Healthy Choices: Avocado
Lots of my client have difficulties to sleep these days and some of you were talking and asking about Iron supplements.
I highly recommend healthy and natural Iron source like this superfood before jumping into supplements... you know me
Why? here is why: Avocado Food Fact
The avocado - also known as avocado pear, alligator pear (thanks to the appearance of the skin of some varieties) or butter pear - is, indeed, a fruit. In fact, according to Wikipedia, its botanical classification is a berry!
Although it is treated as a vegetable by many people, it is eaten with milk and sugar in some cultures and is considered a 'sweet' item.
Clearly, the avocado is an extremely versatile food.
The avocado is native to tropical and subtropical parts of south and central America, but it's also grown in warmer regions of America, including Hawaii, Florida and California. The type of avocado most commonly found in your local store - the rich and creamy Hass - is mainly grown in Mexico.
Avocado Food - Nutritional Benefits
Monounsaturated fats
Dieters often shy away from avocados. They have a reputation as being 'full of fat' and - therefore - bad for you!
Although avocados have a higher fat content than most other fruits (around 20 times the amount, on average), they actually contain health-promoting monounsaturated fats.
These fats are needed by your body for the healthy development of your brain and central nervous system.
One of these fats, oleic acid, is believed to help lower cholesterol (source:The Avocado and Human Nutrition).
Potassium
Potassium
Avocado is an excellent source of potassium,containing around 60% more of this valuable mineral than bananas!
Potassium plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure and, in later life, can help prevent heart disease, strokes and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Lutein
Lutein
Lutein is a carotenoid (a nutrient in the pigment that gives certain fruits and vegetables their colour). A natural anti-oxidant, lutein is responsible for promoting healthy skin and eyes.
Avocados also contain the following important nutrients...
- folate
- fibre
- vitamin E
- iron
- copper
- beta-carotene
- vitamin K
- B vitamins
Diet and Hypertension
www.avocado.org
Avocado Food - Hidden Benefits
Not only is avocado food highly nutritious in its own right, avocado actually helps your body to be more efficiently to absorb the nutrients from OTHER fruits and veggies you eats them with!
Back in 2005,an interesting article about avocadowas published in the Journal of Nutrition. It revealed that tests had shown how adding avocado to salad and salsa
"...significantly enhances carotenoid absorption"
and that
"...adding avocado fruit to carotenoid-containing meals as a lipid* source can facilitate carotenoid absorption while offering additional nutritional benefits"
*Lipids - organic compounds that are necessary for healthy cell growth.
Carotenoids are soluble in fat. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats, so it is believed that eating carotenoid-rich foods along with them makes the carotenoids more 'bioavailable' (which means that the body is able to absorb them more easily).
What more could you ask from a food?
No wonder the Guinness Book of Records lists avocados as the most nutritious fruit in the world!
Any comments about my newsletter are highly appreciated :D
Posted by Astryd 4 Energy on Thursday 18 October 2012
*Any weight loss or health testimonials presented here are applicable to the individuals depicted and are not a guarantee of your weight loss nor are they typical. Herbalife products can be a healthy part of your weight loss program, which includes diet and exercise.
An extensive questionnaire generated responses from more than 200 U.S. Herbalife Independent Distributors about their weight-loss programs and results. They reported weight loss ranging from 4 pounds to 167 pounds and a reduced body mass index (BMI) of 1.5 points to 24.1 points, suggesting that consumption of Herbalife® products is associated with weight loss and improvement in BMI in those ranges.
**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
