Avocados are nutrient dense foods that help prevent heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer and breast cancer. They have many other health benefits.
Avocados are an amazing and versatile fruit that can easily be incorporated into any diet. They contain many vitamins, minerals and nutrients important to good health and are an excellent food for healthy eating. Their texture allows them to be made into a variety of dishes including baby food, and guacamole. They can be added to salads or sandwiches or they can be eaten as a piece of fruit. For individuals that are sick or recovering from an illness or operation, avocado is an easy to digest food which contains antibacterial and antifungal chemicals.
There are many benefits to eating avocados and they make an important part of healthy balanced meals. Avocados are higher in protein than other fruits and are a good source of fiber. They contain twice the amount of potassium as bananas. Avocados also contain monounsaturated fat, lutein and folate. They are nutrient dense foods, sodium free and trans-fat free.
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Monounsaturated Fat
It is true, avocados are high in fat. In fact 100 grams of avocado contains 26.4 grams of monounsaturated fat and that is exactly why they make a great heart healthy food.
Monounsaturated fats are considered healthy heart fats because they have been shown to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol. High levels of LDL, low density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease, strokes and other diseases of the arteries. Monounsaturated fats clear the arteries and stop them for clogging.
The obesity problem in North America and the associated health problems have many people trying diet plans. Often when individuals try to reduce their weight, the first thing they do is cut fats out of their diets. Fat is a necessary part of healthy eating and selecting good heart healthy fats is important. Eating half of an avocado daily may be just what they need. Research at Brisbane’s Wesley Medical Center revealed that eating half an avocado daily for a month helped people to lose weight and achieve lower cholesterol levels.
Lutein
Lutein is a natural pigment called carotenoid that is found in avocados. Lutein is an antioxidant that may help to keep eyes healthy, lower the risk of eye disease such as cataracts, maintain healthy sin and help fight against prostate cancer. Research shows that avocados are the highest fruit source of lutein.
Folate
Folate is also known as folic acid and folacin. It is one of the important B vitamins. Folate is very important in the production of RNA, BNA and protein. It is needed during periods of rapid growth, rapid cell division, pregnancy and lactation. Folate promotes healthy cell and tissue development and are therefore very important for the baby’s growth both before and after birth.
Avocados are also know to prevent breast cancer, helps to regulate blood pressure, produces energy and is important for muscle contraction and relaxation.
Picking nutrient dense foods is one of the healthiest ways to eat. Avocados are a great food to add to any healthy eating plan. They provide heart healthy fats which protect against heart disease. There are many health benefits to eating avocados. Add one to your healthy balanced meal today.
