Is avocado good for you?: 8 impressive health benefits
Is avocado good for you? Let’s learn about 8 impressive health benefits and nutrition facts of avocado so that you can add it wisely in your healthy diet.
Table of Contents
Is avocado good for you? 8 Impressive health benefits
Avocado is good for you! Let’s deconstruct 8 awesome avocado health benefits.
Avocado is a nutritious superfood – healthy fat: monounsaturated fat, without cholesterol and sodium that offers you 20 vitamins and minerals. It helps control cholesterol levels, absorb nutrients, manage weight control, and give you stunning health benefits in your body.
Cholesterol & Avocado
Avocado is good for you! Avocado naturally doesn’t contain any cholesterol. It contributes to phytosterols (plant sterols naturally found in plants) to help maintain a healthy cholesterol level.
Avocado has 38 mg of beta-sitosterol per 50g serving. Beta-sitosterol is one of the 3 predominant phytosterols. Research shows that they can lower the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
Don’t get me wrong. Our body needs cholesterol to function properly. Not all cholesterol is bad. Some foods with high saturated fats (bad) raise LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Therefore, you should avoid saturated fats.
Fat in avocados is a good fat: monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat don’t raise cholesterol levels, help nutrition absorption, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The majority of fats in your diet should be good fats.
Fats & Avocado
More avocado health benefits. Avocado isn’t just tasty. The fat content makes the flesh creamy. So you can use it for babies and kids, as well. On the Keto diet, avocado is considered good for you due to the fact of being a healthy good fat. “Fat” in avocado gives you more health benefits than “fat” in fried food.
Avocado & carbs : good for you!
The average medium-size avocado contains 24g of fat, which is the highest in any fruit. Most fruits contain high carbohydrates with little fat. However, over 75% of the fat in avocado comes from fatty acids (oleic acid). It is a good heart-healthy monounsaturated fat you also see in olive oil.
Hence, dieticians often call monounsaturated fats “good fats” because they offer many health benefits to the body.
Avocado is a good fat
Avocado can replace calories from added sugars and saturated fat with good fats. You can add it to ice cream, smoothies, and meals providing extra nutrition and the least amount of sugar without sodium or cholesterol.
The good fats also help the body to absorb vitamins A, D, K, and E. They contribute 6g of naturally good fat per 50g serving.
Eat avocado with foods like sweet potato or carrots, rich in fat-soluble nutrients like alpha and beta carotene. Because they can help the body to absorb the nutrients better.
Monounsaturated Fats
A “healthy fat” helps to lower LDL (bad) blood cholesterol in replace of saturated and trans fats. Keeping your LDL level low reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes to manage their blood sugar. Adding avocados as a fat source for weight loss diets like the Ketogenic diet is a great idea.
Polyunsaturated Fats
It is one of the healthy fats like monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is different from saturated fat and trans fat. Those bad fats increase the risks of heart disease and other health issues.
Vitamins & Minerals in avocados
More health avocado benefits. Avocado is a nutrient-rich food with relatively few calories. 50 g of 1/3 of a medium avocado has 80 calories.
- Avocados also contain almost 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, great for a healthy heart.
- Good source of essential nutrients – fiber, folate, vitamin K, pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), and copper
- Avocados help to increase the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, K and E.
Vitamin B5 / Pantothenic Acid
Avocados are a good source of pantothenic acid, a B-vitamin that helps the body convert food to energy.
Vitamin B6
A water−soluble vitamin that helps the immune system produce antibodies. Antibodies are needed to fight many diseases. Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells.
The body uses it to help break down proteins. The more protein you eat, the more Vitamin B6 you need.
Vitamin B9 / Folate
Avocados are a good source of folate to produce new healthy cells and tissue. This is especially important for pregnancy. In addition, folate is essential for the metabolism of homocysteine and helps maintain normal levels of this amino acid.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin boosts the immune system and acts as an antioxidant to grow and repair cells in the body. It is necessary to form collagen to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.
Vitamin E
An antioxidant that protects the body tissue from damage caused by unstable substances (free radicals) and helps keep the immune system strong against bacteria and viruses. At lower levels, vitamin E may help protect the heart. In addition, vitamin E is linked to healthy skin and hair.
Vitamin K
Avocados are a good source of Vitamin K, an essential vitamin the body needs to stay healthy, to maintain healthy bones, and to help blood clotting. If you don’t have enough vitamin K, you may bleed too much.
