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There is a story of a student in Mexico City who decided to test the many avocado health benefits for himself. To this end, he approached the house owner where he was staying and told the lady to feed him nothing but avocados.
However, the house’s owner told the man to leave her home if avocados were the only food he wanted. You see, the lady had daughters and knew about the benefits of avocado sexually. Although this lady knew nothing about avocado nutrition, she understood that this fruit possesses aphrodisiac properties and awakens sexual desires.
There is a good reason that the ancient Aztecs called this fruit ahuacatl, which in Nahuatl (an indigenous Mexican language) means ‘testicle.’ Avocados contain the most vitamin E of any fresh fruit. Experts consider it the vitamin of reproduction. The lady in the story was not far away from the truth.
Scientific Facts
- Scientific synonym: Persea gratissima Gaertn
- Synonyms: Alligator pear, Zuttano, Fuerte
- French: Avocat
- Spanish: Aguacate, palta, avocado
- German: Avocado
- Description: The fruit of the avocado tree, an evergreen tree of the botanical family Lauraceae that grows to a height of 16 meters
- Habitat: The avocado is originally from tropical regions of Central America. It grows in tropical and subtropical areas in America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Avocado Health Benefits
The avocado health benefits and composition have several noteworthy features:
High Cholesterol
An avocado paradox was revealed in 1960 when W.C. Grant discovered that consuming this fruit, so rich in fats, lowered blood cholesterol levels. These first studies were conducted by feeding sixteen males aged 27 to 72 various amounts of avocado (one-half to one and a half a day). Half of the subjects showed a reduction in cholesterol levels. No subject showed any increase.
More recently, a similar study was conducted at the General Hospital of Morelia (Mexico). The diet used in this case contained thirty percent of its calories in fats, of which seventy-five percent were from avocado. After two weeks, the cholesterol level was significantly reduced, particularly in the LDL fraction (cholesterol united with low-density lipoproteins, commonly known as harmful cholesterol). The plasma triglyceride level also lowered.
It is curious, almost paradoxical, that eating avocados, a fruit rich in triglycerides, actually lowers this type of fat in the blood. This is one of the pleasant surprises found in plant-based foods. The avocado’s hypolipidemic action is possibly due to the balanced composition of its fatty acids or its rich vegetable fiber content.
However, there may be other reasons, as yet unknown. Because of this, eating avocados regularly is highly recommended for those with excess cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood, as well as any other type of hyperlipidemia.
Circulatory Conditions
Avocados cannot be more highly recommended for arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease cases. This is due, in addition to their gripping hypolipidemic action, to the fact that they contain very little sodium and abundant potassium.
Anemia
The iron in avocados is relatively well assimilated. Therefore, eating them is encouraged for all those needing additional iron, such as adolescents (particularly girls) and pregnant women. Avocados should be included in the diet of all who are anemic because of blood loss or lack of iron.
Usually, the IRON found in plant-based foods, called nonheme iron, is absorbed with more incredible difficulty than the heme iron from animal sources. However, iron avocados are absorbed better than other plant-based foods, possibly due to their vitamin C content, which facilitates absorption.
Nervous Conditions
Avocados contain fats that are very important to the metabolism of the nervous system, such as linolenic acid and phospholipids. Additionally, they are very rich in vitamin B6, one of the most important for proper neuron function. Based on this, avocados are appropriate for those suffering from nervousness, irritability, or depression.
Digestive Conditions
Avocados are appropriate for the diet of those suffering from stomach ulcers or gastritis because of their alkalinity and the emollient and protective effects of their fats on the mucosa.
Diabetes
A few years ago, people with diabetes were discouraged from eating avocados since they contain a monosaccharide sugar consisting of seven carbon atoms called mannoheptulos, which seemed to produce hyperglycemia in experimentally high doses.
More recent studies show that eating avocados mainly benefits people with diabetes. They not only help maintain an appropriate glycemia level, but they also reduce cholesterol. It improves the lipid profile in the blood.
Healthful Diets
Because of their excellent nutritional value, their ease of digestion, and their vitamin E content, avocados should be a regular part of the diets of children, adolescents during periods of rapid growth, athletes, exhausted or stressed adults, older people, and all those wishing to naturally and healthfully increase their vitality.
Properties and Indications
WATER: Regarding avocado health benefits, it contains a shallow water proportion compared to the average fresh fruit. The only other fruits with less are bananas and olives. This fact shows that avocado is a fruit concentrated with high nutritional and caloric capacity that can reach as high as 200 kcal/100 g of edible portion in certain varieties.
