Vegans love avocados and here is why. Avocado is an extremely nutritious plant food with important health benefits. This fruit plays an important role during and after the transition from a meat-eating diet rich in unhealthy saturated fats of animal origin to a flourishing vegan diet rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, plant based.
So if you’ve been told that food of animal origin is essential to your well-being and you believe it cannot be replaced easily, then adding avocado to your diet could be one of those numerous plant foods that answer to your questions. Firstly, it will help replace the harmful fats with the healthy ones (reduce the chance of having a cardiovascular disease and cancer). Secondly, avocado is packed with fibers, vitamins and protein as well. Lastly but not less important is that people who follow a plant-based diet tend to exercise more, have an overall better mental health and experience balance between the inner and the outer world. In a few words, avocados are one of those products that will make you healthier and happier.
Composition of avocado
The fruit of avocado contains a variety of essential nutrients and important phytochemicals. It consists of 73% water, 15% fat, 8.5% carbohydrates (mostly fibers), and 2% protein. The official serving is one-fifth of a fruit. Nevertheless, the average consumption is one-half an avocado of approximately 68 g (109 calories) and it consists of the following:
- high-monounsaturated fatty acids (6.7 g)
- dietary fiber (4.6 g) –
- total sugar (0.2 g) –
- potassium (345 mg)
- sodium (5.5 mg)
- magnesium (19.5 mg)
- vitamins
- A (43 mg)
- C (6.0 mg)
- E (1.3 mg)
- K1 (14 μg)
- B-9 or folate (60 mg)
- B-6 (0.2 mg)
- B-3 or niacin (1.3 mg)
- B-5 or pantothenic acid (1.0 mg)
- B-2 or riboflavin (0.1 mg)
- choline (10 mg)
- lutein/zeaxanthin (185 mg)
- phytosterols (57 mg)
Health benefits of avocado
The avocado oil helps to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and enhance the bio-availability of fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals from the avocado or other food products that are consumed with avocados. Therefore, when added to salad, it increases the absorption of other nutritious substances.
Preliminary clinical studies have shown that avocado consumption may reduce the cardiovascular diseases by lowering the potentially harmful LDL cholesterol and increasing the good HDL cholesterol.
Also, some studies suggest that avocados may support weight management. Moreover, the fiber content helps to improve digestion. The amount of folate is important for a healthy pregnancy because it reduces the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects. Folate can also help decrease depression by preventing the build-up of homocysteine and aiding the delivery of nutrients to the brain. In addition, the rich content of vitamin K can benefit healthy bones by increasing calcium absorption and reducing urinary excretion of calcium.
How to eat avocados?
The simplest way to eat avocados is by adding salt and pepper and according to each one’s preferences, paprika, vinegar or lemon juice, olive oil, etc. Guacamole is its most popular recipe. Therefore, add avocado to your salad or pasta salsa to boost the nutritious elements of your meal. This fruit can also replace the use of mayonnaise and it can be baked in the oven, added to soups or sushi rolls. You can also substitute the butter and margarine (trans-fats) with mashed or pureed avocado on your toasts. Additionally, you can make smoothies, ice cream, desserts, dressings, or simply add it to any meal.
The recommended daily serving of avocado is one third of a medium size fruit. Eat it in moderation and enjoy avocado health benefits and gorgeous taste!
Give that cow a break and give your heart a chance. Go vegan. So easy!