Avocado is a unique fruit, while most fruits primarily consist of carbohydrates, avocado is full of healthy fats. It is a stone fruit that has a creamy texture. Its rough coarse outer cover has given it a name  “alligator pear”. And its creamy interior texture owes it the name “butter fruit” . You can eat avocado raw or can incorporate in salads. Include avocado in sandwiches or serve as a dressing or side. You can even enjoy it as a healthy snack alternative. Today we will discuss 9 health benefits of avocado (1)(2).

Nutritional Facts

Avocado is considered a “ superfood”.  It is full of various essential nutrients and that’s why rank high in the food calorie pyramid. It is rich in several nutrients, vitamins and also minerals. Avocado is a good source of monosaturated fatty acids and has a low content of sugar  (3). It is also a good source of energy and contains Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, and Manganese. It is also a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and Vitamin E, along with Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin (4).

Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocado provides almost 40% of the daily requirement of Dietary Fibers. Avocado helps you to maintain the ideal Potassium to Sodium ratio of the body as it is rich in Potassium. The unique thing about avocados is that they are rich in organic compounds like Phytosterols, Carotenoids, and Flavonoids (5)(6).

To dig deep, let us indulge in the primary nutritional constituents and their respective health benefits in detail:

• Monosaturated Fats: Unlike “bad” fats, monosaturated fats are soluble fats that have been proven to reverse insulin resistance. It also regulates blood sugar levels, avocados are one of the richest reserves of monosaturated fats (7).
• Fat-soluble vitamins B, A, K, and E: As already stated, avocado is rich in vitamins. Avocadoes are not only essential for normal body functioning but also important to impact metabolic rates (8).
• Carotenoids:  Avocados is rich in oleic acid that improves memory and brain activities. They also help the body in carotenoid absorption. Carotenoids benefits the body by reducing inflammations, boosting immunity and also promoting growth and development (9).
• Fibers:  Avocados contain a high degree of soluble fiber that helps in promoting normal blood sugar levels. It also facilitates proper bowel movement and is hence important in weight loss (10).
• Protein: Avocado is primarily a protein-rich food, it has the highest protein content with the least sugar content. It offers a great balance in building lean muscles and burning fat.

Health Benefits of Avocado

1. Full of Nutritional Value

Avocados have a high nutritional value. Avocado is one of the most reliable fruits among conscious eaters. It is considered as one of the top superfoods and is also incredibly tasty! In terms of calories, a medium-sized avocado has total calorie about 215 calories.  It contains healthy fats and fibers that help you increase your metabolic rates. Avocado also contains phytochemical components. Hence, this super fruit helps in losing weight, although it has a high-calorie count. The official serving size of this fruit is about 30 grams, which is roughly one-fifth of the whole fruit. It is good to eat one half of the fruit or 68 grams. 68 grams of avocadoes roughly contain:

• 113 Calories
• 4.6 grams of Dietary Fibers,
• 10 grams of Fats
• 6 grams Carbohydrates
• 14 milligrams Vitamin K
• 60 milligrams Folate
• 6 milligrams Vitamin C
• 343 milligrams Potassium
• 2 milligrams Pantothenic Acid
• 0.4 milligrams Vitamin B6
• 1.3 milligrams Vitamin E
• 19.5 milligrams Magnesium.

Besides these, avocado also provides beta-carotene and omega- fatty acids. They are full of healthy beneficial fats that will keep you full for a long time. Avocados, due to their nutritional benefits are great in weight management, protection from vascular diseases, treating osteoarthritis and also enhancing the nutrient absorption of the body. They also help us in lowering the risk of cancer. Avocados are richer in potassium than bananas.

2. Good for Skin

 Avocados are full of the nutrients that are extremely important and beneficial to maintain healthy skin. They help to rejuvenate dry, damaged and chapped skin. 

Avocado oil helps in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Two organic compounds that are found largely in avocados are beta-carotene and lycopene. Both of these organic compounds has been linked with improving the health and tone of the skin. And also eliminating early signs of aging. Being rich in fat-soluble vitamins and monosaturated fats, avocado actually benefits to bring a natural glow to the skin. It is the world’s best moisturizer and is absolutely free of any kind of synthetic chemicals. This is one of the most amazing health benefits of avocado.

Read More: Fruits for Glowing Skin

3. Good for Hair

Avocados have a high content of antioxidant, that contains lutein.  Lutein is a carotenoid that helps in getting silky smooth hair. Making a hair mask or simply applying the insides of an avocado to the hair may prove beneficial. Using avocado in the form of a hair mask replenishes hair growth, adds moisture and makes the hair shiny.