Niacin
Niacin is a form of vitamin B3, produced in the body from tryptophan and found in protein-containing food. It’s used for circulation problems, migraine headaches, Meniere’s syndrome, and other causes of dizziness. In addition, it reduces diarrhea associated with cholera.
Carotenoids, Lutein, Zeaxanthin
Plant pigments found in the macula of the eye. Some research suggests lutein may help maintain healthy eyesight as we age. Lutein is a carotenoid that may be associated with a lower risk of eye diseases and may help maintain skin health. Avocados contain some of the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin per serving of any fruit or vegetable.
Zinc
Zinc is a nutrient found in cells throughout the body to help the immune system. 136 mg per 50g serving.
Copper
Copper works with iron to help the body form red blood cells and aid iron absorption. Moreover, it helps keep the bloodvessels, nerves, immune system, and bones healthy.
Potassium
Potassium replaces essential electrolytes lost through sweat. It reduces the harmful effects of sodium on blood pressure. A medium banana (126g) contains 451mg of potassium.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral for human nutrition. Helps produce energy and is important for muscle contraction and relaxation.
Manganese
Manganese is an essential mineral for the body to function properly. It helps weak bones (osteoporosis), a type of “tired blood” (anemia), and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Iron
Iron is an erythrocyte protein that transfers oxygen from lungs to tissues. As a component of myoglobin, iron supports metabolism and develops normal cellular functioning and synthesis of hormones and connective tissue.
Sodium & avocado
Avocados naturally don’t contain any sodium, sugar, cholesterol, or trans fat. Take advantage of it for cooking, dessert, and smoothies. It provides nutrients without adding sodium.
Carbohydrates and avocado
Most fruits are high in carbohydrates. However, avocado is a low-carb fruit that contains only 4g per 50g serving. In addition, avocado has little sugar and mostly fiber. It means that it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels much.
Fiber and avocado
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate. The dietary fiber you eat has 2 forms: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber attracts water to slow digestion to make you feel full faster and longer. It’s great for your weight control.
Insoluble fiber helps to speed the passage of foods through the stomach and intestines. It helps digestion and prevents constipation.
Fiber occupies most of the carbohydrate content (79%) of avocado. Intake of foods rich in fiber may reduce blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.
Sugar and avocado
Avocado has the lowest amount of sugar in fruits – enough to be officially classed as “sugar-free”. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association recommend limiting the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars, and sodium consumed. Avocado is a great substitute for those.
Protein in avocado
The body needs protein to build and repair tissues. Avocado provides protein, vitamins, and minerals that help your workout. Therefore, you should try avocado with eggs for workout snacks. Add it to a smoothie. It’s a great source to recover and build muscles.
Is avocado good for you? Yes, it definitely gives you great health benefits you!
Avocado Nutrition Facts
Free- avocado : nutrition fact
Avocado is a superfood that is naturally sodium-free, sugar-free, and cholesterol-Free.
| Avocado Nutrition Facts | ⅓ Medium (50g) | %DV |
| Calories | 80g | |
| Total Fat | 8g | 10% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | |
| Cholesterol | 0g | 0% |
| Sodium | 0g | 0% |
| TotalCarbohydrate | 4g | 1% |
| Dietary FIber | 3g | 1% |
| Sugars | 0g | |
| Added Sugars | 0g | 0% |
| Protein | 1g | |
| Vitamin D | 0g | 0% |
| Calcium | 10mg | 0% |
| Iron | 0.3mg | 2% |
| Potassium | 250mg | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 0g | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Vitamin E | 1mg | 6% |
| Vitamin K | 11mcg | 10% |
| Thiamin | 0.04mg | 4% |
| Riboflavin | 0.1 mg | 8% |
| Niacin | 1m | 6% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1mg | 6% |
| Folate | 45mcg | 10% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.7mg | 14% |
| Phosphorus | 30mg | 2% |
| Magnesium | 15mg | 4% |
| Zinc | 0.3mg | 2% |
| Copper | 0.1mg | 10% |
| Manganese | 0.1mg | 4% |
Conclusion: Avocado is not only tasty, but also full of nutrition. You can get numbers of impressive health benefits from avocado. Only thing I'm a bit concerned about avocado is the fact that avocado requires tons of water to grow. Water is very limited resource and it affects environment negatively.
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