23 Avocado Health Benefits
Avocados have been eaten for about 10,000 years and actively grown for almost 5,000 years. When the Inca, Maya, and Olmec were the first people to grow and eat the avocado, they may not have known just how good they are for you. Nowadays, we know. Below are some of the avocado’s best health benefits.
Avocado Health Benefits
-
Potassium
Avocados are rich in potassium; potassium is one of the best friends your body has. Most people do not get enough potassium which can lead to strokes, heart attack, high blood pressure, and kidney failure.
Avocados are one of the best things you can eat to get potassium. Most people got for bananas for potassium, but you would have to eat two bananas to get the amount your really for a day. Instead, you can eat one avocado in varying ways and get a little more than the daily suggested amount.
Fresh avocado is also high in other minerals, which will be discussed later
-
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Monounsaturated fatty acids are amazing for keeping your heart healthy. The main fatty acids found in avocados (and olives) is called oleic acid. This oleic acid is used for its helpful effects on cancerous genes and inflammation.
-
Cholesterol
Avocados have been shown to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol), and lessen the number of triglycerides in the blood. All of these things put together can help to lower high cholesterol levels.
-
Plant Nutrients
Because of the fatty acids in an avocado, the fruit helps your body to absorb the different minerals and vitamins that are good in your body. Eating the food the mineral or vitamin is found in is a good start, but sometimes the vitamin or mineral has to be mixed with something to be taken in. Some of the different minerals and vitamins that need a little help from the fatty acids are vitamins K, D, E, and A; carotenoids; and antioxidants.
-
Fiber
Fiber is vastly important for the functioning of the body. It helps the body to digest food and because it helps the digestive tract, it, in turn, helps to speed up your metabolism. Fiber also helps with weight loss, lowers the chances of various diseases, and keeps spikes in blood sugar from happening.
-
Improve Eye Health
There are a couple of antioxidants that can help to improve and preserve eyesight. Two of them are zeaxanthin and lutein. Avocados have both of them! Add more avocado to your diet to improve your eyesight over time.
Melons are another food that can help to improve eyesight
-
Cancer
There has not been a lot of research done on this, but there have been ‘test tube’ studies that show avocados can stop the spread of prostate cancer and lessen the side effects of chemo. Another benefit of avocados is that that the antioxidants in them can fight off different kinds of oral cancers and illnesses.
-
Soothe Arthritis Pain
This one is a bit interesting. Studies are showing that the oil extracts of soybeans and avocados can soothe arthritis. Rubbing avocado oil on your painful joints or eating avocado regularly may help to ease joint pain and other arthritis symptoms.
-
Vitamins B and C
These two vitamins are very important to your body and you have to eat something with the vitamin in it every day to keep up with the proper amount you are supposed to have. You can eat some guacamole or spread some avocado on toast. Eating foods with these vitamins, you want to be sure that you are drinking plenty of water. Vitamins C and B need to bond together with water to really do some good for your body.
-
Trace Elements
There are a number of what are called ‘trace elements’. They usually come in small amounts, but your body still needs them. Avocados have copper, magnesium, and iron. While eating avocados won’t add crazy amounts of these minerals to your diet, it can still help a little.
-
Protein
Protein is needed for growing proper muscle mass. Avocados are extremely high in protein but have a low sugar content. So if you are vegetarian or vegan and are tired of eggs and the frozen soy-based fake ‘meats’, eat some avocado.
Nuts are also vegan and high in protein
-
Improve Skin Health
There are monounsaturated fats and antioxidant can work together to make your skin look and feel smooth and youthful. You can mix in some avocado oil into your favorite lotion for further benefits. There are also face masks that you can buy or make that contain avocado.
-
Improve Hair Health
Avocados help hair in the same way that it helps skin. So again, you can a couple drops of avocado into your favorite shampoo. If it is easier, you can massage the oil directly into your hair and then just wash it out with your shampoo.
-
Hormone Balance
The fatty acids in avocados have been used to balance hormone levels. That means that it can help to keep depression and mood swings at bay. While avocados keep those at bay, they make it easier for you and your partner to be bare a child, as reproductive organs are heavily influenced by the body’s hormones.
-
Eliminate Bad Breath
Because of avocados being able to help your digestive tract, it also rids of you bad breath since it is most normally caused by an upset stomach. They also kill the bacteria that builds up in your mouth and can cause bad breath.
-
Liver Detox
Avocados can do amazing work for your liver by helping your liver to filter things as well as clean your liver to keep to healthy for longer. If you have any liver problems, stop eating/drinking whatever it causing the damage (usually alcohol) and eat more avocados.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to liver damage
-
Calm Morning Sickness
Many women, when with child, suffer from morning sickness. Avocados have vitamin B6 which can calm nausea and stop vomiting. Eat a portion of avocado often when you are going through bouts of morning sickness.
-
Anti-Aging
Eating more avocados and using moisturizers with avocado or avocado oil slow down the appearance of aging. It is the antioxidants and xanthophyll that does it.
-
Bone Health
Avocados do more than just strengthen bones. They also keep osteoarthritis and osteoporosis and their symptoms at bay. Avocados can do this because of the vast amount of different nutrients they have. These creamy fruits contain zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which all work to improve bone health.
-
So Many Ways to Enjoy Avocado
With all of the different things that an avocado can do for your body, there are also a lot of different ways that you can get the nutrients.
You can make guacamole with and add it a salad like a dressing, spread it over meats and fish, or you can simply eat them. You can slice, chop, or dice an avocado and add it to a soup. Some people enjoy spreading it on toast or bread and some people even add some to fruit smoothies.
-
Raise Testosterone Levels
It was mentioned that avocados increase the chances of a having child, but they can make you want to try for that child more. Due to the saturated fats in avocados, they can get a man’s testosterone moving.
-
Folic Acid
Folic Acid is vital in replicating DNA and is one of most important when it comes to a healthy pregnancy. The folic acid stops deformities that the baby could have. One of the deformities avocados is noted for stopping is Spina Bifida.
Spina Bifida is more commonly known as “split spine”. It gets this nickname because the baby’s spinal column is not closed all the way. This can lead to brain and spine damage and more defects.
-
Wound Healing
The antioxidants can boost the immune system and keep infection and swelling that can be caused by surgery and other wounds. Eat avocados or rub mashed avocado on any scratches, minor burns, or bruises to speed up the healing process.
After using the avocado, allow it to dry; then rinse it off and apply a bandage
Despite there being so many different amazing things that avocados can do for your body, you also do not want to eat too much. Eating too much avocado can have more effects. It can cause sensitivity to light, migraines, vomiting, and nausea. As with nearly all home remedies, it is best to enjoy avocados in moderation.
References
https://www.avoseedo.com/a-brief-history-of-the-avocado/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-benefits-of-avocado#section2
https://www.naturalfoodseries.com/15-benefits-avocado/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-avocado.html
