Can an Avocado a Day, Keep the Doctor Away?

You have heard this about apples, but what about avocados?

When I was a child, avocados were not readily available in New Jersey. We didn’t know what were missing!

Avocados are an excellent source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. Avocados also are low in fructose. Research has also found that avocados are helpful for regulating your blood sugar levels. This is an important benefit for most people, considering that one in four American are either diabetic or pre-diabetic.

According to the California Avocado Commission, a medium Hass avocado contains about 22.5 grams of fat, two-thirds of which is monounsaturated. They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including fiber, vitamin E, B-vitamins, folic acid and more than twice the potassium found in a banana.

Due to its beneficial raw fat content, avocado enables your body to more efficiently absorb fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha carotene, beta-carotene and lutein, in other foods eaten in conjunction.
Avocados have been rated as one of the safest commercial crops in terms of pesticide application.

One 2005 study found that adding avocado to salad allowed the volunteers to absorb three to five times more carotenoids antioxidant molecules, which help protect your body against free radical damage.

An Avocado a Day May Help Lower Bad Cholesterol:

Previous research has suggested that avocados might help improve elevated cholesterol levels.

In one such study, healthy individuals saw a 16% decrease of serum total cholesterol level following a one-week long diet high in monounsaturated fat from avocados. In those with elevated cholesterol levels, the avocado diet resulted in a 17% decrease of serum total cholesterol, and a 22% decrease of both LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, along with an 11% increase of the so-called “good” HDL cholesterol. Besides its beneficial influence on your cholesterol, avocados have also been found to provide other heart-healthy benefits, as well as being beneficial for brain health.

How to Get More Avocado into Your Diet:

While avocado is commonly eaten raw, on a salad or alone, there are many other ways to include avocado in your diet.
For example, you can use avocado:

1. As a fat replacement in baking. Simply replace the fat called for (such as oil, butter, or shortening) with an equal amount of avocado.
2. As a first food for babies, in lieu of processed baby food
3. In soups
4. As a banana substitute in smoothies or your protein shake

Check out The California Avocado Commission’s website

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