Health Benefits of Avocado That Shall Have You Up & Running!
You probably must have heard the hype around avocados on the internet. But it's delicious texture and the amazing health benefits prove the popularity is surely worth it! The avocado fruit, which is actually a berry, is a member of the Lauraceae plant family. Native to Central America and Mexico, the seeds of the avocado fruit also offer some crucial benefits. The nutritional value in the fruit helps in decreasing the risk of diabetes, obesity as well as heart disease. As it’s rich in numerous minerals and vitamins, it isn’t difficult to add avocado to your diet!
Health Benefits of Avocado
Avocados contain a good amount of important nutrients and minerals that our body requires, so here are some health benefits of the tropical fruit:
Avocados are rich in folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, and potassium. It’s also a good source of vitamins such as vitamin B6, K, E, and C. Furthermore, the green fruit has omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and lutein. The nutrient profile of avocado includes no sodium or cholesterol content.
Lowers Risks of Chronic Illnesses
Being high in fibre, the health benefits of avocado include reduced risks of developing stroke, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. It may further decrease the levels of cholesterol and blood pressure due to avocado’s fibre content.
The intake of avocado has been shown to protect against cancers. Folates, which are present in avocado, help reduce the risk of stomach, cervical, colon and pancreatic cancers. Whereas the proteins and phytochemicals in the tropical fruit might have anti-cancer properties.
Prevention of Osteoporosis
One of the avocado benefits is the high vitamin K content. Such a nutrient is essential as it increases the absorption of calcium and reduces urinary excretion of calcium.
Helps Maintain a Healthy Heart
Avocados contain beta-sitosterol which is a natural plant sterol and is known to help lower cholesterol levels. A review of research studies reported that replacing fats with avocados in your diet can help bring down the total cholesterol.
One of the avocado nutrition facts is that half of an avocado contains almost 7g of fibre. Intake of natural fibre helps in maintaining your digestive tract and prevents constipation. Moreover, fibres also reduce the risks related to colon cancer.
Might Improve Sleep and Mood
Avocados are high in folates that aid in preventing the increased amount of homocysteine. Excessive homocysteine impairs your circulation, interferes with the production of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin which help regulate your sleep, appetite, and mood.
Avocado benefits for skin are in variety. Avocado skin benefits include soothing wrinkles, dry skin, and inflammation. Additionally, avocado benefits for the skin also involve vitamin C and antioxidants that protect damage from UV lights.
Avocados contain two phytochemicals, zeaxanthin and lutein, which provide antioxidant protection, minimising any damage to the eyes. Not only do the anti-oxidants shield your eyes from UV light but the nutrients in avocado also enable the absorption of beta-carotene.
The nutrients and proteins in avocado are in variety, including different types of vitamin B. Avocados are a good source of vitamin B1, B2 and B3 that help in converting food that you intake into energy.
High in Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat such as oleic acid which has been shown to reduce the chances of breast cancer in a research study.
Some Adverse Effects of Consuming Avocado
Although avocados have some health advantages, overeating the fruit can give rise to some adverse effects such as:
If you aren’t used to a high fibre diet, having too many fibre-rich avocados can result in abdominal pain, bloating or constipation. This may turn into an issue for individuals with gastrointestinal disorders or irritable bowel syndrome.
As avocados are high in calories, you must consider the number of calories you burn in a day to avoid any weight gain. Due to the ease of adding this tropical fruit to your diet, it is possible to overeat it and intake excess calories than required.
Consuming higher quantities of avocado can cause an effect similar to a laxative due to some small-chain carbohydrates present in the fruit. Furthermore, it might also lead to an upset stomach, bloating or gas if you cannot tolerate the sugars in avocado.
Home Remedies to Use Avocado
Did you know that you can make use of avocados to improve your hair and skin? Here are some amazing and easy home remedies that you must try without fail:
Avocados are extremely good for your hair where a homemade mask can do wonders! It’s especially helpful for dry hair as the tropical fruit has natural oils and fatty acids. Furthermore, the vitamin-rich fruit provides a shine to your hair and nourishes your scalp. You can use a mixture of coconut oil or olive oil with avocado to make a hair mask for that silky feel!
Packed with essential vitamins and antioxidants, avocados do a great job of nourishing your skin and making it glow. A paste of some avocado and honey left for 15 minutes can really moisturise your skin. You can also use avocado with yoghurt to restore the pH balance and increase collagen production.
Exfoliates & Removes Dead Skin
To get rid of any dead skin and free radicals, all you require is a fresh avocado and some apricots. The natural acids, as well as the vitamins in apricot, can help unclog your pores and tighten them while the antioxidants in avocado neutralise any toxins. By blending both these fruits together, you shall get a paste that can be applied to your neck, face and chest and left for 15 minutes.
Final Thoughts!
Avocados contain nutrients and proteins that are fat-soluble which means you can pair it up with almost anything and conveniently add it to your diet. It is not only delicious and versatile but is also one of a kind. However, the health benefits of avocados do not safeguard you against medical issues that you may face in the long term. To ensure that emergency, as well as planned treatment, are covered to a tee, get health Insurance available on Finserv MARKETS. Avoid putting your health in the second place and prioritise it today with us!
