Nutritional Facts And Benefits Of Avocado

Avocado is a green, pear-shaped fruit often called an “alligator pear.”It is loaded with healthy fats, fiber and various important nutrients. This article tells you the nutritional facts and benefits of avocado.

The avocado is a rather unique fruit. While most fruit consists primarily of carbohydrate, avocado is high in healthy fats.

Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. The avocado (Persea americana), a tree with probable origin in south-central Mexico, is classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.

Avocados are a stone fruit with a creamy texture that grow in warm climates. Their potential health benefits include improving digestion, decreasing risk of depression, and protection against cancer.

Nutritional Facts:

Avocado is packed with incredible nutrients. Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. In 100g of avocado 75% of moisture is present.

NutrientsAmount per (100g)
Energy144.36 kcal
Carbohydrates1.75 gm
Protein2.95 gm
Fat13.86 gm
Phosphorous63.14 mg
Fiber6.69 gm
Omega -3 fats62.11 mg
Potassium377 mg
Vitamin B967.17 mg
Vitamin C9.36 mg
Beta carotene12 mcg
Magnesium48.14 mg
Pyridoxin (vit B6)0.18 mg
Pantothenic acid (vit B5)1.26 mg

Benefits:

There are incredible benefits of avocado. It is essential to include avocado in your diet , it contains powerful antioxidants and also helps to decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy, and overall lower weight.

  • Protects from chronic diseases
  • Prevents osteoporosis
  • Contains more potassium than banana
  • Natural detoxification
  • Contains antimicrobial action
  • Supports digestive health
  • Lowers the risk of cancer
  • Improved vision
  • Lowers the risk of heart diseases
  • Contains mono-unsaturated fatty acids
  • Helps in weight loss
  • Contains powerful antioxidants

Avocado is the only fruit that provides a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.

Although most of the calories in an avocado come from fat. Avocados are full of healthy, beneficial fats that help to keep you full and satiated. When you consume fat, your brain receives a signal to turn off your appetite. Eating fat slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, which helps to keep sugar levels in the blood stable.

Healthy heart:

Avocados contain 25 milligrams per ounce of a natural plant sterol called beta-sitosterol. Regular consumption of beta-sitosterol and other plant sterols has been seen to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Improves vision:

Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that are especially concentrated in the tissues in the eyes where they provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage, including from ultraviolet light. As the monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados also support the absorption of other beneficial fat-soluble antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, adding avocados to your diet may help to reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.

Cancer:

Adequate intake of folate from food has shown promise in protecting against colon, stomach, pancreatic, and cervical cancers. Avocados may even have a role to play in cancer treatment, with some research finding that phytochemicals extracted from avocado can selectively inhibit the growth of precancerous and cancerous cells and cause the death of cancer cells, while encouraging the proliferation of immune system cells called lymphocytes. These phytochemicals have also been shown to decrease chromosomal damage caused by cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug.

Digestive health:

Despite its creamy texture, an avocado is actually high in fiber with approximately 6-7 grams per half fruit. Eating foods with natural fiber can help prevent constipation, maintain a healthy digestive tract, and lower the risk of colon cancer. Soluble fiber is known for feeding the friendly gut bacteria in your intestine, which are very important for optimal body function

Osteoporosis:

Substances called saponins, found in avocados, soy and some other plant foods, are associated with relief of symptoms in knee osteoarthritis, with further research planned to determine the long-term effects of isolated extracts.
Arthritis is a common problem in Western countries. There are many types of this condition, which are often chronic problems that people have for the rest of their lives.Multiple studies suggest that avocado and soybean oil extracts called avocado and soybean unsaponifiables can reduce osteoarthritis.

Weight loss:

There is some evidence that avocados are a weight loss friendly food. In one study, people eating avocado with a meal felt 23% more satisfied and had a 28% lower desire to eat over the next 5 hours, compared to people who did not consume this fruit.

Including avocados in your diet may help you naturally eat fewer calories and make it easier for you to stick to healthy eating habits.

Avocados are also high in fiber and very low in carbs, two attributes that should help promote weight loss as well, at least in the context of a healthy, real-food-based diet.