Avocado nutrition is useful for a variety of health issues, including but limited to, lowering cholesterol and providing protection from liver damage. Fruit nutrition, in general, provides a natural source of vitamins and essential minerals that the body needs in order to perform at its greatest capacity. To this effort, avocado nutrition offers a rich source of many of these nutrients, while adding a unique taste to salads, dips and spreads.
Avocado Nutritional Benefits
Fruit nutrition is one of the oldest and best ways of maintaining key nutrition benefits without the use of synthetic supplements or enriched, but highly processed, foods. Avocado nutrition is particularly helpful in that it:
- Provides healthy fat, which is useful for the absorption of lycopene and beta-carotene
- Provides a healthy source of fiber
- Provides the body with large amounts of potassium (avocado nutrition offers as much as three times the potassium contained in bananas)
- Provides the body with significant levels of folate
The following are a few of the nutritional benefits, essential vitamins and minerals garnered through avocado nutrition:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B3
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Copper
- Potassium
- Zinc
- Iron
- Folate
- Folic acid
- Essential fatty acids
- Amino acids
- Ascorbic acid
- Fiber
- Glutathione
- Biotin
- Carotenoids
- Manganese
- Pyridoxine
- Riboflavin
Avocado nutrition also complements the absorption of carotenoids, which are largely present in other vegetables.
Avocado Health Benefits
Besides the above noted nutritional benefits, avocado nutrition is quite useful in providing the following health benefits:
- Lowering cholesterol
- Providing protection against liver damage
- Helping in the fight against certain cancers (contains oleic acid, which provides protection against breast cancer)
- Inhibiting the growth of certain harmful intestinal bacteria
- Helping control blood pressure
- Helping to prevent strokes
With regards to avocado nutrition being an effective agent against cancer, a recent study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reveals that avocado extract actually stunts the growth of androgen dependent and independent prostate cancer cells. Also, because of it commonly being detected in its latter stages, oral cancer is more likely to be fatal than other forms of cancer, including skin and breast cancer. However, the phytonutrients contained in Haas avocados destroy free radicals within cancerous cells without causing harm to existing healthy cells.
Avocado Precaution
Precautions
Those with latex allergies may experience adverse reactions due to chitinases, a substance strongly associated with latex fruit allergies. However, consuming organic avocados may offer a solution to those who wish to benefit from fruit nutrition without experiencing an adverse reaction. This is because organic fruits and vegetables are not processed with ethylene gas, which is known to increase the enzymes that cause a reaction. Cooking foods may also deactivate these same enzymes.
Human bodies were made in such a way that fruit nutrition naturally provides much of the vitamins, minerals, nutrition and energy needed for the body to achieve optimal functioning. Using things like avocado nutrition to support good health is the best, most natural care one can give to the body. Fruit nutrition is also commonly used in natural cures and home remedies, because natural foods support the body’s immune function, as well as provide strong protection against a variety of diseases and conditions.
