Fill Your Plate with Avocados!

By Erika Guzman, Current ASU Nutrition Student

 

Avocados seem like a bandwagon fruit (yes, it’s a fruit), but in reality, it’s a delicious, healthy fat. But did you know it’s just as beneficial as it is tasty? From guacamole to avocado toast, there are many delicious ways to enjoy it.

So what makes avocados stand out? Why is the avocado put on a pedestal? For starters, avocados are a very heart-healthy, nutrient-dense food. It contains good fats, or monounsaturated fats, and is a fat-soluble fruit that allows the body to absorb nutrients well. Avocados are high in potassium. A single, medium-sized avocado has about 250 mg in its pulp or about 6% of your daily serving. Potassium is responsible for the heart muscles and regulates blood pressure. It seems to be the fruit that’s second to the banana as an avocado has four times more nutritional value than almost all fruits and is loaded with nutrients such as folic acid, potassium, protein, calcium, and more.

 

Avocados also have high levels of lutein. Lutein is a carotenoid and it helps protect the eyes from risks, diseases, and problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration in older adults. It also works to boost memory and attention, or cognitive health. In short, it can help aging adults.

 

According to Study Finds, eating an avocado a day can help strengthen the eyes and brain! In the study, the researchers followed 40 adults who would eat an avocado every day for six months, and as a result, they were not only healthier, but there was a 25% increase in lutein in their eyes. Lutein can also work as an anti-inflammatory agent and as an antioxidant. The fad is definitely beneficial to health, and it even is beneficial to older adults too, so convincing them to join you for brunch with avocado toast and smoothie bowls shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

 

Besides avocado toast, there are other tasty recipes for consumption and for your skin! Here are some tasty foods and drinks for you to try!

 

 

 

For more amazing recipes be sure to check out the Fill Your Plate website! If you liked this article, then you will love the Fill Your Plate blog!

 

 

References

 

Beckerman, J, MD FACC and WebMD. (2016). How potassium helps your heart. WebMD

website. Retrieved at https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/potassium-and-your-heart.

Duarte, P.F., Chaves, M.A., Borges, C.D., & Mendonca, C. R.B. (2016). Avocado:

characteristics, health benefits and uses. Cienca Rural. 46(4).. Retrieved at http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0103-84782016000400747&script=sci_arttext.

California Avocados. (2018). Avocado nutritional facts and health benefits. California Avocados

website. Retrieved at https://www.californiaavocado.com/nutrition/nutrients.

Dreher, M. L. and Davenport, A. J. (2013). Hass avocado composition and potential health

effects. Critical Review in Food Science and Nutrition. 53(7): 738-750. Retrieved at

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/.

Marquette, T. (2018). Study finds eating an avocado every day strengthen eyes, brain. Study

Finds. Retrieved at https://www.studyfinds.org/eating-avocado-daily-brain-health/.

Scott, T. M., Rasmussen, H. M., Chen, O., & Johnson, E. J. (2017). Avocado consumption

increases macular pigment density in older adults: a randomized, control trial. Nutrients. 9(9): 919. Retrieved at http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/9/919/htm.

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