4. Improves Heart Health

Avocados or Avocado oil promotes heart health as it balances blood lipids, due to a good proportion of fatty acids. Diets that are rich in monosaturated fats are proven to resist the advancement of arteriosclerosis rather than diets that are high in insulin-spiking carbohydrates. Being composed of 71% monosaturated fatty acids, avocados are a great way to resist arteriosclerosis.

A group of healthy adults and a group of adults with high cholesterol level consumed avocado-enriched diet. Within a week of their consumption, the people who had normal lipid level, after eating avocado saw a drop in their cholesterol levels by 16% whereas those who had high cholesterol dropped the cholesterol level by 17%. Beta-sitosterol, which is found in avocado helps to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.

It is also rich in potassium, which is a vasodilator, which relaxes the tension of blood vessels and hence reducing chances of heart attack and strokes. Good heart health is one of the most amazing health benefits of avocado.

Read More: Amazing Foods That Lower Cholesterol Quickly

5. Healthy Teeth

Eating avocados help to prevent bad breath. Indigestion and stomach upset generally cause bad breath. Improving digestion and metabolic rates reduce Halitosis. Also, the antibacterial antioxidants that are flavonoids also kill the bacteria, that causes bad breath in the mouth. They also eliminate the chances of oral cancer.

6. Improves Digestion

Avocado is high in fiber, helps in preventing constipation and lowers the risk of colon cancer. It is also believed that avocados are soothing for the intestines and hence they aid in digestion. The soluble and insoluble fibers in them are important to bulk up stools and make sure that the digestive tracts are running smoothly. High fiber food, that is avocado is important with digestive tract issue. The fiber helps shift the balance of bacteria in the gut that increases the levels of good bacteria. Good digestion is one of the most amazing health benefits of avocado.

7. Improves Vision

Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin, these are two photo chemicals that are concentrated in the tissues of the eyes. They provide antioxidant protection in order to minimize damage from ultraviolet rays. Monosaturated fatty acids help in the absorption of other beneficial antioxidants, like beta-carotene. This may help in reducing the risks of macular degeneration in old age. The antioxidants facilitate to neutralize the effects of dangerous free radicals. Studies have shown that the aforementioned nutrients found in avocado have been connected to a drastically reduced risk of cataracts in old people.

Read More: Eye Exercises to Improve Vision

8. Lowers the Risk of Cancer

 Avocados contain folate and an adequate intake of folate has shown promising results in declining the dangers of colon, pancreatic, stomach and cervical cancers. It is believed that folate protects against unwanted mutations in DNA and RNA when cell division takes place. They also contain monosaturated fats and carotenoids that significantly contribute to reducing risks of cancer. Studies have found that organic compounds in avocado cause the cancerous cells to undergo apoptosis instead of metastasizing them.

9. Good for Bone Health

Avocados contain carotenoids like zeaxanthin and lutein that are linked to the lower risks of cartilage defects. Levels of essential minerals in avocado are very important for example zinc, calcium, and selenium that are all connected with the lower risk of osteoporosis. Avocado also has anti-inflammatory properties, that helps in treating arthritis. Good bone health is one of the most amazing health benefits of avocado.

10. Helps in Weight Loss

Avocado is a superfood which is a boon for overweight people. It contains essential omega fatty acids required for weight loss. World’s Top nutritionists advise us to eat fat to lose fat. Eating an avocado a day is the addition of healthy fat to your diet. It also has plenty of dietary fiber which increases your satiety levels helps in clearing the bowel movement. The fat content in avocado helps in absorption of other nutrients too.

Types of Avocadoes

The popular types of avocados that have been introduced in India are long Round, Fuerte, Pollock, Peradeniya, Trapp, Shmbaganur and Pure Hybrid. Avocado is a native fruit of tropical America, though it had originated in Mexico and Central America. Avocados are being grown in India on a very small scale in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka. In the USA, however, the varieties of avocados are Shepard, Choquette, Tonnage, Daily 11, Macarthur, Hall, Mexicola Grande among others.

They are generally available in fruit stores in India now. Choose fresh, ripe avocados, preferably with no dark spots. Do not refrigerate Avocados unless they are ripe. Store unripe avocados at room temperature unless they are ripe.

Easy Ways to Include Avocados in your Diet

Avocados can be enjoyed by turning them into guacamole or by enjoying them in salads or sandwiches, this superfood should be incorporated into our diet as often as possible.

You can have a creamy avocado berry smoothie for breakfast to get your daily dose of essential vitamins, proteins, and fat. It is easy to make but make sure you do not add sugar to it. You can also make a chicken avocado salad for lunch or dinners, especially for weight watchers.

Incase of Overconsumption

However, consumption of avocado may cause migraines or even headache, symptoms including nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light may develop, in such a case, avocado needs to be avoided.

In other cases, this delicious fruit, that is so easily available should be enjoyed to get a power pack of nutrients and vitamins in one go.