All About Avocados

A question was asked about avocados. Are they really good for you since they are high in fat and the answer is "YES!" Avocados are extremely healthy and even beneficial for weight loss. First, I will give a few reasons as to why avocados should be included in your daily diet.

1. Research has shown that avocados contain certain compounds that seek out and destroy pre-cancerous and cancerous cells without harming healthy cells.

2. Avocados are high in oleic acid which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in many studies.

3. Avocados contain a carotenoid called lutein. Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts. These are eye conditions that are found as we get older but the younger you start the better off you will be.

4. Avocados are high in beta-sitosterol, a compound that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

5. One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies have shown that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease.

6. Avocados are an excellent source of glutathione, an important antioxidant that reasearch has found to be important in preventing aging, cancer, and heart disease. Many researchers are now claiming that glutathione is the 'mother of all antioxidants' meaning without it in our bodies we become subject to all sorts of health problems.

7. Avocados are the best fruit source for Vitamin E.....which is an essential vitamin that protects our bodies against many diseases and helps maintain our overall health.

8. Avocados aid in insulin function.

9. Avocados help to build muscle while helping the body to burn fat. The longer it takes for a food to enter your bloodstream, the less fattening it is....because it puts less of a load on the amount of insulin that is released into your bloodstream. Avocados enter the bloodstream at a slower rate because of their fat content.

Perhaps,you might be shocked to learn that avocados are one of the best foods for weight loss. Many diet 'gurus' will tell you that avocado is full of fat and all fat is bad. However, there are 'good fats and bad fats'. Bad fats make you fat but good fats keep you FROM getting fat. Avocados are a good fat because they are monounsaturated. Research again shows that diets high in monounsaturated fat are more beneficial for weight control because monounsaturated fat exerts beneficial effects on how your body uses blood sugar.

Avocados not only help with sugar metabolism but they also contain a unique weight loss friendly carbohydrate called mannoheptulose. Mannoheptulose is a rare form of sugar, primarily found in avocados, that has been found to lower insulin secretion. To understand how the inhibition of insulin is helpful to weight loss here is a short mini-lesson on insulin resistance (which is becoming an epidemic in America today) An underlying cause of the obesity epidemic is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells lining your arteries become resistant to the action of the hormone insulin. Your body uses insulin to pull sugar from your blood and into your cells where it can be used as energy. When your cells become 'resistant' to insulin, your body has no choice but to store your blood sugar as fat. This is a simplistic explanation of insulin resistance....but for now, suffice, it to say that one of the keys in losing weight would be to control your insulin levels. So, here again, choose foods that are as close to nature itself and eliminate refined carbs as much as possible...white bread, white rice, sugar in all forms...because the more refined foods you put into your body....the greater the insulin production....Anyway, once again, I got off track because this is about THE AVOCADO.

Avocados can help with insulin resistance by virtue of the presence of mannoheptulose and its high content of good fats (the ones your body is craving for).

As with all foods, strive for a variety to get the best of everything. Since avocados are a fat, they provide twice the energy of proteins and carbohydrates.