Amazing Ways Avocados Are Beneficial for Health

Avocados have grown in popularity over the past few year, and who can blame them? This versatile fruit can be enjoyed in so many delicious ways from salads to guacamole to avocado toasts.

But besides being one of the richest, most satisfying foods on the planet, avocados are also a nutritional powerhouse, packed with antioxidants, good fats and 20 different types of vitamins and minerals.

A study has shown that avocados can increase your fiber intake, keep you satiated for longer and ever reduce the risk of obesity and other disease – the list of benefits for this amazing fruit is never-ending. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should eat avocados every day.

Avocados are a nutritional powerhouse, packed with antioxidants, good fats and 20 different types of vitamins and minerals.

They Keep You Full for Longer

Fats take the longest to digest in our body and since avocados are packed with healthy fats, they ought to keep you satiated for longer. One medium-sized avocado contains as much as 22 grams of monounsaturated fats which have proven benefits for keeping your heart healthy.

One study showed that participants who included avocados in their meals were likely to feel satisfied for up to five hours after eating. This satiety factor makes avocados a great food to include in your weight loss plan.

They Help You Lose Weight

Most people tend to stay away from fatty food when trying to lose weight because they believe that all types of fat makes them gain weight. The truth is that including the right kind of fat can aid your weight-loss strategy and help you drop a few extra pounds.

This is because healthy fats – like the ones found in avocados – boost your satiety to ensure that you don’t overeat while their high antioxidant content reduces inflammation and revs up your metabolism in order to burn more calories.

They Reduce Cholesterol Levels

This might be a shocker for some, but eating healthy fats can actually slash the bad fat AKA LDL cholesterol in your body while boosting the good HDL cholesterol to keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which are the number one cause of death in the United States.

A recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA showed that avocados can also cancel some of the unhealthiness of fast foods like burgers. Participants in the study who topped their cheeseburger with avocado showed lower triglyceride levels and improved blood flow in comparison to those who ate their cheeseburgers plain. The potassium in avocados also helped them to maintain their blood pressure, despite consuming a high sodium meal.

Avocados reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in our body while boosting good HDL cholesterol to keep the heart-healthy.

They’re nutrient boosters

Besides containing high antioxidant content themselves, avocados can also boost the antioxidant absorption rate of other healthy foods when eaten together.

A study conducted in the state of Ohio showed that when people ate their salads with a serving of avocado, they increased the absorption rate of alpha-carotene by 8 times and beta-carotene by 13 times. Both of these phytonutrients are well-known for their cancer-fighting and heart-healthy properties.

A different study also shows that eating avocados with carrots or tomatoes can increase vitamin A absorption, which helps in improving vision, immunity and skin health.

Avocados Can Be Used in Desserts Too

Avocados make the best salads, guacamole, tacos and savory toast, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be used in desserts as well! Since this fruit is quite mild in taste, it can easily be masked by other ingredients which are strong in flavor such as berries, chocolate, bananas and coffee.

For a healthy breakfast smoothie, simply whip up a serving of avocado with fruits or make a healthy chocolate pudding by replacing the milk or cream with avocado. You can even use them as a substitute for butter or oil in baking cakes, muffins and brownies. This swap doesn’t just cut the calorie count of the desserts but also boosts their nutritional quality to satisfy your sweet tooth craving while improving health.