Some people, in their attempts to be health conscious, avoid avocados because of the relatively high fat and calorie content (138 calories and 14.1 g fat in half a medium-size avocado). However, avocados are one of the best foods you can eat, packed with nutrients and heart-healthy compounds.
The avocado is one of the most beneficial foods that exist today, and although a few years ago people thought that fattened, the truth is that today people who want to lose weight include it in their diet, as with time have discovered multiple and infinite factors and properties capable of offering the human body enviable benefits.
It can even be very beneficial for those who have problems with arthritis or other diseases. For these and other properties, we bring you the reasons why you should include avocado to improve your physical condition.
Avocado benefits
First of all, we have that avocado is rich in vitamins and minerals, it is said that a medium one can contain more than 20 vitamins and minerals, and who does not like to be healthy? Using it in meals will allow us to take advantage of all those vitamins without wasting any element in our meals, regardless of whether it is a daily or a regular intake.
A healthier heart thanks to avocado
On the other hand, it has been proven that it is ideal to protect cardiovascular health because it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, in addition to its high content of healthy fats, it helps to clean the arteries and reduce excess lipids that are those that cause bad cholesterol.
Improves eyesight
But the consumption of this fruit not only improves our cardiovascular system but it will also improve the health of our eyesight, and although until some time ago the carrot was the most popular food for this task, the avocado has gained ground because it contains a type of carotenoid known as lutein, standing out for playing an important role in preventing some ocular pathologies.
Regulates intestinal transit
Likewise, consuming it in moderate portions will improve intestinal health because it contains approximately 80% dietary fiber, which undoubtedly helps to alleviate inflammation, being also a totally perfect property for people who suffer from constipation with or without frequency.
In addition, this delicious fruit can prevent premature aging of our skin, because one of the main causes of this happening is as a result of the action of free radicals in the environment, by consuming this fruit you are giving your body Vitamin E, which is known worldwide for having a powerful antioxidant action, providing us with everything we really need.
Recommended for pregnant women
And not only that, if you are pregnant and about to give birth, the consumption of avocado is recommended by doctors and pediatricians , because it contains a large amount of folic acid or vitamin B9, which helps reduce the risks during childbirth.
But this is a short list, since it has many more beneficial properties for our health, the important thing is that we do not consume it in excess because although it is a fruit recommended in diets, it has a high caloric content. So go ahead, there are many recipes that you can prepare so that you can start enjoying all its benefits and we leave you below the main 10 benefits of the most outstanding avocado.
1. Avocado fats fight bad cholesterol
It contains oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that can help lower cholesterol. In a study of people with moderately high cholesterol levels, people who ate a diet high in this fruit showed clear health improvements.
After seven days on the diet that included avocados, they had significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol, along with an 11% increase in health-promoting HDL or good cholesterol. So, here are 10 great reasons to eat more of this fruit regularly, in addition to being able to include the use of avocado oil.
2. Avocado regulates blood pressure
It is a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate potassium intake can help protect against diseases of the circulatory system, such as high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration has authorized a health claim that reads: “Diets that contain foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. "
3. Avocado against heart disease
One cup of avocado has 23% of the daily value for folic acid, an important nutrient for heart health. To determine the relationship between folic acid intake and heart disease, researchers followed more than 80,000 women for 14 years using diet questionnaires.
They found that women who had a higher intake of folate in the diet had a 55% lower risk of suffering heart attacks or fatal heart disease. Another study showed that people who consume diets rich in folate have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who do not consume more of this vital nutrient.
4. Avocado - a rich source of nutrients
Not only is it a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid, which has recently been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer, it is also a highly concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein; it also contains measurable amounts of related carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha carotene, and beta-carotene), in addition to significant amounts of tocopherols (vitamin E).
5. Carotenoids in avocado inhibit cancer cell growth
In a laboratory study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, an avocado extract containing these carotenoids and tocopherols inhibited the growth of both androgen-dependent and independent prostate cancer cells.
But when the researchers tried to expose prostate cancer cells to lutein (carotenoid) alone, the carotenoid alone did not prevent the growth of cancer cells. Not only was the entire matrix of carotenoids and tocopherols in avocado required for its ability to kill prostate cancer cells, but the researchers also observed that the significant amount of monounsaturated fat in avocado plays a role.
Carotenoids are lipid (fat) -soluble, which means that fat must be present to ensure that these bioactive carotenoids will be absorbed into the bloodstream. Like nature's intention, avocado offers all the health package they promote.
6. Increases the absorption of carotenoids through vegetables
Enjoy a few slices of avocado in your salad, or tossing some chopped avocado into your favorite sauce will not only add a rich and creamy flavor, but will greatly increase your body's ability to absorb health promoting carotenoids. that vegetables provide.
A study published in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition tested the hypothesis that since carotenoids are lipophilic (literally, fat-loving, meaning they are soluble in fat, not water), Consuming foods rich in carotenoids along with the monounsaturated fats in avocado could increase its bioavailability.
7. How to use avocado to take advantage of its benefits
· Not only did adding avocado to a carrot, lettuce, and spinach salad or sauce greatly increase the absorption of carotenoids from these foods in study participants, but it produced improved availability of carotenoids, including when a very small amount, as little as 2 ounces of avocado, was added.
· Adding avocado to the salad gives a greater absorption of alpha carotene, beta-carotene and lutein 7.2, 15.3 and 5.1 times greater respectively, than the average amount of these carotenoids absorbed when eating free avocado salad.
· Adding avocado to the sauce increases the lycopene and beta-carotene absorption 4.4 and 2.6 times higher, respectively, than the average amount of these nutrients absorbed from the free avocado sauce. Eating just avocado contains a wide variety of nutrients, including heart-healthy vitamins, minerals, as well as monounsaturated fats, but eating a little avocado along with carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruits is a great way to improve the body's ability to absorb carotenoids, while also receiving other nutritional benefits.
8. The phytonutrients in avocado fight oral cancer
The oral cancer is more likely to result in death than breast cancer, skin, or cervical, with a mortality rate of about 50% due to late detection, according to the Foundation of Great Britain Mouth Cancer. Avocado can offer a delicious dietary strategy for the prevention of oral cancer.
The phytonutrients in the Hass avocado, the most easily accessible of the more than 500 varieties of avocados most cultivated worldwide, manifests multiple signaling pathways, which increases the amount of free radicals (reactive oxygen species) in lines precancerous and cancerous oral human cells leading to their death but not causing damage to normal cells.
9. Avocado carotenoids fight prostate cancer
Previous research by UCLA scientists also indicates that Hass avocado may inhibit the growth of prostate cancer as well. When analyzed, they found that it contains the highest lutein content among commonly eaten fruits, as well as measurable amounts of related carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene). Lutein accounted for 70% of the measured carotenoids, and avocado also contains significant amounts of vitamin E.
10. Nutritional profile of avocado
Avocados are a good source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, and copper. L os Avocados are also a good source of potassium: they are higher in potassium than a banana medium.
Despite being a fruit, avocados are high in fat at 71 to 88% of their total calories - about 20 times the average for other fruits. A typical avocado contains 30 grams of fat, but 20 of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats, especially oleic acid.
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