Nature's little miracle food! They're so delicious and so good for you! When you eat for your HEALTH the beauty part will follow. Healthy diets make you prettier, it's science! An avocado is so creamy and delicious and it's basically a bomb of nutrients! What's NOT to love? And stop right there.. it WON'T MAKE YOU FAT! Quite the opposite, actually. Underneath the green skin there are over 14 minerals; protein, complete, with all 18 essential amino acids; soluble fiber, to trap excess cholesterol and send it out of the system; phytosterols; polyphenols; carotenoids; omega 3s; vitamins B-complex, C, E and K, to name a few.
prevents heart disease
If you follow along with my lifestyle on Snapchat or Instagram Stories, you know I LOVE avocados. I try to fit one in every single day. I believe the key to a healthy diet is eating in moderation and including nutrient-dense foods like avocados more frequently.
In the United States, heart disease is the NUMBER ONE killer. It affects almost 27 million adults. I don't know about you, but that number sounds INSANE to me. I think naturally, we would want to protect ourselves from that by being more health-conscious and making better decisions regarding our diet. Consuming more saturated fat than you need will raise your LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides but consuming adequate unsaturated fats may help lower LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) while helping to maintain HDL (the good stuff) and stabilize your insulin sensitivity. Keeping blood sugar levels stable is important in reducing your risk of diabetes – a disease that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates will affect 40% of Americans at some point during their lives. (source)
In addition to that, the nutritious fats you find in avocados are also full of potassium and lutein, and a ton of antioxidants. All of these help to prevent inflammation and improve blood flow.
helps you lose and maintain weight
You need to eat fat to lose weight. I know that sounds silly but it's not. It's science. We were wrong all those years when we were cutting fat to lose weight. It wasn't necessarily the fat that was making us... fat. It was the calories. Avocados help you feel very satiated and satisfied for hours on end. Adding a little avocado to your meals, actually reduces the desire to overindulge. Avos are FULL of fiber. They've been associated with smaller waistlines and lower BMIs in studies. Diets that include good fats are healthier for your heart than diets with low fats.
reduce your risk of cancer
According to Lifehack.Org: Avocados provide us with numerous phytochemicals that may help prevent cancer, including the previously discussed xanthophylls and phenols. A protein compound called glutathione, along with the xanthophyll lutein (both found in avocados), have been associated with decreased rates of oral cancer. Preliminary data also show promising results for avocados’ potential role in reducing risk of both breast and prostate cancers. Additionally, preliminary studies demonstrate that a specific type of fav derived from avocados is able to exert anti-cancer effects on acute myeloid leukemia cells. Together, these studies show that further research needs to be conducted to draw more conclusive results. (source)
protects your skin and eyes
The carotenoids can slow age-related ocular decline and prevent vision dysfunction. The same nutrients act as a buffer for UV damage to keep your skin smooth and healthy.
When eating avocados daily, you'll be fuller longer and your brain will be well supplied with the nutrients it needs to protect the body from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, degenerative eye and brain diseases.
Avocados can also help with the absorption of carotenoids, the compounds found in orange and red fruits and veggies that can help protect against cancer. A lot of other nutrients in other foods can only be absorbed when you're also consuming fat. Consider adding avocado to EVERY THING!
how I manage
I recommend buying a few firm ones at a time and then strategically staggering the ripening process so the avocados are ready when you are – and don’t all turn ripe at the same moment. In order to do this, buy a couple soft-ish ones (not too soft) and a couple hard ones. Place the soft ones in the fridge (should last for about a week in there and ripen to perfection) and you can eat them anytime. You can also ripen an avocado in a brown paper bag. But I always recommend eating them cold.
You don't always have to buy organic avocados. The tough skin protects it well!
more tidbits on avocados
3% Vitamin K
41% Folate
33% Vitamin C
28% Pantothenic Acid
28% Potassium
26% Vitamin B6
21% Vitamin E
19% Copper
Add it to a smoothie: RECIPE & RECIPE
Eat it for breakfast: RECIPE
Eat with oils and seasoning: RECIPE
