Avocado Benefits - Amazing Superfood

Most people are shocked to learn the avocado, also known as alligator pear, actually belongs to the fruit family. Avocados are indeed an amazing superfood for many reasons, and research continually provides us with more and more avocado benefits every year. However, years of being scared away from fat-containing foods have caused many people and healthcare practitioners to overlook avocado benefits. In fact, many healthcare professionals tell their weight-loss clients to stay away from avocados. Today — thanks mostly to ongoing research concerning the risks of a low-fat diet — we understand that avocados offer important, healthy fats in addition to much-needed antioxidants, multiple trace minerals, and vitamins.

Avocado Benefits – The Scoop about Avocado

Here’s the scoop about avocados: The avocado is genuinely an amazing superfood to add to your daily diet. In fact, there are few, if any, other superfoods that have more essential nutrients than avocado. One medium-sized avocado has about 215 total calories. Yes, that’s a boat-load of calories. However, because of the healthy fat, fiber, and phytochemical content, this superfood should help you lose weight, not gain weight.

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Even though the recommended minimal serving size is about one-fifth of the whole avocado (approx 30 grams), certain studies suggest that most people consume about one-half an avocado at one time (68 grams). According to the USDA, this serving size provides you with approximately:

113 calories
4.6 g dietary fiber
10 grams fat
6 grams carbohydrates
only 0.2-grams total sugar
14 milligrams vitamin K (19 percent DV)
60 milligrams folate (15 percent DV)
6 milligrams vitamin C (12 percent DV)
343 milligrams potassium (10 percent DV)
2 milligrams pantothenic acid (10 percent DV)
0.4-milligram vitamin B6 (9 percent DV)
1.3 milligrams vitamin E (7 percent DV)
19.5 milligrams magnesium (6 percent DV)

Avocado Oil Fraud – Be Aware

A new 2020 report in the journal Food Control (R)(R) finds that avocado oil purity and quality sold in the U.S.A. is suspicious at best and that standards used to protect buyers and authentic producers are drastically necessary.

Many commercially available avocado oils labeled as “extra virgin” and “refined” are actually adulterated and of poor quality. In fact, 82% were found to be rancid before reaching their stated expiration date. Also, contamination with soybean oil at levels of almost 100% was confirmed in two “extra virgin” and one “refined” sample.

Selina Wang, the co-author of the study, reminds consumers that even high-quality avocado oil can turn rancid over time, which can be detected from its stale odor.

A 2018 Australian study (R) evaluated the correlation between various oils’ smoke points and other chemical characteristics linked to safety.

The scale is of the fraud is horrific. In U.K. and Europe, a supermarket tests every product before it goes on the shelf. This is not the case in the U.S. where price is key to a listing decision.- Gary Hannam, CEO of Olivado

The study found that “smoke point does not predict oil performance when heated.” Avocado oil was one of 10 cooking oils investigated. Paradoxically, they discovered that oils with higher smoke points, such as avocado oil, tended to produce higher levels of harmful compounds during heating — including trans fats.

Because of this study, I do not recommend avocado oil for cooking. Avocado oil is best used cold. The best alternatives for cooking with high heat, baking, and frying include lard, grass-fed butter, and organic ghee. Coconut oil is most likely a healthier alternative since it’s known to be quite stable at high-temperature cooking/baking. The Australian study seems supportive of this.

Avocado Benefits for Your Health

lipid-lowering
antihypertensive
antidiabetic
anti-obesity
antithrombotic
antiatherosclerotic
cardioprotective
oral cancer defense
lowered risk for metabolic syndrome
prostate cancer prevention
use nick-n-peel method when peeling avocados
rich source of potassium
anti-inflammatory
anti-aging properties
cleanses intestines
better hormone balance
helps with bad breath
nourishes skin
regulates blood sugar levels
provides natural fats
rich in fiber
rich in folate & glutathione
high in Vitamin E
increases nutrient absorption
lowers the risk of stroke
high in beta-sitosterol
may lessen macular degeneration & cataracts
high in omega-3 fatty acids
alpha-linolenic acid
may help prevent osteoarthritis & rheumatoid arthritis
reduces levels of bad cholesterol

Suggested Ways to Use Avocado

Fat replacement in baking.
Great topping for soups, salads or vegetable broth and bone broth.
Use in the food processor for dessert whips, puddings, smoothies, and other recipes.
Mash or whip for baby food instead of processed grocery-store baby food.
Homemade guacamole and salad dressings.
Use non-toxic skincare products with avocado for anti-aging benefits.
Peel and eat with a little Himalayan salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar dressing

Creamy Avocado Breakfast Juice Recipe

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients

1 long English cucumber
2 stalks celery
1 lemon peeled
2 thumbs of fresh ginger
1 firm green pear
10-12 fresh spinach leaves
1/2 crown broccoli
1 ripe avocado
3 drops liquid stevia (optional)

Instructions

Freshly juice cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger, and pear. Pour this juice into a high-speed blender with the spinach, broccoli, and avocado. Blend until creamy and smooth.

Avocado Benefits – More Recipes

Avocado Smoothie with Apple-Cucumber-Ginger-Lime

Avocado Raw Salad Dressing Recipe

Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes Mini-Salad

Avocado Smoothie with Pistachio and Strawberries

Cucumber Spinach and Avocado Salad Dressing

Loretta Lanphier is a Naturopath Practitioner, Board Certified Traditional Naturopath, Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Holistic Health Practitioner, and Certified Clinical Herbalist as well as the CEO / Founder of Oasis Advanced Wellness in The Woodlands TX. She studies and performs extensive research in health science, natural hormone balancing, anti-aging techniques, nutrition, natural medicine, weight loss, herbal remedies, non-toxic cancer support, and actively researches new natural health protocols and products. A 20-year stage 3 colon cancer survivor, Loretta can relate to both-sides-of-the-health-coin as patient and practitioner when it comes to health and wellness. “My passion is counseling others about what it takes to keep the whole body healthy using natural and non-toxic methods.” Read Loretta’s health testimony Cancer: The Path to Healing. Loretta is Contributor and Editor of the worldwide E-newsletter Advanced Health & Wellness.