Avocado Health Benefits

Yes, the avocado is a fruit. Many people mistake if for a vegetable because of its taste and texture, but it grows on trees that reach up 80 feet and is classified as a fruit by all the scientific community. There are many varieties, and because they are grown in so many locations, they are available year round. California is the largest producer of avocado in the United States, while Mexico is the largest producer in the world. The avocado is used mainly in salads, the most famous of course being guacamole. The texture of the edible part of the avocado is soft and smooth, almost like soft butter. Although many people do not think of it as a health food, surprisingly thereis a large number of avocado health benefits.

More and more people are beginning to understand the dangers in many skin products. Even some of the most well known companies put additives and unhealthy preservatives in their line of cosmetics. As awareness rises, consumers are starting to look for cosmetics with natural ingredients such as avocado oil. A recent study showed that when compared with olive oil, almond oil, and soybean oil, avocado oil had the highest penetration rate of them all. A deeper penetration rate means your skin will not only be more protected from the sun, but for a longer period of time as well.

Avocado health benefits do not stop as a safe cosmetic base, but extends to the kitchen as well. Most of the oils used for cooking contain saturated animal or vegetable fat and other additives that are not good for our bodies. There are two natural oils that can be used when cooking that are predominantly monounsaturated. These are olive oil and avocado oil. Of these two, avocado oil tends to bring out food flavors, not dominate them. It is a very light oil that mixes well in salads and other foods and gives them a very pleasant flavor.

Of course when talking about avocado health benefits, it is important to talk about one of their best attributes, their nutritional value.

One cup of avocado has 22% of the recommended daily intake of folate. There have been numerous studies that have shown individuals who have diets with a large folate content, are at much lower risk for heart disease and strokes. Another nutrient that an avocado contains that is great for your heart is Vitamin E. In fact avocados have more Vitamin E content than almost any other fruit there is. So it looks as though eating avocados gives you a double dose of heart protection.

Another health plus for avocado lovers is eye health. Avocados have more lutein than any other commonly eaten fruit. Lutein has been found to protect against two eye related disease of the elderly; macular degeneration and cataracts.

One study had 46 volunteers eat generous serving of avocado for only one week. At the end of the study, there had been an average drop of 17% in the cholesterol level. Now there is a great statistic to add to your list of avocado health benefits.

There are many other health reasons to eat avocados. You might want to browse the internet for more information. Avocados do have a large calorie and fat content, but the fat is almost all monouunsatured, and the calories are no more than in a couple of spoons of mayonnaise, so its not that bad. Eating avocados is one of the times when the pros by far outweigh the cons.