Avocado is often misunderstood to be a vegetable by many, when in fact it is rather a unique fruit with a peculiar taste. According to the food experts, avocados are a superfood. They are flavorful and packed with a lot of nutrients that no one could ever imagine. It is indeed quite a popular fruit choice in the keto diet which comes often as a surprise because avocado is high in calories. 

Regardless of it, most of you aren’t aware of the avocado nutrition facts and health benefits. So before you can start eating one you need to have some brief detail about the avocados. 

Avocado Nutrition Facts 

The fruit of the avocado tree, the scientific name was given is Persea Americana. Quite a prize because of its high nutritional value, avocados have a rich texture. So if you have a taste for Mexican food then you’d know avocados are used as the primary ingredient in guacamole. 

So now, it’s also driving health-conscious people towards the supermarkets buying a bunch of avocados. 

Like any other food ingredient, avocado is a powerhouse of the;

• Calories: 160 
• Fat: 14.7g
• Sodium: 7mg 
• Carbs: 8.5g
• Fiber: 6.7g
• Sugar: 0.7g
• Protein: 2g

Calories 

Despite the kcal mentioned above, the calories in avocado will vary according to its size. For instance, half of a medium-size avocado could contain 300 g or so. While there are 322 calories in a larger avocado. However, you are not supposed to eat the whole avocado in one sitting. 

Fats 

Since most calories come from fat in avocado, it is considered to be one of the healthier forms of monounsaturated fat. 

Since there are 30g of saturated fats, it’s a good fat you can eat on a regular basis. They are helpful in lowering the “bad” cholesterol too known as the LDL. 

Proteins 

A single avocado serving is about 1g of protein. So if you eat a whole avocado you will be consuming at least 4g of proteins. 

Vitamins and minerals 

Like other substantial fruits, avocado is also a high source of various vitamins and minerals like vitamin K, vitamin C, folate,  vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. While the popular minerals included in the avocado are magnesium, potassium, magnesium, copper, and manganese. 

Avocado health benefits 

So now that you have a brief knowledge about the nutritional facts of avocado, this will help you decide how much you want to add them in your daily diet plan. 

More powerful than bananas 

Bananas are the most popular source of potassium. Turns out avocados are a tough competitor in the market for potassium as well. 

Potassium is one of the super ingredients that most people are unable to absorb. They act as the electrical gradients for your body’s cells so one serving will let you absorb around 3.5 ounces or 100 g. This is a 14% higher rate of potassium than bananas. 

Heart-healthy 

Remember the saturated fats? Well, avocados are a high-fat food too. So 77% of the calories you gain from eating avocados will be in the form of fat. 

Oleic acid is the primary fat found in avocados – the monounsaturated fats. This component is commonly found in olive oil which is another healthy ingredient you can use with the avocados if balanced the right way. 

The presence of oleic acid is the reason for better heart functioning too. Hence eating avocados can help to reduce the inflammation too which is a good result for your heart. 

Weight loss in effect 

Avocados are loaded with fiber which is a huge factor contributing towards weight loss. Once the blood sugar reduces (or balances) it will actively reduce the risk of several other diseases too. Avocados have a distinct fiber presence that consists of both soluble and insoluble fiber. 

The presence of soluble fiber acts like a friendly gut bacteria in your intestine. This helps boost body function. 

A total of 7% of the weight loss can occur because of the right fiber intake that is possible due to metabolic health.

Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels 

To reduce the risk of heart attack, you must keep cholesterol levels in check. Avocados have are effective to 

• Reduce the cholesterol level to a great extent 
• Reduce the Blood triglycerides by 20% (at most)
• Increase the HDL (good) cholesterol by 11%

Even if you have a low-fat diet you can include avocados in your diet plan for an improved cholesterol level. 

Healthy eating 

For healthy dietary eating, anyone can include avocados in their diet plans. According to various studies conducted, people who ate avocados regularly were healthier than those people who didn’t consume them. The high nutritional values of avocados are clear proof that it’s a power source of health and nutrition. 

People are said to have a lower BMI and less belly fat too. 

Since avocados are considered to derive nutrients from the plant foods, it consists of a high antioxidant absorption from 2.6 to 15-fold. 

Protect the eyes 

Being a high source of antioxidants, eating avocados also works in favor of your eyes too. This means the presence of carotenoids lutein, and zeaxanthin plays an active role in protecting your eye. These nutrients protect your eye from the harmful rays of sunlight and lower the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. So an avocado a day is a healthy dose for the eyes. This is an excellent reason to always consume avocados. They are a complete resource of high nutrition and also are a rich reservoir of beneficial plant nutrients that otherwise would go to waste if not consumed. 

You can eat avocados in a variety of ways, grill them, saute it with other healthy veggies, or even use it in salad and tacos! It’s not a one way street to nutrition or health. Avocados are a power generation of unique fruits that should never be ignored. So when are you going to start your daily indulgent of avocados?