The avocado has many health benefits and virtues. In addition to being rich in fiber and antioxidants, It facilitates weight loss by acting as an appetite suppressant and by speeding up the metabolic rate.
Of course, avocado is a fruit relatively high in fat and calories (138 calories and 14.1g of fat in half an avocado). But it is also a source of essential nutrients for your weight and health.
It is also important to know that avocados are rich in vitamins. Avocado is composed of the following vitamins: vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin E and vitamin K. In addition to its micro-nutrients, this fruit also has good fatty acids including omega-9.
Avocado is good for your health of the heart :
In addition to providing a sense of satiety, the oleic acid in the avocado could help lower your cholesterol levels. Avocado contains beta-sitosterol, a plant sterol that helps to slow the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. In one study, subjects with a high avocado diet had their "bad" cholesterol levels reduced.
In addition, the folate in the avocado may help reduce the risk of heart attack and heart disease. If your family has a history of heart problems, using avocado as part of a healthy lifestyle can help keep your heart healthier. Other risk factors for heart disease include smoking and being overweight.
Combined with its high folate content, the cholesterol-lowering action of avocado could thus contribute to better heart health. Finally, avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats that are good for the heart.
Better absorption of nutrients :
Research has shown that some nutrients are better absorbed when consumed with avocado. One study showed that people who ate a salad containing avocados absorbed five times the amount of carotenoids (a group of nutrients that includes lycopene and beta carotene).
Carotenoids are antioxidants and regulate the immune system. The interest of carotenoids lies in the fact that they help to fight against severe disorders such as cancers, heart disease and degenerative eye diseases has been recognized.
Against painful periods:
Avocado contains a large number of unsaturated fats (including 11.5 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids), which can help to reduce inflammation, thus relieving painful periods. The vitamin E contained in avocados also helps to eliminate some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
Avocados help to stabilize your blood sugar levels:
Rich, creamy and containing monounsaturated fats, avocado slows digestion. This fruit also helps to prevent blood sugar levels from rising sharply after a meal. Try swapping butter, margarine or mayonnaise for a puree of this creamy fruit. To prevent it from oxidizing too quickly, spray it with cooking oil spray or lemon juice, and wrap its flesh in plastic wrap.
Prevention of certain cancers:
Several studies suggest that avocado have properties that are favourable to cancer prevention. One of these studies showed that an extract of avocado flesh reduced the proliferation of human prostate cancer cells.
Other studies have shown that a natural avocado compound, called <persenone>, has the ability to reduce the activity of enzymes involved in the development of cancer. However, these in vitro results cannot yet be applied to humans.
Avocados facilitate the assimilation of carotenoids:
Combining avocados with foods containing carotenoids would help your body absorb them better. Carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables help protect epithelial tissues and the immune system.
This is because carotenoids are fat-soluble, i.e. they are soluble in fats, especially those of this fruit. Due to its high content of monounsaturated fatty acids, avocado facilitates the assimilation of carotenoids from other foods. To fill up on carotenoids, try adding avocado slices to a fruit and vegetable salad.
The avocado to fight eye diseases:
Avocado is a good source of lutein, an antioxidant used to treat certain eye diseases, including macular degeneration. Avocado also provides zeaxanthin, an element that also plays a key role in eye health.
Improves your overall health:
Avocados are the fruit richest in vitamin E, an essential vitamin that protects against many diseases (cardiovascular disease...) and helps to maintain overall health: it has antioxidant properties that are reflected in the health of your skin.
Avocado is also a significant source of many minerals, including potassium (whose beneficial effect on blood pressure is known) and magnesium, often present in insufficient quantities in the diet: 100 g of avocado thus covers 10% of the recommended daily intake.
Ability to repair the liver:
Researchers have studied the effect of 22 different fruits on liver recovery in animals that have suffered damage equivalent to viral hepatitis. Among the fruits analysed, the avocado stood out by showing a strong ability to repair this damage.
The mechanism explaining this protective effect remains to be clarified. However, the researchers believe that it would come from the avocado's natural fatty acid derivatives.
Weight loss:
With 6.7 g of fiber per 100 g of flesh, avocado is very rich in fiber. Dietary fiber, which is found only in plants, contains a set of substances that are not digested by the body.
A diet high in fiber is associated with a lower risk of colon cancer and can also help satisfy appetite, bringing a feeling of fullness faster.
Avocado also contains oleic acid, a fat that activates the part of your brain that makes you feel full. Good unsaturated fats that contain oleic acid produce a greater sense of satiety than saturated and trans fats in processed foods.
How to consume the avocado?
We usually eat raw avocado in salads. The buds and leaves can also be consumed as herbal teas.
Tips: It is important to consume it with a little lemon juice to prevent its flesh from oxidizing and therefore blackening. Also remember that the avocado does not particularly like the refrigerator. So let it ripen at room temperature.
