15 Amazing Health Benefits of Avocado

Taking a diet that includes a great level of fruits and vegetables of all kinds has been linked with a lowered risk of many health problems. It is found that a firstly plant-based diet that includes foods such as avocados has a lot of benefits. Avocado is a fruit that provides us with a great amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids i.e. good fat, fiber, numerous vitamins, and minerals. It is SUGAR-FREE (contains no sugar). Avocados are rich in vitamins C, E, K, and B6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They are also a good source of lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.

• Vitamin C – It is basically a wonderful, rounded vitamin that helps your body in a variety of ways as for growth, development and repair of body tissues.

• Vitamin B6 – It balances hormone distribution.

• Vitamin E – It is an amazing antioxidant with has been proven to slow cell aging. Adequate vitamin K can support bone health as it increases calcium absorption and reduces urinary excretion of calcium.

• Potassium – It is vital for the correct regulation of many bodily functions, including your filtering organs.

• Vitamin K – It helps in blood clotting and strong bones.

• Folate – More important rather than keeping you feeling full; it is needed for DNA synthases. Folate provides a protection against undesirable mutations in DNA and RNA during cell division and shortens the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects.

Fat is vital for every single cell present in the body. Intakes of healthy fats contribute to skin health, intensify the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, and may also help to boost the immune system. Adequate fiber leads to regular bowel movements, which are important for the regular excretion of toxins in the bile and stool. Saponins that are present in avocados, soy, and some other plant foods, are linked with the relief of symptoms in knee osteoarthritis.

An average size avocado (weighing about 170 gm) contains:

• 322 calories
• 4 gm proteins
• 17 gm carbs
• 29 gm fat
• 13 gm fiber

Health Benefits of Avocado

Various studies have proven that avocado delivers a lot of different health benefits. Avocado is different from other fruits as it is rich in healthy fats but other fruits consist of carbohydrates mainly. Some of the health benefits are:

1. Avocados Are Rich in Nutrients: Avocados are the richest source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.

2. Good for the Heart: Avocados contain 25 milligrams per ounce of a natural plant sterol called beta-sitosterol. Regular consumption of beta-sitosterol and other plant sterols helps in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Avocado consumption was linked with an increase in serum levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), which seems to have a positive impact on heart health. Eating avocados is a better way of treating hyperlipidemia, without having any negative effects on HDL cholesterol.

3. Improves Vision: Avocados contain two phytochemicals namely lutein and zeaxanthin that are concentrated in the tissues in the eyes where they provide antioxidant protection to help in the reduction of damage, including from ultraviolet light.

4. Good for Bone Health:

• Vitamin K present in avocado is important for bone health. Half of an avocado fulfills approximately 25 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K.
• Eating a diet with adequate vitamin K can improve bone health by increasing calcium absorption and reducing urinary excretion of calcium.

5. Cancer Treatment: Sufficient intake of folate from food helps in protecting against colon, stomach, pancreatic, and cervical cancers. Avocados may even have a big role to play in cancer treatment, with some research finding that phytochemicals extracted from avocado can selectively impede the growth of precancerous and cancerous cells and lead to the death of cancer cells while encouraging the proliferation of immune system cells called lymphocytes.

6. Healthy Babies: Folate is also called folic acid. Folate is extremely important for a healthy pregnancy. Apposite intake of avocado minimizes the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects.

7. Lower Risk of Depression: Foods containing high levels of folate are good to reduce the risk of depression because folate helps in preventing the building-up of homocysteine, a substance that can impair circulation and delivery of nutrients to the brain.

8. Improve Digestion:

• Despite its creamy texture, an avocado is high in fiber with approximately 6-7 grams per half fruit.
• Eating foods with natural fiber can help prevent constipation, maintain a healthy digestive tract, and lower the risk of colon cancer.

9. Natural Detoxification

• Adequate fiber promotes regular bowel movements, which are crucial for the daily excretion of toxins through the bile and stool.
• Recent studies have shown that dietary fiber may also play a role in regulating the immune system and inflammation.

10. Osteoporosis Treatment: Substances called saponins are found in avocados, soy, and some other plant foods, are associated with the solace of symptoms in knee osteoarthritis.

11. Antimicrobial Action: Avocados consist of substances that have antimicrobial activity, particularly against Escherichia coli which is a leading cause of food poisoning.

12. Protection From Chronic Disease

• High fiber intakes are related to remarkably lowering the risks of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases.
• An increase in fiber consumption has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and inflate weight loss for obese individuals.

13. Oral Health: You can also take avocado for mouth health. Avocado is rich in fatty acids, vitamin D, and fiber, which can relieve gingivitis and periodontitis inflammation.

14. Avocado for Wrinkles

• Essential fatty acids present in avocado may reduce signs of aging on the skin. According to one study, avocado oil intake can promote collagen in the skin.
• Avocado oil can be used for the treatment of wrinkles as well as wound healing.

15. For Hair: There are a number of benefits of eating avocado for hair. Vitamin E present in avocado strengthens hair and promotes hair growth. Vitamin-E is a special nutrient, which helps the scalp in health and hair growth.

How to Use Avocado Seed?

There are various ways in which one can use Avocado seeds for different purposes, some of them are as:

• One can just simply eat avocado by sprinkling some salt and pepper. Even it can be tried by other seasoning like paprika, lemon juice, vinegar etc.
• We can even eat an avocado by making it more nutritious as by stuffing it. One can cut it into half and fill half avocado with egg and bake for 15-20 in at 425 º F (220º C) until egg sets fully. There are various ways to try for stuffed avocado as with bacon, tuna, chicken, vegetables, fruits etc.
• Avocados can also be used as a substitute for mayonnaise.
• If you just want to eat half of the avocado at once and not the whole fruit you can leave the seed in the second half of avocado and it will prevent avocado from going brown. You can also use this method for protecting sauces based on avocado and guacamole.
• Avocados can also be used in salads and soups based on the requirements.
• Boil it for 5 minutes, chop it and infuse in boiling water for another 5 min, you just made an avocado tea
• Dry the avocado seed in the oven (or leave it for few days to help it dry out by itself) and grate it, it will work as an amazing spice to your dishes
• Mix grated avocado seed with coconut oil and use it as a natural peeling or mask
• Mix grated avocado seed with 1 cap of water overnight and apply to daily on your hair to naturally dye your grey hair

Appropriate Avocado Consumption

It is perfect to include avocados in your diet, in view of so many health benefits, but this doesn’t mean that you simply overeat them.

Generally 1/3 rd. avocado per day i.e. approx. 50 gm is appropriate. However, the maximum limit could be one avocado per day depending on the fitness level of the individual.

Overdoing on Avocados

There are some warnings that you should consider though, before taking the plunge headfirst into a diet rich in avocado. If it is consumed in excess, the high FODMAP foods in avocados i.e. carbohydrates can cause digestion and absorption problems. Also, the higher calorie contents can lead to WEIGHT GAIN. Also if you eat too many Avocados, it’ll cause bloating, diarrhea, or intense pain in the gut. For instance, some people are allergic to it with varying degrees of severity. Mostly those who are allergic will suffer only mild consequences, not unlike hay fever symptoms, and will usually subside after some time. Thus, one should always consult their Dietician regarding the quantity of avocado they can consume per day based on their requirement and total calorie intake.

Avocado contains some essential nutrition that is: avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats therefore, its tastes creamy. It is much higher in fat than most other fruits. Avocados have a unique nutritional profile they contain lots of fiber and are rich in vitamins and minerals. You can include avocados in your diet for taking a number of health benefits from this fruit.