Surprising Health Benefits of Avocados
Avocados are among a group of foods known as superfoods. These foods contain many vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that can benefit the body in many ways no matter how you eat them. Continue reading to learn more about some of the health benefits of avocados.
What are Avocados
Avocados are a nutrient-dense fruit that comes from the avocado tree. There are many different kinds of avocados. In fact, there are hundreds of known types of avocados in the world today. The most commonly found avocado commercially is the Hass avocado.
Health Benefits Of Avocados
Avocados offer many different nutrients to those who consume them. These nutrients come with a plethora of benefits. Some benefits of avocados are:
Eye Health
Avocados contain many antioxidants. These include the carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein. These have been proven to be important for eye health.
Weight Loss
Avocados can be one of your best friends if you are trying to lose weight. In a recent study, 23% of people who had avocado with their meal felt more satisfied. 28% of the same group of people had a lower desire to eat within the next five hours.
Consuming avocado could be very beneficial if you are looking to lose weight in other ways as well, they are also high in fiber and low in carbs.
Heart-Healthy Fats
Avocado is a food that is high in fats. It is one of the fattiest plants because around 77% of the calories in them come from these fats.
The fats from avocado are not like some of the other fats, however. The fat in avocados is known as oleic acid. This is a monounsaturated fatty acid, which has a wide variety of health benefits. Some of these benefits are:
- Weight Loss
- Reduce Inflammation
- Provide Nutrients for Cells
According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats can have a positive effect on your heart when eaten in moderation.
Lower the risk of depression
According to a recent study, monounsaturated fats have been shown to reduce depression. Another study found that higher amounts of folate have been shown to help maintain dopamine chemicals in the brain.
Avocados are a great source of both of these. Like previously mentioned, the fact that they contain is monounsaturated. However, did you know that you can get 20% of your daily folate needs from about half of a decent-sized Hass Avocado?
Digestion
Avocados contain high amounts of natural fiber. Eating foods with natural fiber is important because it can help maintain a healthy digestive tract. Each avocado can contain anywhere between 12-14 grams of fiber.
Getting Avocado Into Your Diet
In order to take advantage of these amazing health benefits, you need to make sure that you are getting this superfood into your diet. Good thing that avocados taste delicious and there are many ways to incorporate them into your meals.
- Seasoned: Sprinkling some salt, pepper and any other spices you seem fit onto half of the avocado makes for a perfect snack.
- Toast: Substituting butter with avocado on your toast allows you to get some extra vitamins along with being a healthier option.
- Guacamole: Guacamole is one of the most popular ways to eat avocados. It is also one of the simpler ways too.
- Smoothies: You can add avocado to your smoothie to ensure that you are getting some of the benefits.
Conclusion
There are many health benefits of avocados that you should be taking advantage of. To learn all about the Health Benefits of Drinking Water please visit our website here for more information.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9286269
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24279738
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/monounsaturated-fats