Potential Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocado is a creamy texture fruit covered with thick, green skin that is rich in healthy fats, fiber, and potassium. Its tree is known as Persea americana. Avocado is considered effective for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also a good source of linoleic acid. Health Benefits of Avocados include controlling cholesterol but it also plays an important role in improving your heart, health, skin health, and thinking skills. It is considered best for treating psoriasis and obesity. Avocados also contain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. But don’t confuse avocado with avocado soy. They are two different things.

However, we lack authentic scientific evidence to support the above-mentioned health benefits of avocados.

Nutritional value

Many kitchens around the world have this nutritionally versatile and delicious fruit as a staple food. However, the confusion is still there, whether avocado is a fruit or a vegetable. But most people use it as fruit. Scientific studies show that it belongs to the family Lauraceae. This family also includes cinnamon. So it can be a vegetable;e. 

This fruit is a common and traditional part of many cuisines around the world, including South American, Mexican, and Central America. Due to its higher nutritional value, avocados are extremely popular and used in many dishes. 

This is an excellent source of nutrition because it has a higher number of nutrients that are often absent in modern diets. Dietary analysis report of avocado shows that it contains:

  • Calories.
  • Fats.
  • Proteins.
  • Fibers.
  • Carbs. riboflavin (B2).
  • Niacin (B3).
  • Pantothenic acid (B5).
  • Vitamin C.
  • Vitamin E.
  • Vitamin K.
  • Manganese.
  • Copper.
  • Magnesium.
  • Potassium.

in a balanced proportion.

Thus it is proved that avocados are exceptionally nutrient-dense fruit and you can have several health benefits of avocados. Many useful nutrients are not found in every duet but if you include avocado in your diet, it will fulfill your most nutritional needs.

In this article, the health benefits of avocado are listed with the proportion of certain nutrients it has. This information may help you explore unknown health benefits of avocado so that you may incorporate this fruit into your diet appropriately to enjoy the health advantages linked with it.  

Great for Vision

Two nutritionally important phytochemicals, zeaxanthin and lutein are found in avocado. These compounds are good for eye health. These chemicals help in minimizing damage to the eye due to ultraviolet rays of sunlight and add features in health benefits of avocados.

Avocados are also rich in monounsaturated fats that help in the feasible absorption of fat-soluble antioxidants to prevent age-related muscular degeneration. Therefore, adding avocados to your diet may help prevent developing a risk of eye disease.

Prevent Osteoporosis

If you eat half of an avocado, it provides you with approximately 20% of the daily value of vitamin K. This nutrient is essential for bone health but often you overlook it. Talking avocados can increase the amount of vitamin K in your body, accelerate absorption of calcium in your bones and slow down the urinary excretion of calcium to strengthen your bones.

Support Fetal Health

Healthy pregnancy needs a chemical compound known as folate. Adequate intake of avocado balances the amount of folate in your body according to your needs, especially during pregnancy. It also decreases the risk of neural tube abnormalities in the fetus. A daily 500 micro-gram intake of folate can help reduce miscarriage risk in a pregnant woman. These are the most authentic health benefits of avocados.

In addition, avocados also contain healthy fatty acids that are essential for fetal development.

Reduction in Depression

Avocados play an important role in managing the overall dietary health of a person. According to studies, folate and depression are linked together in any way. So increasing the amount of folate in your body may help lower the risk of depression. Depression is caused when the nutrients to the brain are interrupted and this happens due to the higher levels of chemical homo-cysteine. This substance impairs the delivery of nutrients to the brain, as a result, the cognitive function of the brain gets disturbed. This disturbance further leads to less or overproduction of serotonin dopamine and nor-epinephrine, which are the hormones specialized for reducing depression and regulating mood, appetite, and sleep. Such health benefits of avocados prove it the best choice for a patient of depression.

Improve Digestion

The higher fiber content present in avocados makes them an ideal option for preventing digestion disorders, including constipation and colon cancer. Eating foods rich in natural fibers is essential for maintaining your digestive health.

Detoxification 

Fibers naturally improve your bowel movements and help in the excretion of toxic materials in the form of stool from your body. Avocados have an abundant proportion of fiber, therefore, they help promote good gut health and maintain microbial diversity in your inner body environment. The balanced a bacterial balance may help reduce aggravation and inflammation in the digestive tract.

Lack of fibers causes greater bile acid concentrations that may lead to intestinal inflammation and support the growth of microbes that are associated with developing the risk of colon cancer. 

Moreover, avocados contain advantageous groups of bacteria which can produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. These substances along with beneficial microbes protect your colon cells against inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer. 

Relief from Osteoporosis

Avocados contains saponins that are useful for treating osteoporosis in your hip and knee. Soy is another source of this substance. However, more research is needed to claim this benefit of avocado is true. 

Reduce Heat Diseases

Food containing avocado may help protect your heart against diseases. Avocado is rich in healthy fats, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for keeping your cardiovascular system intact and healthy. \ In addition, several studies support the idea that an avocado-rich diet improves heart health and prevents the onset of heart diseases. 

Moreover, avocados also help increase good cholesterol (HDL) and decrease LDL levels to prevent the buildup of plaque along your arteries that is associated with atherosclerosis. Other studies also suggest that higher proportions of magnesium and potassium in avocados are good for regulating your blood pressure. This may help prevent stroke and heart failure. 

Promote A Healthy Weight

Several factors contribute to increasing your body weight. The most important and influencing factor is eating an unhealthy and imbalanced diet. Taking a balanced and nutrient-dense diet is essential for maintaining a good body weight and preventing diseases.

