Food Series – The Awesome Avocado!
Introduction
I find myself regularly eating Avocado. The great thing about avocado is that it can be used within a variety of meals, such as soups, smoothies or a salad.
Benefits
I know a lot of people give avocado a bad rep because it is a high-fat food (85% of it’s calories come from fats) – but this is totally insane. These are good fats that will not make you gain weight. If anything, due to the high content of oleic acid (making it an omega 9 fat and very similar to olive oil), it can lower total cholesterol level and raise levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) while lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), also known as the “bad” cholesterol. Oleic acid also slows the development of heart disease, and promotes the production of antioxidants.
These beneficial omega oils also help speed the metabolism, actually leading to weight loss rather than gain.
So now we’re over the fat issue, avocado also contains a wide range of other nutrients that have serious anti-inflammatory, heart health, cardiovascular health, anti-cancer, and blood sugar benefits.
Nutrients and Vitamins
Nutrients Per 1 Cup (as an RDA):
Dietary Fiber | 40% |
Vitamin K | 38% |
Folate | 30% |
Vitamin C | 24% |
Vitamin B5 | 20% |
Potassium | 20% |
Vitamin B6 | 19% |
Research
Research in Japan has shown that this fruit can help against liver damage. In one study,4 laboratory rats were fed avocado and 22 other fruits. The rats were then given D-galactosamine, a potent liver toxin that interferes with cell synthesis and results in cell death. The rats fed avocado suffered the least amount of liver damage. The chemical-induced liver injuries resemble those caused by viruses, so the researchers suggested avocado could potentially offer support in the treatment of viral hepatitis.
According to one lead author Hirokazu Kawagishi, Ph.D:
“Besides offering taste and nutrition, avocados seem to improve liver health. People should eat more of them.”
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/17/avocado-benefits.aspx
Energise Alkaline Recipes Containing Avocado:
Check out some great recipes below which include Avocado:
Alkaline Avocado Power Shake
Further Research on Avocado
- Avocado & Adult Health: Fulgoni V, Dreher M, Davenport A. Avocado consumption associated with better nutrient intake and better health indices in U.S. adults (19+ years): NHANES 2001-2006. Abstract #8514. Experimental Biology, Anaheim, CA. April 28, 2010. 2010.
- Avocado & Cancer: Ding H, Han C, Guo D et al. Selective induction of apoptosis of human oral cancer cell lines by avocado extracts via a ROS-mediated mechanism. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(3):348-56. 2009.
- Avocado & Cancer: Ding H, Chin YW, Kinghorn AD et al. Chemopreventive characteristics of avocado fruit. Semin Cancer Biol. 2007 May 17; [Epub ahead of print] 2007. 2007.
- Avocado & Inflammation: Rosenblat G, Meretski S, Segal J et al. Polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols derived from avocado suppress inflammatory response and provide non-sunscreen protection against UV-induced damage in skin cells. Arch Dermatol Res. 2010 Oct 27. [Epub ahead of print]. 2010.
