:
Lowering blood triglycerides
Lowering total cholesterol levels
Lowering LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
Increasing HDL (good) cholesterol
Nutrient-Rich
Avocados contain high amounts of nutrients. Interestingly, there are more than 20 minerals and vitamins in each serving.
1 avocado gives you the following percentage of your Recommended Daily Values (RDV):
Vitamin C – 33%
Vitamin E – 21%
Vitamin B6 – 26%
Vitamin K – 53%
Copper – 19%
Folate – 41%
Potassium – 28%
Pantothenic Acid – 28%
Improved Nutrients Absorption
We can be taking as much nutrients, vitamin and minerals we can take. But it is most important that these nutrients are absorbed. There nutrients which are fat-soluble. This means they need fat for being assimilated by our body. The best examples include:
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin D
Some antioxidants
When you add 1/2 avocado to salad containing carrots, lettuce and spinach, you are absorbing 8.3 times the antioxidants alpha-carotene, 13.6 times beta-carotene and 4.3 times lutein.
Preventing Diabetes
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, diabetes is going to affect almost 40 percent people in the U.S. at one point in our lives. You must make sure to have your blood sugar levels balanced for minimizing this risk.
But avocados can help in the regulation of your blood sugar levels. According to a study, the participants were given 1/2 avocado with their lunch and then their insulin and blood glucose levels were measured at certain intervals.
They had avocados in their food, which raised their carb and calorie content, but they didn’t show any increase in their blood sugar levels as compared to those who took normal lunch without avocado.
Avocados for Getting Pain Relief
Avocado extract can help in reducing arthritis symptoms in your bones (osteoarthritis). Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is considered to even give soothing effect to other forms of inflammatory-based pains and aches.
Fighting Inflammation with Avocados
There is a belief that chronic inflammation in your body causes most of the modern diseases like allergies, Alzheimer’s, asthma, heart disease, and cancer.
The oleic acid in avocado may also help in fighting inflammation. This is the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil that gives it most of its healthful properties. There are many studies that have connected oleic acid and reduction in inflammation.
Improving Eye Health with Avocados
Macular degeneration is amongst the biggest causes behind blindness among Americans. Zeaxanthin and lutein are two ingredients that have been found to be greatly effective fighting this condition. The foods having high levels of phytonutrients are rich in offering both zeaxanthin and lutein for our body.
According to research, avocado is considered the best source of lutein in over 20 fruits which we take regularly. Avocado also contains high levels of zeaxanthin.
