Benefits of Eating Avocados

The avocado fruit goes way beyond your traditional guacamole because there are many health benefits of eating avocados. It’s often considered a superfood because of all of the vitamins and minerals it contains.

Types of Avocados

First, there are hundreds of avocado varieties. The most common avocado variety sold in California is the Hass avocado. The Hass avocado is ideally grown here due to the quality of soil for proper drainage, sunshine, and cool ocean breezes throughout the year.  

In addition, other varieties of avocados grow in tropical climates around the world, including Mexico, South America, and South Asia.

Before shopping for the perfect avocado, begin by looking for avocados grown close to you for the freshest, highest-quality, and organic produce. This is one way to support local farmers.

Nutrition of an Avocado

First of all, one Hass avocado contains about 4 grams of protein, 13 grams of fiber, 19 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 29 grams of total fat.

Also, some important vitamins and minerals contained in one avocado:

• Folate (20%)
• Vitamin K (26%)
• Vitamin C (16%)
• Vitamin B-6 (15%)
• Potassium (13%)
• Magnesium (7%)

With any balanced diet, including diets for weight loss, our bodies need a certain amount of fat. Fat is essential for the body to function properly. The Dietary Adequate Intake (DRI) for adults of fat should be between 20%-30%. In a 2,000 kcal diet, this would be about 55 to 66 grams of fat per day.

Of course, not all fat is created equal. The primary fat in avocados, monounsaturated fat, which may help lower your low-density lipoprotein level (LDL). As a result, this is much better for your heart than saturated fat, which is more commonly found in processed and fast foods.

With this in mind, eating avocado regularly is a healthy way to meet your daily fat requirement while steering clear of saturated fats.

Avocado Benefit: May Help Lower Cholesterol Levels

The Mayo Clinic includes avocados in their top foods to help improve your cholesterol level, and for good reason.

Studies show that consuming more monounsaturated fat can lower cholesterol levels.  The heart-healthy plant-based fats in avocado are shown to lower triglyceride levels, in turn lowering risk for heart disease.

Avocados are Linked to Healthier Eyes

Obviously, I don’t need to convince you of the importance of healthy eyes. And the good news is that you can improve your eye health and longevity through a healthy diet.

For that reason, avocados are part of that equation. Because these healthy fruits contain the compounds lutein and zeaxanthin, which are both carotenoids similar to beta-carotene and vitamin A.

If you’ve heard that carrots are good for your vision, that’s because they’re packed with these vitamins too.  Both vitamins are essential for eye health. So add life-long vision to your list of reasons to stock up on avocados. 

Eating Avocados May Provide Relief From Arthritis Symptoms

Millions of Americans suffer from arthritis.  This type of inflammation happens in the joints and causes chronic pain and stiffness.

Due to extracts found in avocado oil, studies suggest that this can reduce the painful symptoms of arthritis.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, avocado soybean extracts are considered safe and effective in people with osteoarthritis.

Avocado is a Superfood for Overall Health

A survey of adults in the United States, published in the Nutrition Journal (2013), concludes that people who eat avocados are 50% less likely to have metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome can consist of having high blood pressure, excessive body fat, high blood sugar and and abnormal cholesterol levels. Therefore, this puts you at risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Since there are dozens of life-lengthening reasons to eat avocados regularly. Simply adding these creamy green fruits to salads, toast, or simply enjoying them with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime will provide you with major health benefits.

Here are some of my favorite recipes:

• Caprese Stuffed Avocado from Closet Cooking brings delicious Mediterranean flavors in a cute little avocado bowl.
• Vegetarian Portobellow and Avocado Burger from The Spruce Eats turns a ripe avocado into a creamy and smooth spread for a plant-based burger.
• Creamy Avocado Smoothie to start your day with filling, healthy fats.

What is your favorite way to eat avocados?