Avocados are literally jam-packed with benefits, from antioxidants and phytochemicals to phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. They rock heart-health, gut-health, skin-health, your brain.
So who doesn’t have a love affair with avocados? I know I’m not the only one! In fact if you’re anything like me and eat a whole avocado a day, or pretty close, you know how tasty they are.
But did you know that longevity expert Dr. David Sinclair said that if he could eat only one fruit, “it would probably be avocados.”
Which is unsurprising given how healthy they are! 🥑 😋
Here’s why:
Avocado Benefits
Avocados are packed with benefits, including antioxidants, phytochemicals, phenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and more.
They’re a go-to for essential fatty acids and vitamins B, C, D, E, and K.
Check out this list . . .
Benefits of Avocados
- Antioxidants.
- Phytochemicals.
- Phenols.
- Flavonoids.
- Carotenoids.
- Beta-carotene.
- Oleic acid.
- Lycopene.
- Sulfur.
- Essential fatty acids.
- Vitamins C, D, E, K, and B6.
- Lecithin.
- Amino acids.
- Riboflavin.
- Thiamine.
- Calcium.
- Niacin.
- Folate.
- Omega 3s.
- Pectin.
- Zinc.
- Copper.
- Iron.
- Pantothenic acid.
- Magnesium.
- Potassium.
- Glutathione.
- Lutein.
They also rock specific stacks of some of the best essential nutrients ever.
Such as . . .
Vitamin K in Avocados
A single cup serving of avocado provides up to 50 micrograms of vitamin K, which not only promotes healthy bones and teeth, it reduces high blood pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress. It’s also been shown to improve cognition and boost the immune system.
Vitamin C in Avocados
The vitamin C in avocados is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect cells from free radical damage. It boosts collagen production while reducing inflammation, high blood pressure, and oxidative stress. A whole avocado rocks up to 12 mgs of vitamin C.
Magnesium in Avocados
Avocados are a great source of magnesium at up to 58 mgs per fruit. Magnesium helps support gut-health, heart-health, bone-health, skin-health, and more. It’s crucial for stress, metabolism, restful sleep, and the microbiome.
A single cup of avocado contains 44 mgs of magnesium, while a medium avocado sports 14% of the RDA.
Potassium in Avocados
One half of a medium-sized avocado has 487 mg of potassium, which exceeds the potassium in a medium-sized banana.
Potassium is an electrolyte that supports heart health, bone-health, and fluid balance. It’s instrumental in regulating blood pressure and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. It’s also been shown to help prevent kidney stones and osteoporosis.
A whole medium-sized avocado contains over 900 mgs of potassium.
Vitamin E in Avocados
The vitamin E in avocados is a powerful antioxidant that reduces inflammation, oxidative stress, and high blood pressure. It also boosts the immune system, cognition, reproductive health, and skin health.
A whole avocado rocks over four mgs of alpha-tocopherol.
Folate (folic acid) in Avocados
The folate (vitamin B9) in avocados facilitates the production of RNA and DNA in cells, is crucial for reproduction and fertility, and reduces the risk of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and strokes.
A whole avocado contains over 160 micrograms of folic acid, while a single cup equals 30% of the RDA.
B Vitamins in Avocados
Avocados are a rich source of B vitamins, including riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and folate.
The B vitamins support the nervous system, metabolism, cell health, brain function, cognition, and digestion. They also help mitigate conditions like depression, anxiety, and panic.
Avocado Health Benefits
The main reason Dr. David Sinclair singles out avocados as a top healthiest fruit is due to an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid.
Oleic acid is highly anti-aging because it activates SIRT-1, an enzyme that controls longevity in our cells. It also “maintains cell membrane integrity, regulates gene expression related to inflammation and cell survival, and acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing free radicals.”
The result of which is an overall ramped state across scores of interconnected pathways.
Other avocado benefits include . . .
