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Avocado is a wonderful flower in the fruit world. Other fruits are low-fat, and it is indeed a master of storing fat, so it also has the reputation of “forest butter”. Some people say that eating avocado will make people fat and can’t eat it. Others say that avocados are actually not nutritious.
Avocados are native to tropical America, and are grown in Hainan, Guangdong, and Yunnan in China. The flesh is fresh green in color and smells like butter, so it is also called “the butter of the forest”. Because of this characteristic, the fat content of avocados is as high as 15.3 grams per 100 grams, which is much higher than that of ordinary fruits.
However, although it has a high fat content, 80% of its fat is unsaturated fatty acids, mainly monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid. This is a kind of fat that is good for health and helps reduce heart disease and risk of stroke.
In addition, avocado is rich in the mineral potassium, with 599 mg/100 g, 2.3 times more than bananas, a component that is helpful in controlling blood pressure.
The carotene and insoluble dietary fiber content of avocado is also quite excellent among fruits, 7 times and 1.2 times more than that of the apples we often eat, respectively. Carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the body, which is good for eye health, while dietary fiber promotes gastrointestinal motility, prevents constipation and is good for intestinal health.
Health benefits of Avocado
In addition to the above-mentioned nutritional value, avocado has many benefits for the human body:
Beneficial for intestinal health
Some studies have shown that if avocado is added to the diet it can reduce serum hepatocyte growth factor and increase the abundance of bacteria involved in the fermentation of plant polysaccharides, improving intestinal flora.
Reduced risk of heart disease
A study published in the American Heart Association in 2022 on avocado consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults showed that replacing certain fat-containing foods with avocados may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as replacing margarine, butter, and processed meats.
May lower LDL
LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) is known as the “bad cholesterol” that deposits on the walls of blood vessels and is harmful to health, while HDL is known as the “good cholesterol” and is good for health.
A 2020 study in the American Journal of Nutrition showed that eating one avocado per day reduced circulating oxidized LDL and small, dense LDL in overweight and obese adults, particles that are susceptible to oxidation in the body and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It has also been shown that avocados increase serum HDL (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol).
Antioxidant
Phytosterols are a natural phytoactive ingredient with antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects, which can also reduce the incidence of chronic diseases such as coronary atherosclerosis, heart disease, cancer, and benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Experiments have measured phytosterols in avocados. The results show that the total content of phytosterols in avocado pulp is 107.89mg/100g, while the sterol content of general fruits and vegetables is below 50mg/100g, such as apples, strawberries, kiwi fruit and other sterols. The content is lower than 20mg/100g. [6] It can be seen that among fruits, the phytosterol content of avocado is very advantageous.
