Avocados are often considered a treat; something you add to your salad, what you make guacamole dip with, or an added ingredient for your favorite sandwich. You know avocados taste great, however, avocados are healthier than you might think.
Not only are they considered one of the good fats, but they are also a superfood. Here are some reasons to start eating avocados every day.
Avocados Have a Lot of Nutrients
The list of vitamins and minerals in avocados seems to go on and on. There are over 2 dozen vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. This includes vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B, potassium, folate, fiber, lutein, and beta-carotene. You will also find smaller amounts of other nutrients, including B1, B2 and B3, vitamin A, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. These vitamins lead avocados to helping with the following different health benefits.
Avocados Can Improve Heart Health
One of the most important parts of your body that you need to focus on is your heart. Far too many people take their heart health for granted, eating loads of saturated fat that clogs the arteries and leads to heart disease. The bright side is that avocados taste delicious, but are also considered heart-healthy foods. Beta-sitosterol is in avocados, which is a type of natural plant sterol. This can help reduce your cholesterol, which then helps strengthen your heart health.
Avocados Are Great for Your Vision
Avocados also happen to be great for your vision! This is another part of the body that is often overlooked. Many age-related eye conditions can be lessened or avoided altogether with healthy eating. Avocados contain phytochemicals like zeaxanthin and lutein, which help to provide antioxidant protection to the tissues of the eyes. This can help protect against permanent damage from UV light, as well as helping to reduce age-related macular generation.
Avocados Contain a Lot of Potassium
When people think about adding more potassium in their diet, they often turn to bananas first. While bananas are definitely a great option (and also a superfood!), avocados actually have a higher potassium content than the yellow fruit. In a small 3.5 ounce serving of avocado, you get 100 grams of potassium. This is about 14 percent of the RDA, while bananas contain about 10 percent of the RDA. With more potassium, you reduce stomach cramps, lower your risk for stroke and heart attack, and can lower your blood pressure.
Avocados Help You Absorb More Nutrition
If you eat a lot of plant foods – and you should – you might not be getting the full amount of nutrition you should from them. That is because some nutrients are fat soluble, which means you have to eat them with an appropriate fat to absorb them, which is where avocado comes in. Fat soluble nutrients include antioxidants and vitamins A, D, E and K.
You can eat avocados plain, served as a side dish, sliced up to put in soup, chili or salad, or make some healthy dip. You can add them to your smoothie or spread them on toast. One of my favorite ways to eat avocados is with balsamic vinegar drizzled over them.
