Avocados are a rare fruit treasure: they are rich in healthy nutrients, fats and add softness and pleasant texture to any dish. But, as with any food in your diet, the principle of balance should come first. Not everything that tastes good, or even healthy, can have a beneficial effect on your health if you consume excessive amounts of a particular product. However, in the case of avocados, the situation is somewhat different, since here regularity has only positive aspects. Which ones, we tell in our material.
1. Protection for the heart
Monounsaturated, or "healthy" fats, which are abundant in avocados, are beneficial for heart health, or rather, reduce the risk of heart attacks and the level of bad cholesterol in your blood.
In addition to unsaturated fats, avocados also contain some antioxidants that effectively prevent inflammation and oxidative stress (damage to cells due to excessive oxidation) in the blood vessels. As a result, by consuming one avocado every day, you can significantly improve your blood flow and overall cardiovascular health.
2. Weight loss
It might seem like there is some mistake: how can a fat-rich food like avocado help you lose weight? After all, fat is the main culprit for extra pounds. However, asking such questions, we demonstrate ignorance of our own body and the mechanisms by which it works.
Scientists have proven that avocados really help you lose weight: thanks to its high fat and fiber content (about 14 grams per fruit), you feel full after consuming it, and this saves you from the obsessive desire to eat during the day. For example, a study published in the Nutrition Journal found that people who are chronically overweight lost snack cravings for almost five hours once they added only half an avocado to their daily diet.
3. Reducing the risk of diabetes
Recent scientific research suggests that avocados are the best nature has ever come up with for regulating blood sugar. In one recent experiment, participants added half an avocado to their lunch, after which specialists measured their blood glucose and insulin levels at regular intervals. The results of the experiment showed that despite the fact that avocado increases the total calorie content of a dish, it does not change blood sugar levels (see also: "7 ways to get rid of sugar dependence").
4. Improving vision
Macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of early vision loss, which is why nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin are a must-eat for a modern person. The good news is that avocados are both abundant in them. Moreover, it is important to take into account that they are absorbed in the body only as part of food, therefore supplements are powerless here. That is why, if you feel that your vision is not what it used to be, it is worth adding avocados to your daily diet. Moreover, it is the richest source of lutein among 20 other commonly consumed fruits.
5. Your hair and skin will be more beautiful
The same lutein and zeaxanthin found in avocados serve as the main protectors of our cells against UV damage and the harmful oxidative processes that it triggers.
UV rays lead to premature aging of the skin and negatively affect the health of the hair, making it weak and dehydrated. But that is not all. One avocado a day will provide you with more than 20% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin E, which is a favorite ingredient in beauty products. And for good reason: it helps to neutralize free radicals that deform tissue structure.
6. Good mood as normal
Regular consumption of avocados will help stabilize your emotional well-being due to its high content of a number of vitamins and minerals that have a positive effect on mood swings. Your body receives the full range of nutrients it needs to function smoothly. As a result, nothing prevents your body from fully producing seratonin, the hormone of happiness, as a result of which surges of energy, good thoughts and inspiration become a normal state, and not a rare exception to the rule.
But one of the main roles is played by the high concentration of potassium that avocados boast. Scientific studies have shown more than once that people who are prone to depressive thoughts exhibit low potassium levels in the body (read also: "10 Causes of Your Depression and How to Treat Them").
7. All the most useful substances - in one fruit
Avocado contains about 20 types of vitamins and minerals, and this makes it a real record holder. One fruit contains the following percentages of substances from the recommended daily intake: vitamin K - 53%, folate - 41%, vitamin C - 33%, vitamin B5 - 28%, potassium - 28%, vitamin B6 - 26%, vitamin E - 21%, copper - 19%. Avocados also contain lutein, thiamine, iron, niacin, riboflavin, and a host of antioxidants. Not a bad set, isn't it?
Photo: Getty Images
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