Although avocados are rich in nutrients and have large amounts of calories, the higher proportion of fibers makes them best for rooting satiety. Their healthy fat content helps in weight loss without any side effects. These health benefits of avocados make it an essential nutrient for your regular diet.

Research suggests that a diet rich in fibrous foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables helps lose weight. Avocado is a fruit that is full of fibers and thus helps in weight management. 

Studies of people with two groups, one group taking avocados and the other who don’t eat avocados, show that people with fiber intake are found with an ideal good weight while the others have an abrupt weight gain. 

Rich in Anti-Inflammatory and antioxidant Compounds

Avocados are packed with many bioactive compounds including, vitamin C, vitamin E, phenolic compounds, and carotenoids. These substances have cardio-protective, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties. Carotenoids found in avocados are formed with alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein act as strong antioxidants, and help protect against oxidative damage that can further cause many chronic diseases. Avocados are rich in antioxidants and incorporating avocados in your regular diet may help increase your body’s definition against oxidative stress.

In addition, studies showed that eating an avocado a day helps increase levels of carotenoids and lutein in your blood. Vitamin C and carotenoids combine to help improve your cognitive function and heart health. 

Help during Breastfeeding and Pregnancy 

During pregnancy or breastfeeding, women need increased amounts of nutrients. The significantly increased demand for nutrition can be fulfilled by eating avocados as a staple food. A pregnant woman needs higher levels of potassium, vitamin C, Folate, and Magnesium.

Unfortunately, pregnant women around the world mostly don’t get the accurate diet that they need during pregnancy. Especially women get a shortage of folate during pregnancy which can increase the risks of pregnancy complications.  

Avocado lessons such as risk factors. Studies suggest that eating an avocado adds 32% of folate to your diet. In addition, adding avocados to your daily diet also helps increase your nutrition intake according to your needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Avocados also help you reach the recommended intake of vitamin C, B6, and potassium. 

Moreover, the higher fiber content of avocados helps prevent constipation during pregnancy which is a severe health issue during pregnancy. 

You can take whole-grain toast topped with ab avocado slices with a scoop of cottage cheese as a breastfeeding and pregnancy-friendly meal. This recipe not only satisfies your hunger but also provides you instant energy with a variety of nutrients including fats, proteins, and fiber.

Delicious Meal Ingredient

Avocados make your recipes more delicious and versatile. Try the following recipes to incorporate avocados into your routine diet.

  • Add firm avocados to your sandwich or salad.
  • Add soft avocados to delicious guacamole.
  • Add avocado to chicken with Greek yogurt in place of mayo. Eat this chicken with eggs and tuna salad to enhance the nutritional flavor.
  • Cut avocado into slices and sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper on it, it will be a delicious delight for your taste buds.
  • Add avocado slices on top of your favorite burger.
  • Make a creamy and yummy dressing with avocado by mixing it with lemon juice and olive oil.
  • Stuffed avocados with chicken salad or bean salad.
  • Add avocados to tacos and wraps. 
  • Enjoy grilled chicken breast with a salad of cubed avocados and sliced tomatoes.
  • Smash an avocado on roasted sweet potato or top of grilled toast.
  • Add some healthy fats to your smoothies by mixing frozen avocado chunks in them.
  • Make a heart-filled breakfast by pairing avocado with berries and eggs.
  • Top yours with sliced avocado.
  • Paste avocado mixture on top of bread and bake them for a crispy treat.
  • Incorporate avocado into your grain bowel.

Other than these, several ways can be adopted to incorporate avocados into your diet. Try new experiments to invent delicious avocado recipes. Always store ripe avocados in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and juicy. Don’t use hard and green avocado, let it sit on your counter for some days so that they may ripe. Ripe avocados are softer to the touch and easily digestible. Avoid using overripe or rotten avocados. However, overripe avocados may be added to recipes such as dressings and baked goods. So try to use them until they have a sour taste or smell. Don’t use them if the flash is moldy or discolored. 

Risks Of Adding Avocados to Your Diet

Very little risk is associated with eating avocados. But excess of everything causes abnormalities. Similarly, Overdoing avocados can lead to unwanted outcomes. For instance, avocados have vitamin K, which can make your blood thinner and the high fat content of avocados may lead to unintended weight gain. 

More side effects of eating avocados in large amounts include:

When Applied to Your Skin: Avocado oil is well tolerated if used in moderation. It is beneficial for skin and hair but some people experience it after using night creams containing avocados.

When Taken Orally: Avocados enjoy delicious food around the world. However, its use as medicine has no confirmed evidence. 

Stomach Allergy: Sometimes, children and infants may have stomach allergies to certain types of foods such as allergies to milk or milk products. Similarly eating avocados also causes some allergic reactions in children leading to diarrhea and vomiting.

Latex Allergy: If you are sensitive to latex, you may have an allergic reaction to avocado.

Conclusion

Avocados are rich in nutrients and packed with high amounts of different nutrients including fiber, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. All these healthy nutrients make avocados an impressive and ideal food for you.

Eating avocados in moderation is associated with several health benefits of avocados, including, protection against chronic disease, heart diseases. Avocados also help in improving satiety, gut health, cognitive function, and overall diet quality and flavor. However, try to eat avocados in moderate amounts to avoid any health issues or allergic reactions. Talk to your healthcare provider, if experiencing trouble or allergy after eating avocados.

Hira Shabbir

Hey, I'm Hira shabbir. An experienced content writer who is providing quality SEO content to clients, from the past 2 years. I have been a biology and English teacher from the past 20 years, which gives me an edge in providing quality content.

Hira Shabbir
Hey, I'm Hira shabbir. An experienced content writer who is providing quality SEO content to clients, from the past 2 years. I have been a biology and English teacher from the past 20 years, which gives me an edge in providing quality content.