- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
You Will Never Guess Which is the Healthiest Fruit in the World
Photo credit: bigstock.com
When trying to follow a healthy diet, many people make the mistake of skipping avocados due to their high fat content (approximately 14.1 grams in half an avocado.) What they don’t know, however, is that avocados are one of the healthiest fruits (yep, it’s a fruit) you can buy! These dark green gems are packed with nutrients and tons of compounds that protect you from everything from heart disease to cancer.
Don’t skip on the guacamole because you think it’s not a healthy food! The truth is avocados are overflowing with nutrients that are typically lacking in the Western diet of today, which makes them the perfect food for correcting deficiencies naturally and fighting diseases. Keep reading to find out why you should definitely be chopping up some avocado for your lunchtime salad, or making some guacamole for a dinner time treat.
1. Disease Fighting Friend
Yes, it’s true, avocados contain fat, but this is the type of healthy fat your body needs. With about 67 percent of this fat being monounsaturated, 16 percent polyunsaturated, and 15 percent saturated fat, you can see that the bad “saturated” fat is minimal.
The largest amount of fat is the monounsaturated type, also known as oleic acid. Oleic acid has been shown to prevent chronic and serious diseases. One study, published in Lipids in Health and Disease in 2009, showed that oleic acid could actually reverse the negative effects of inflammation in subjects with diabetes and person who are obese, which means it might even help prevent, or treat, type 2 diabetes. Another study published in 2004 found that oleic acid, could decrease the risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. This study was published in the journal Nutrition. So eating avocados is one great tasting way to prevent disease! Read more about amazing things you never imagined about avocados.
2. Lowers Cholesterol Levels
The oleic acid we talked about earlier is some good stuff! Besides preventing disease, it can also help to reduce cholesterol levels. One study showed that those who ate a diet rich in avocados had large decreases in overall cholesterol levels, especially in LDL (bad) cholesterol, yet their HDL (good) cholesterol levels were up an average of 11 percent. High cholesterol levels are one of the main risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
3. Naturally Balances Hormones
Avocados contain beta-sitosterol, which is a plant sterol, which has anti-estrogenic compounds, which means that they naturally block the estrogen receptors in our bodies and reduce the rate at which estrogen is absorbed. This means that women have increased progesterone levels and men have increased testosterone levels. In today’s world that is filled with hormone blocking and disrupting chemicals, avocados can help restore the natural balance of hormones in both men and women.
Continue to Page 2
