What Are Avocados Good For?

If you’re a frequent eater of California rolls, gourmet hamburgers, or guacamole, you probably already have a decent amount of avocado in your diet. These green, pear-shaped foods are becoming hugely popular.

For one, avocados are probably one of the most diversely-used fruits. As mentioned before, they are a key ingredient in rolled sushi, hamburgers/sandwiches, and dips. Secondly, the fruit has fantastic nutritional value – especially for vegetarians and vegans!

Unfortunately, some people are turned off from avocados because they have a noticeably higher fat content than most fruit. However, the important distinction here is that most of the avocados fat is mono-unsaturated.

Mono-unsaturated fat is the healthiest kind of fat. Although it has the same amount of calories as any other type of fat, mono-unsaturated fat has been strongly linked to reducing cholesterol and in reducing heart disease. North Americans do not get enough of this type of fat – we eat too much saturated and trans fats, which is the reason why heart disease is a high cause of death. Here are some other benefits of mono-unsaturated fat:

• Speeds up your metabolism
• Gives you a feeling of fullness (try getting that on a low fat diet)
• Nourishes the skin and joints
• Soothes the gut and digestive system

Not only are Avocados packed with healthy fats they are also high in vitamins and minerals, making them one of the most nutritionally dense foods around. Avocados are abundant in three powerful anti-oxidants: vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Particularly, the fruit has significant amounts of vitamin E, which is said to be one of the most under-appreciated anti-oxidants in the modern diet. Here are some other great benefits of the avocado:

• Avocados also have 60% more potassium than bananas and are rich in vitamin B and vitamin K
• One avocado provides 10-15 grams of fibre – nearly half the daily required amount of fibre
• Avocados are one of the highest protein fruits – perfect for vegetarians!

Are you sold yet? Good. Because avocados are one of the only ‘complete’ fruits out there. Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate avocados into your diet:

• Instead of mayonnaise on your next burger/sandwich, try spreading some avocado
• Cook with avocado oil instead of olive oil
• Buy some guacamole – or make it yourself!
• Serve it in your salad or toss it on your pizza

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Posted by Joel Nicholson on Monday, January 3rd, 2011. Filed under Real World, _Index. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry