
Avocados are high in fat, but in this case, it's good fat in the
form of essential fatty acids that we all need desperately. Avocado
fat is primarily monounsaturated (like olive oil), making avocados
not only a delicious food but an important addition to diabetic
meal plans and heart-healthy diets. Monounsaturates have been shown
to be an effective means of lowering cholesterol levels in the blood
and thereby possibly reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, because avocados are high in potassium and low in sodium,
they provide the additional benefits of helping to reduce hypertension
which is also a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease.
Eating
avocados daily for three weeks improved blood cholesterol in middle-aged
women better than a low-fat diet did, according to Australian research.
The avocado diet reduced total cholesterol 8 percent compared with
5 percent for the low-fat diet. Most important, avocados improved
the good HDL-cholesterol ratio 15 percent. The daily amount of avocado
ranged from 1/2 avocado for small women to 1 1/2 for large women.
Expected outcome: By eating avocados, heart patients could cut their
risk of heart attack 10-20 percent and death rates 4-8 percent in
3-5 years.
According
to the director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, avocados
include a cholesterol-lowering phytosterol called beta-sitosterol,
and glutathione, a combination of three amino acids that act as
an antioxidant. In animal studies, phytosterol has been shown to
inhibit cholesterol absorption from the intestine, resulting in
lower blood-cholesterol levels, and to inhibit the growth of tumors.
Meanwhile, glutathione has been linked to the prevention of heart
disease and various types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth
and pharynx. Research studies have shown that avocados contain more
than four times the beta-sitosterol found in other commonly eaten
fruits, like bananas, apples, cantaloupes, grapes, plums and cherries.
In addition, avocados contain twice as much beta-sitosterol as corn,
green soybeans and olives. And the glutathione content of avocados
is, ounce per ounce, three times that of bananas, apples, cantaloupes,
grapes, plums or cherries.
Avocados
are also the fruit with the highest concentration of vitamin E,
and are the best fruit source of lutein, a compound that can help
prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. New studies have shown
that avocados may also protect against liver damage caused by the
hepatitis C virus.
Avocados
contain more potassium than 26 other popular fruits and juices (including
raisins, bananas, peaches, cantaloupe and orange juice) and 19 popular
vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, corn and green beans. Potassium
has been shown to lower the risk of stroke by as much as 40%. It
helps the body maintain normal water balance and is necessary for
the normal functioning of nerves and muscles. Avocados also provide
good quantities of beta carotene, vitamins B6, A, C, folic acid
and copper, and contain almost 10% of an adult’s daily requirement
of iron.
Perhaps
someday we will no longer say “an apple a day keeps the doctor
away,” but rather “an avocado a day keeps the doctor
away.” And the best avocados are organic avocados shipped
directly from the grove to your kitchen – the OrganicAvos.com
way!
Have
you had your avocado today?
For
Additional Nutritional Information, Please Click
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