The Vitamin Channel

 Avocados, the Super Fruit That Has More Benefits Than Anyone Can Imagine!!!

 The amazing benefits of Avocados:

By now, I’m sure everyone has read or heard about how versatile and amazing Avocados are.

In fact, they are so popular that Avocado toast has become an Instagram darling, photographed more often than an international supermodel.

Who among us has not stumbled upon an aesthetically pleasing picture of avocado toast and decided to try and recreate this tempting dish at home?

Aside from social media click bait, avocados have more to offer us than ever thought .

Read on and you’ll see there is a lot more to this cute, green, pear-shaped fruit and how you can start enjoying and benefiting from their marvelous properties!

What are avocados and where they come from?

Avocados are considered to be fruits that grow on the evergreen variety of trees. These trees are sturdy and require a lot of sun and large  amounts of water. Avocados contain one large centrally located seed and are pear shaped. They are considered a stone fruit, and as such, cannot be given to dogs.

They are indigenous to Mexico and Guatemala. However, many other regions now cultivate this fruit due to high demand. In fact, the sustainability of these avocado farms and how they affect their neighbors’ water supply has come into light in the recent years. This being an important topic, will not be addressed here as it deserves a great deal more attention than this health-related blog post. As with any food item, it is imperative that we know how and where our food is grown and how it can affect our eco-system.

Who are the players?

There are 9 major varieties of avocados, so let’s jump right in:

 1. GWEN: This is similar to the Hass avocado, but is larger and has more fruit and a smaller seed.

2. Hass: Hugely popular, in part due to great advertising. If you live in California, you’re sure to come across this variety in your grocery stores and farmers markets. It has a dark green skin and when ripe, it can also take on a black hue. It is a small to medium variety fruit and has a medium sized seed.

3. Lamb Hass: The larger brother of the Haas avocado with more fruit and same sized seed. Haas and lamb Hass taste very similar.

4. Bacon: Beautiful rich green skin with a medium sized seed that is enjoyed late fall through the spring season.

5. Fuerte: This variety is distinguishable by its smooth, non-pebbled dark green skin. It contains a medium sized seed. It is enjoyed in the late fall.

6. Reed: This variety is large and round rather than its pear – shaped counterparts. It has pebbled skin. It is available in the summer through fall season.

7. Pinkerton: This variety is smaller sized overall. It has a smaller seed and pebbled skin. It is available in early winter to spring season.

8. GEM: Truly delicious in my opinion. It tends to have a thick skin and medium sized seed.  It has a fruity flavor and enjoyed in the spring through fall.

9.  Zutano: This variety is distinguished by its pear shape and medium size seed. It has shiny green skin and is available from September through early winter.

Best forms to use avocados

The absolute best way to take advantage of this fruit is to eat it.

Many use avocado oil and swear by its fruity notes and use this oil to liven up salads.

Avocado oil has many topical applications as well. More on this later.

So what’s so great about Avocados anyway??

Since Avocados have so many benefits, we will simply start from from the top! The top of our bodies, I mean, and work our way down in an orderly fashion.

Let’s get this Avocado party started:

1. You’re a Brainiac! Partly due to the fact that Avocados have healthy doses of B vitamins, they have been associated with brain health, including mood and cognitive function. Some studies  have linked this fruit to possible reduction in depressive illness in high risk people, such as those with a family history of mood disorders. I believe more research is warranted in this area and I would like to volunteer as a test subject! 

2. My, my, what big eyes you have! The lutein in avocados helps protect you from future age related macular degeneration, decreasing visual acuity and overall eye health. Avocados also contain a chemical called zeaxanthin which is a potent antioxidant and can combat free radical damage to the eyes. Keep in mind that beta-carotene has been shown to protect eye health in numerous studies. Yep, avocados are full of beta-carotene.  

3. Be still my beating heart!! What makes avocados so beneficial to heart health is that the fats contained in this fruit are actually the good kind of fats your heart needs. These monosaturated fatty acids or MUFAs can prevent obesity, diabetes mellitus and in turn reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, the  plant sterols in avocados go a long way in protecting the blood vessels and improving your cholesterol profile and hence your heart health. Another way avocados can keep your heart healthy is by acting as a natural blood pressure lowering food. The potassium in avocados helps lower blood pressure, further reducing cardiovascular disease.  

4. Tummy troubles: The fiber and healthy fat content in avocados is excellent for preventing constipation. When our digestive systems work seamlessly to absorb and digest food optimally when we give our bodies optimum fuel. In so doing, we avoid indigestion, food cravings, constipation, sluggishness, weight gain, and prevent colon cancer. Avocados have also shown possible antimicrobial activity, which can prevent gastrointestinal infections. In short, if you want to strengthen your microbiome, eat avocados!

5. We’re having a baby, my baby and me!!!! It’s well known that folate is essential to healthy pregnancies, lowering both the risk of neural tube defects in babies and prevention of premature fetal loss. Folate can further guard against anemia and support the functioning of our blood cells. All this goes to show that expectant mothers and those who hope to become expectant mommies should incorporate this fruit into their diet.

6. You glow girl!!!! Vitamins C, E, Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), beta-carotene, and omega 3 fatty acids all work hard to keep skin healthy, soft, radiant, and acne free, preventing in the process, uneven skin tone. Used topically, avocado oil is super moisturizing  to the skin. In fact, avocado oil is on the ingredient list of top hair care products because it works to moisturize hair and gives hair luster.