Avocado, also known as Persea Americana is a creamy fruit with a single seed just like the mango. Grown especially in tropical climates, avocados are available in several varieties differing in texture, size, and color. Talking about the Avocado benefits, it is a highly nutritious fruit rich in fibres, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. It is also one of the best natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids and offers the best anti-inflammatory properties.
Let us dig deeper to understand more about the avocado fruit uses and avocado fruit benefits.
Nutritional Value of Avocado
You will find several types of essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins in avocado. Have a look at the nutritional value found in 100 grams of avocado:
- Calories:Â 150
- Fat:Â 13 g
- Carbohydrates:Â 8 g
- Dietary Fibre:Â 7 g
- Protein:Â 1.5 g
- Potassium:Â 480 mg
- Sodium:Â 6 mg
Besides, avocados are also a rich source of iron, calcium, magnesium, cobalamin, Vitamin B6, C, and D.Â
10 Amazing Health Benefits of Avocado
Have a look at some of the most surprising health benefits of avocado:
1. Avocado is a Natural Detoxifier
The prime benefit of eating avocado is to detoxify your body. This fruit is full of dietary fibre, which smoothens your bowel movements, and helps excrete easily. Needless to say that avocado is a natural detoxifier for your gut and body.Â
2. Helps Regulate Blood Pressure
Avocados are miraculous when it comes to regulating blood pressure. They are loaded with minerals like sodium and potassium to help your body regularize your blood pressure.Â
3. Good for Your Heart Health
Being capable of regularizing your blood pressure, avocados automatically become a heart-healthy fruit. They are also loaded with a natural compound called beta-sitosterol which helps to maintain cholesterol levels.Â
4. Eat Avocado for Better Vision
When talking about avocado benefits, we can’t stop mentioning its effectiveness for better vision. This exotic fruit is loaded with phytochemicals like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to prevent damage to the eyes due to harmful UV rays. Moreover, the fruit is rich in Vitamin A, which makes it an eye-friendly fruit.
5. Aids in Weight Loss
The list of health benefits of avocado doesn’t end here. Eating avocado daily helps to lose weight. Due to the presence of dietary fibre, avocados keep you feel fuller for longer and reduce your calorie intake.
6. Diminishes the Chances of Depression
If you have high levels of anxiety, try eating avocados every day. Avocados are rich in folate, which helps to combat signs of depression. Eating avocado helps to prevent the accumulation of a substance called homocysteine, which disturbs the circulation of essential nutrients to the brain.Â
7. Moderate Consumption is Good for Fetal Health
Being a rich source of folate, pregnant women must eat avocados every day but in a moderate amount. Avocados are good for fetal health and diminish the chances of a neural tube defect or miscarriage.Â
8. Eat an Avocado a Day and Keep Cancer at Bay
Those who eat an avocado a day are most likely to keep cancer at bay. Avocados help to seize the growth of cancerous cells and are therefore found effective in preventing stomach, pancreatic, colon, and cervical cancer.Â
9. Lesser Chances of Osteoarthritis
Eat avocados to experience relief from osteoarthritis. This tempting fruit is rich in saponin, a plant compound that helps to prevent osteoarthritis. Eating an avocado every day will minimize your chances of suffering from this painful disease.Â
10. Safeguards Against Chronic Disease
Last in our list of avocado fruit benefits, we have its ultimate use as a shield against chronic diseases. The presence of monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados helps to prevent chronic diseases like hypertension, heart stroke, obesity, diabetes, and gastrointestinal diseases.
Avocado Fruit Side Effects
After reading about the advantages of avocado, it is time to learn about some of its side effects too. Have a look:
- May cause gastrointestinal irritation
- It May cause latex sensitivity
- Eating avocados in excess may damage the liver
- Avocados may also lead to allergies and hypersensitivity
- Breastfeeding and pregnant ladies should avoid consuming avocados
The Bottom Line
In a nutshell, avocados are very nutritious and tasty. They are no less than a superfood with their adequate amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Eating avocados every day will offer all the above-mentioned avocado benefits. However, eat it in a moderate amount else it may cause some side effects too. Also, try to buy fresh avocados from the market and avoid eating stale ones to fetch all the health benefits of avocados.
FAQs
Is it good to eat avocado every day?
Yes, it is good to eat an avocado every day. You can fetch a plethora of health benefits by eating avocado daily. It will keep your heart healthy, and prevent the risk of osteoporosis, cancer, and depression.
Are avocados good for weight loss?
Being a rich source of fibre, avocados help in weight loss. Moreover, it has some compounds to enhance the metabolic rate that helps to lose weight effectively.Â
Who should not eat avocado?
Avocado is a safe and healthy fruit to consume. However, according to experts, eating avocados may reduce milk production in lactating mothers. So, pregnant and breastfeeding ladies must avoid eating avocados.Â
What is the best time to eat avocado?
Avocados can be eaten any time of the day. But to get the best health benefits, we advise you to eat them along with a meal. Eating them for breakfast is the best time to get oodles of energy.
Can we refrigerate avocados?
Avocados should be stored at room temperature. But, once they are ripe, they should be stored in a refrigerator to prevent decay.Â