Eye Health
Avocados contain the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, which help support vision. They reduce the risk of macular degeneration and ultraviolet damage. They’re particularly bioavailable in avocados due to the presence of cofactors vitamins C and E.
Skin Health
Avocados are exceptionally good for skin due to their high levels of antioxidants C, E, and the carotenoid lutein, all of which fight free radicals.
They offset inflammation, which slows aging, and are helpful both internally and topically.
Heart Health
Avocados are excellent for heart-health due to powerful antioxidants, fiber, and the monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid, mentioned above.
Studies show oleic acid helps reduce cardiovascular inflammation.
Weight (BMI)
Avocados support weight loss because they’re high-fiber, boost insulin sensitivity, and contain beneficial fatty acids and phytochemicals.
In addition, a number of studies have linked avocados to weight loss:
“Inclusion of one fresh avocado per day over 3 months had abdominal adiposity lowering effects. . . . Our results demonstrate that avocados have beneficial effects on fat distribution while maintaining insulin sensitivity over time among adults with overweight and obesity.”
What’s more, they contain bioactive compounds that “may help reduce the risk of becoming overweight/obese.”
But Aren’t Avocados Fattening?
Avocados are one of the highest-calorie fruits due to their fat content, but the monounsaturated fats in avocados are considered healthy. They improve cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and promote weight loss.
The bottom line is they’re a natural source of healthy fats which can be fattening if you overindulge.
Avocados and Cholesterol
Avocados have been shown to improve cholesterol due to fiber, antioxidants, and a plant sterol called ‘beta-sitosterol.’
Beta-sitosterol helps reduce cholesterol by “limiting the amount of cholesterol that is able to enter the body. It can also help reduce swelling in the prostate and other tissues,” says one report.
Oleic acid also reduces harmful LDL cholesterol and increases beneficial HDL.
Avocados and High Blood Pressure
Avocados are excellent at reducing high blood pressure due to fiber, antioxidants, potassium, and nitric acid. The potassium in avocados curbs sodium and inflammation in arterial walls. The nitric acid in vitamin E helps modulate blood pressure.
Avocados and Gut Health
Multiple studies have shown that avocados are good for the microbiome.
One report notes that “Daily avocado consumption resulted in lower fecal bile acid concentrations, greater fecal fatty acid and SCFAs, and greater relative abundances of bacteria capable of fiber fermentation, providing evidence that this nutrient-dense food affects digestive physiology, as well as the composition and metabolic functions of the intestinal microbiota.”
Avocados and Bioavailability
Avocados have been shown to boost the bioavailability of fat-soluble nutrients in other foods. Dr Michael Greger notes that carotenoids—phytonutrients in lettuce, spinach, carrots, and more—ramp 15 times higher absorption with avocado onboard.
Which is exactly why salsa and guacamole and salads with avocados are so rich.
Best Way to Cut an Avocado
Food prep is an important component of healthy eating, so here’s a tip on the best way to cut an avocado:
“Consumers should be advised to use the “nick and peel” method “to obtain the nutrient-rich outer section of the avocado.” The Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter detailed what that means: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the seed, rotate a quarter-turn, cut lengthwise again to make quarter-avocado segments, separate the quarters, remove the seed, and, finally, starting from the tip, nick and carefully peel each segment, so as not to lose that nutrient-rich, darkest green flesh immediately under the skin.”
How to Store Avocados
It’s best to keep avocados at room temperature until they’re almost ripe. After that you can put them uncut in the fridge until use.
I always squeeze some lemon or lime on avocados and use them quickly. Once they’re cut, they oxidize fast. I also store them in tightly sealed glass containers and never plastics.
So those are just a handful of reasons to boost avocados in your diet, if you haven’t already, and ramp them with tons of foods.
Keep Reading (and cooking) 📚
The medical and health topics covered on the Plate of Grass website and blog have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to prevent or cure any disease. This article and its content is presented ‘as is’ for informational purposes only.
