Avocados, mostly known as the fruit that primarily makes up guacamole, is a healthy source of dietary fat. Avocados also contain vital nutrients such as vitamins C, E, K and potassium, magnesium and lutein. Incorporating avocados to your daily diet might also help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.
Identification
The fruit you call an avocado, also called an alligator pear, comes from an evergreen tree that can grow up to 80 feet tall. There are different varieties of avocados but the most popular ones come from Guatemala, Mexico, the West Indies and California. West Indian avocados are the largest. They generally are smooth and glossy on the outside and can weigh up to 2 lbs. Guatemalan avocados are medium sized, often resembling a pear and tend to be blackish-green in color. Mexican avocados are small, less than 1 lb. and usually have thin skin that turns either black or dark glossy green when ripe. California avocados are similar to a Mexican avocado. They are small, oval-shaped and turn purplish-green to black when they are ready to eat. The flesh of most avocados is pale green and they are all creamy in texture, primarily due to this fruit's high fat content.
Nutritional Value
Avocados are a nutritional powerhouse. They are rich in fiber, which helps keep you satiated; vitamin B-6 which assists your body in fighting off disease by helping your immune system build antibodies; vitamin K which is imperative to proper blood clotting; vitamin C which is necessary to form collagen and is required for growth and repair of your tissues; and vitamin E which protects the body against free radical damage. In addition to these nutrients, avocados contain large amounts of the mineral potassium, which is involved in muscle building and your acid-base balance; folate which promotes healthy tissue and cell production and magnesium, which is essential to the contraction and relaxation of your muscles. Two other important nutrients avocados contain are lutein which is a compound known to keep your eyes healthy and prevent macular degeneration and monounsaturated fats which can help the body lower cholesterol levels and keep you in top heart-healthy shape. An average avocado contains approximately 22.5 g of fat. However, more than 15 g of this fat comes from monounsaturated sources. There is no trans fat and a whole avocado contains only about 3 g of saturated fat. This may sound like a lot of fat, but a serving size is one-fifth of an avocado. Therefore, eating one serving of an avocado gives you only 4.5 g of fat.
Health Benefits
Avocados may be more than just a food to eat. It appears that this fruit can also help prevent and relieve certain health conditions. Avocados contain anti-inflammatory and stimulatory properties that may help relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis, lower cholesterol and keep blood pressure stable. A study published in the Winter 1997 issue of "Archives of Medical Research," researchers found that avocados abundant in monounsaturated fats could help produce a significant decrease in LDL cholesterol levels if participants ate a low saturated fat diet. In another study published in the January 2005 issue of "Nutrition," clinicians proved that not only are avocados not fattening but the fat it does contain can help balance blood pressure levels and does not affect any weight loss efforts.
Side Effects
Eating an avocado may cause a skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, rhinoconjunctivitis, bronchial asthma, hives and angioedema due to an allergic reaction to them. Although there have been no studies done on humans, studies done on rats showed that avocados may interfere with the liver, including changing the liver enzymes. There needs to be more evidence and more research done to determine whether or not this would affect humans in the same way.
References
- California Avocado Commission: Avocado Nutrients
- California Rare Food Growers: Avocado
- Zhion.com: Avocados Side Effects, Nutritional Values and Health Benefits
- "Nutrition"; Substitution of High Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Avocado for Mixed Dietary Fats During an Energy-restricted Diet: Effects on Weight Loss, Serum Lipids, Fibrinogen, and Vascular Function; Z. Pieterse, et al.; January 2005
- "Archives of Medical Research";Effects of a Vegetarian Diet vs. a Vegetarian Diet Enriched with Avocado in Hypercholesterolemic Patients; J. Carranza-Madrigal, et al.; Winter 1997
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