Avocado is the rare–uh, fruit? veggie?–that has transcended food categories and is known as a category of its own. Fruit, it’s definitely a fruit.
The green jewels of food are infamously healthy for their healthy fats and creamy fibers. An average medium avocado carries 240 calories but provides 30% of the daily recommended values for healthy fats and fiber. The creamy, fatty texture makes it perfect as a balance for salads and a spreadable for toast.
A single avocado can deliver tons of hard to find nutrients as well. Spread it on toast for 42% of the DV of pantothenic acid, 31% DV copper, and 30% DV folate. It also carries 23% DV of vitamin B6, 21% DV of vitamin E, and 20% DV of vitamin C. You can get half the potassium that a banana offers from a single avocado!
Avocado health benefits basically break down into two categories:
- First, avocados are a green fruit that delivers healthy fats. This will make it good for your heart, mind, and body!
- Second, avocados are nutrient-dense and use fats to help with nutrient absorption. Avocados deliver nutrients and also help your body absorb the nutrients contained in other foods in the meal.
So, let’s discuss amazing nutrition facts about Avocados!
1. Avocados are Great Ways to Deliver Good Fats
Avocados are famous for their healthy fats. They don’t carry saturated fat or added sugars as many fatty foods do, and so they deliver mono and polyunsaturated fat without weighing you down with the other fats. The avocado is basically the only fruit containing monounsaturated fat!
Nearly 15 out of the 22 grams of fat that are in an avocado come from monounsaturated fat, the healthiest kind, and the kind that we get the least of.
Avocados can be used as substitutes for fats in certain recipes, switching unhealthy fats for healthy ones! Check recipes for substitution opportunities.
2. Heart-Healthy – A Great Nutrition Fact about Avocados
The healthy fats of avocados help lower the risk of heart disease. High vitamin K reduces blood clotting. Avocados improve LDL levels and lower stress in the bloodstream. Eating avocados with a meal can decrease the stress of oxygen in the blood after food is consumed.
3. What Avocados Don’t Have
We generally expect certain things from foods that deliver fats, healthy and unhealthy. Avocados are sodium-free, meaning you won’t fill yourself with salt while you’re getting your healthy fats. The little green fruits are also free of sugar!
4. Cognitive Function and Hormonal Balance
An amazing nutrition fact about avocados is that they contain healthy fats. The fatty acids found in avocados help regulate the central nervous system and balance hormones. Eating healthy fats improves moods naturally! Avocados are a great part of a depression-resistant diet, boosting their mood by stabilizing your hormones through fatty acids. Trans-fats can raise the risk of depression, but avocados have healthy fats which can tilt the needle in the opposite direction. High-fat diets show a correlation with lower depression and anxiety if those fats are healthy.
5. Nutrition Facts about Avocados – Avocados are a Nutrient-Dense Superfood
Foods that are “nutrient-dense” give you a great number of vitamins and nutrients for smaller calorie counts, meaning you don’t have to overeat to derive the proper DV of your vitamins and nutrients. An avocado contains about 20% of the DV for Vitamin C, B-6, and K. It contains roughly 30% of copper, folate, and monounsaturated fats.
6. Nutrient Absorbing Superfoods
But avocados are also nutrient boosting and superfoods. Avocados contain fat, helping you absorb fat-soluble nutrients. Avocados contain vitamins K and E and help you absorb those vitamins. They can also help you absorb vitamins A and D, which although they don’t contain, are easy to get into salads which avocados taste delicious in! Avocado can also drastically improve carotenoid absorption (vitamin A).
7. Better Digestive Health
Avocados are a great source of fiber, which increases digestive health. Fiber creates good bacteria in the gut and decreases unhealthy bacteria. It pulls waste through the intestines and cleans your system. The high-fat content also helps reduce irritable bowel syndrome! This is a great nutrition fact about Avocados for those who have chronic digestive problems.
8. Avocados Give a Shine to Your Skin, Eyes, and Hair
The fat-soluble vitamins and healthy fats help your skin, eyes, and hair shine! The creamy contents of avocados moisturize skin. The high-antioxidant count helps you synthesize carotenoids to protect your eyes and make them shine. Try eating avocados and carrots at the same time to really make your eyes pop. Avocados also contain lutein which can prevent blue light ray damage and free radical damage, helping keep your skin soft and new.
Conclusion
The healthy fats and nutrient density of avocados make them one of the strangest, healthiest fruits to add to your diet. Avocados help swap bad fats out of your diet to improve heart disease and mood. They also contain tons of nutrients and help you absorb those nutrients to improve gut health and make your skin shine!
Add avocados to your diet in salads, on toast, or simply as a snack by themselves!
I hope that this article on Avocado nutrient facts was helpful. If you are interested, visit the health facts page!