FATS: Together with the olive, the avocado is among the wealthiest fruits in fats. The fat content increases during the ripening process. A study conducted in California showed that the mesocarp (pulp or flesh) of a particularly fat-rich variety of avocados contained an average of 19.2% fat. At the same time, in February and a month later, this number increased to 22.8%. The regular fat content is around 15.3%.
The composition of the fats in avocados is as follows:
- Neutral lipids or glycerides are formed by the union of a glycerin molecule with one, two, or three fatty acid molecules. These are then referred to as mono, di, or triglycerides. Triglycerides are the most common of these. Oleic acid is the most abundant of the fatty acids in avocados, as with olive oil.
- Phospholipids: These fats contain phosphorous in their molecule, which performs significant roles in the nervous system.
- Free fatty acids are not united to glycerin. They are in minuscule amounts and partly responsible for the fruit’s characteristic fragrance.
The fats are why avocado health benefits are of high biological value and are primarily unsaturated. Indeed, they comprise no cholesterol, just like all plant-based foods.
PROTEINS: Contributing to avocado health benefits, this fruit is among the most protein-rich fresh fruits, which, depending on assortment, can range from two percent of their weight. Although their proportion is not optimal, they possess every essential amino acid, as is usually the case with plant-based foods excluding soy; despite this, avocado proteins are precious, as much for their amount as for their quality. This importance increases if these proteins are shared with other vegetable proteins, thanks to the wonder of supplementation.
VITAMIN E: With its 2.3 mg per 100 g of a-TE, the avocado is the richest fresh fruit in this vitamin, contributing to the many avocado health benefits. No animal-based food approaches this amount, not even eggs or butter. Among plant foods, oil-bearing nuts, wheat germ, and olives surpass the avocado in vitamin E. This vitamin promotes reproduction functions but protects against cancer and cellular aging because it is a powerful antioxidant.
VITAMIN B6: The avocado is, together with the banana, the richest fresh fruit in this vitamin, an amount superior to beef, again contributing to the many avocado health benefits.
IRON: The avocado has the highest iron content of any fresh fruit. By studying its composition, one can deduce that this is one of today’s most nutritious fruits. Together with their delicate flavor and culinary versatility, this fact explains their vital role in pre-Columbian Americans’ diets, who used it as a substitute for meat.
FIBER: With five percent or more, the avocado is the richest fruit in fiber. Today, the avocado is among the most valued fruits for its nutritional value and dietary and therapeutic properties. The many avocado health benefits include Excess cholesterol, circulatory disorders, nervous disorders, digestive disorders, diabetes, anemia, and invigorating diets.
Avocados are usually taken to market while they are hard and bitter-tasting. The best time to eat them is when they are soft to the touch, and you can spread their pulp like butter.
As a fresh fruit, avocado is among the richest in high-value nutritional fats, proteins, vitamins E and B6, iron, and vegetable fiber. They mix well with all kinds of salads and other vegetable dishes. When you use avocado instead of cheese in salads, you significantly reduce calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.
At first, some find avocado unpleasant because of its fatty consistency. This reaction is normal; with time, this fruit becomes an absolute gourmet delight. An avocado shake is appropriate for adolescents because of its nutritional value and anti-anemic effect.
How to Use
- Fresh: The avocado is not a fruit in the world’s culinary sense since it lacks the sweetness and acidity that characterize fruits. Thanks to this, avocados combine very well with all types of salads and dishes, whether sweet or not. Preferably, avocados are eaten raw with lemon juice, which also keeps them from turning black because of the corrosion of the iron salts they contain. You can spread them on the bread as an adequate substitute for butter or margarine.
- Guacamole: Although there are various recipes, authentic Mexican guacamole contains mashed avocado, chopped onion, lemon juice, salt, and chili.
DISCLAIMER: All content on this website is presented solely for educational and informational objectives. You should not rely on the information provided as a replacement for advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified medical expert. If you are pregnant, nursing, or have any preexisting medical concerns, you should talk to your doctor before using any herbal or natural medicines.
REFERENCES
- George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 2. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 108-111. Print.
- A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that consuming avocados as part of a moderate-fat, DASH-style diet significantly lowered LDL cholesterol levels compared to a control diet.
- The American Heart Association also recognizes avocados as a heart-healthy food due to their monounsaturated fatty acid content.