Avocado is believed to be one of the most wonderful foods provided by Mother Nature, due to its many health benefits and high nutrient content. However, not everyone is familiar with avocados, and a common question that is asked is, “Are avocados good for you?”
The answer to this rather redundant question is unanimously “yes”, and this article will highlight 3 great health benefits of avocado for you, in order to encourage you to at least try the fruit.
There is no perfect diet, and constantly learning about new foods and adjusting your meals to include items that have a wide range of nutritional benefits is something we should all be doing.
Now let’s take a look at these 3 amazing health benefits of avocado.
1. Avocados are a goldmine of vitamin B
The first of the avocado benefits that I would like to exemplify is the fact that it is packed with wonderful B vitamins. Just see what a 3.5 oz serving of raw avocado can provide each day in the form of vitamin B:
Vitamin B2: 0.1 mg, which is 8% of the recommended daily amount.
Vitamin B3: 1.7 mg, which is 9% of everything you need in a day.
Vitamin B5 – 1,389 mg, which is 28% of the total you need for the whole day.
Vitamin B6 – 0.257 mg, which is 20% of the total you need all day.
Vitamin B9 (folic acid): 81 micrograms, which is 20% of the total you need all day.
These are really some impressive numbers that avocado throws up here.
Here are some of the benefits that a healthy dose of vitamin B brings to the human body:
* Relieve stress
* Prevents anxiety
* Reduce the risk of heart disease.
* Helps with the production and repair of DNA.
* Help your memory
The list goes on, but these really highlight the importance of B vitamins, and subsequently just how crucial the health benefits of avocados are.
2. Avocado can reduce the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels.
We all hear the word ‘fat’ and automatically have negative thoughts, but believe it or not, some fats are actually good for us. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats can help lower the blood cholesterol level in the body and also reduce the risk of heart disease. This is so if eaten in strict moderation and instead of harmful saturated fats, it will do the opposite.
Avocados are a fruit that provides these positive fats, since in each ounce of raw fruit there are 3 grams of monounsaturated fat and half a gram of polyunsaturated fat.
Another nutrient that is good for your heart health is folate, or vitamin B9, as it is also known, and avocado provides a healthy dose of this too.
3. High in calories and fat, but can help you lose weight
This may seem a bit counterintuitive, but it is actually true. When you ask yourself the question “are avocados good for you?”, You may assume that the answer is not simply to see that they have more calories than other fruits, as well as higher fat content.
However, most of the calories in an avocado are concentrated in the fat content of the pulp, and this is something that will make you feel full when you eat it. The faster you feel satisfied, the more satisfied your hunger will be and the less chance you will have to continue eating to satisfy that hunger, thus preventing you from consuming more calories.
Okay, maybe you’re consuming more calories than you’d like from eating avocado, but trust me, the nutritional benefits that come with these calories are second to none, and you’ll never get the same amount from eating other high-calorie foods.
When it comes to the health benefits of avocado fruit, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, so this is truly a super food that would have a legitimate place in any diet.