Avocado is a very unique fruit. Why? It’s because most fruits that you can find in the market usually consist of carbohydrates, while avocado is high in healthy fats. These days, the term “superfood” is thrown around a lot, but according to experts, avocado is the one fruit that is truly a raw superfood. Aside from its buttery texture and delicate flavor, which is perfect on toast, avocado also comes with a lot of health benefits.
If you are wondering why avocado is among the amazing superfoods that you can eat raw, then you’re in the right place. Today, we are going to give you the different health benefits that you can get from eating avocados.
Avocado is Good for Your Heart Health
Avocados have high amounts of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, and they can help in lowering the levels of bad cholesterol or LDL. Aside from that, it can also boost the amount of HDL or good cholesterol in your body at the same time. Based on a study, scientists have discovered that people who eat avocados regularly for three months were able to cut their levels of LDLs dramatically. Avocados also have one third more potassium than bananas, which is important in regulating blood pressure and in pumping blood around the body.
Avocado Can Aid in Weight Control
Avocados are great if you are on a diet because it can help you feel full and satisfied. Even if they are high in healthy fats and nutrients, based on studies, they are seldom responsible for weight gain. They are a great source of essential nutrients and healthy fats like oleic acid, which can help in lowering cholesterol levels. Aside from that, avocados also contain enough calories in healthy fat to nourish but not to induce excess weight gain. This means that if you eat avocados in moderation on a regular basis, it can help in speeding up your metabolism and help you maintain an ideal weight.
Avocado Can Help Soften Skin
When you apply raw avocado to your skin, its nutrients can penetrate the epidermis and soften your skin temporarily. There are also studies that suggest avocados can help in boosting epidermis collagen. This is the reason why many people are also trying to use avocados as face masks in their skincare routines.
Avocado Can Give Nutrient Boost During Pregnancy
Avocadoes are rich in vitamin B and folic acid, which are essential to protect against birth defects like anencephaly and spina bifida. These are the same vitamins that are required to be taken by pregnant women every day until their 12th week of pregnancy. These are also the same vitamins that you can get from green leafy vegetables, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread.
Avocados are Rich in Fiber
Another nutrient that avocados are rich in is fiber. It is an indigestible plant matter that can contribute to reducing blood sugar spikes, weight loss, and is strongly connected to lowering the risk of many diseases. Avocados contain about 75% soluble fiber, which is known for feeding the friendly gut bacteria in your intestine, which is very important for optimal body function. When you eat 3.5 ounces of avocado, you can get 7 grams of fiber from it, which is 27% of the required daily amount.
Those Who Eat Avocados Tend to Be Healthier
According to a study on dietary habits and health of people who eat avocados, those who ate avocados are much healthier than people who didn’t. They had a higher nutrient intake and were half as possible to have metabolic syndrome, which is a group of symptoms that are a major risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Aside from that, people who ate avocados regularly also weighed less, had a lower BMI and less belly fat. They also had higher levels of HDL or good cholesterol.
The Fat Content of Avocados Can Help Absorb Nutrients from Plant Foods
When it comes to nutrients, intake is not the only important thing. It’s because you also need to be able to absorb the nutrients and move them from your digestive tract to different organs in your body where they can be used. Some of the vitamins are fat-soluble, which means that they need to be combined with fat in order to be utilized. Some of the fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, E, D, and K, and as well as antioxidants like carotenoids.
This means that avocados are not just highly nutritious, but they can also help in increasing the nutrient value of other plant foods that you eat. This is a great reason to include avocados in your diet, especially when you eat vegetables so that the beneficial plant nutrients will not go to waste.
Avocados Contain Antioxidants That are Good for the Eyes
Avocados are also high in antioxidants, including zeaxanthin and lutein, which are carotenoids that are important for eye health. According to a study, they are linked to a drastically reduced risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, which are common in older adults. Therefore, if you want to protect your eyes and keep them healthy, eating avocados is one of the ways that you can do.
Avocados May Help Relieve Symptoms of Arthritis
Arthritis is a common issue for older people, and it comes with many types, which are usually chronic problems that people have for the rest of their lives. But based on some studies, avocado can help in reducing osteoarthritis, together with soybean oil extracts.
Avocados are Delicious and Very Easy to Incorporate in Your Diet
Aside from being healthy, avocados are also delicious, and they can go with many types of food. You can add them to different recipes, and as well as to salads. You can also spoon and eat them plain. Avocados have rich, cream, and fatty texture that blends well with other foods. One example of using raw avocado is making guacamole, where it’s mixed with garlic, salt, lime, and other ingredients that you like to add.
These are some of the health benefits that make avocados great raw superfoods. Avocados are indeed excellent foods that are filled with nutrients. They are delicious, weight-loss-friendly, and heart-healthy. Therefore, if you are looking for a healthy ingredient to add to your diet, why not try adding raw avocado and see how it can benefit your health over time.