Avocado is one of the most nutritious fruits. That’s just the simple reason why you should have one daily, and it doesn’t matter whether you juice it or eat raw.
Did you know it controls your blood pressure?
Avocados are rich in potassium and magnesium. These minerals help lower your blood pressure. Compared with bananas, avocados are richer in these two micronutrients. If only people around the world ate more of this fruit, perhaps the cases of high blood pressure would plummet. But very few of them know they have the condition and very few of them know they can lower their blood pressure by eating a piece of avocado a day.
It promotes good brain health.
The natural compounds in avocado improve blood circulation, and good blood circulation is beneficial to all of your organs. But the brain benefits from it like no other organ in your body. The brain performs a complex set of processes, and it requires a good supply of oxygen and nutrients to carry out these processes. Avocados help slow down and even curb cognitive decline.
It reduces the risk of certain types of cancer.
Avocado may have been regarded as fatty, but much of the fat you find in this fruit is monounsaturated. That means you get a lot of good fat. One type of fat is the oleic fatty acid, which is known to prevent certain types of cancer. It is also rich in tocopherol, which halts the growth of prostate cancer cells. Avocado is rich in vitamin E too! Vitamin E blocks cancer generating agents.
It lowers your chances of getting eye defects.
Avocados contain a lot of carotenoids. Lutein, a carotenoid found in avocado, has been known to protect against eye disease. The tissues inside your eyes are quite delicate. Frequent exposure to radiation causes gradual deterioration of these tiny structures. Lutein helps slow down this deterioration, thus helping you preserve your clear vision longer.
It helps you manage your cholesterol.
This is the tricky part. Avocados are fatty. So you would expect that you’d get elevated levels of fat and cholesterol from consumption of avocados. But research has shown this isn’t the case. The good fat in avocado helps lower bad fat and bad cholesterol in your body. In addition, folate in avocado helps you avoid heart disease.
It helps you lose weight.
Avocado is rich in fiber, so there’s stuff in it that adds to the bulk of what you’re consuming without adding more calories. A regular piece of avocado has about 7 grams of fiber. Not only does fiber fill your stomach without introducing calories to your body but also does it help digestion and facilitate excretion of waste. Oleic acid, the monounsaturated fat in avocado, also helps make you feel full. This good fat makes you eat less.