Benefits Of Avocado For Weight Loss

In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of Avocado for weight loss and how to include it in a healthy diet.

What is an avocado?

The avocado (Persea Americana) is a medium-sized, evergreen tree belonging to the laurel family (Lauraceae). It was cultivated for the first time by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago and is indigenous to the Americas. Its fruit, which is also sometimes called an alligator or an avocado pear, is a huge berry with a single enormous seed.¹

Avocados vary greatly in size, shape, and skin tone (green to dark purple). The skin on the outside can be thin or rough and woody. The flesh is buttery in texture and flavour and might be greenish or yellow. In some cultivars, the amount of unsaturated oil in the flesh can reach 25%. The main component of the popular Mexican salsa guacamole is avocado. They supply vitamin A, riboflavin, and thiamin.

With more than 1,000 cultivars between them, the three main avocado races are Mexican (Persea americana, variety drymifolia), West Indian (P. americana, variety americana), and Guatemalan (P. americana, variant guatemalensis).²

Benefits of avocado for weight loss

A variety of health advantages can be derived from a diet high in fruits, vegetables and its healthy mix. While encouraging a healthy complexion, hair, more energy, and moderation in weight, it may lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality.

Enlisted here are some ways that avocados might improve your diet:

Nutrient-rich components

Avocados are incredibly nutrient-dense fruits that contain concentrated amounts of fibre, healthy fats, and a range of vitamins and minerals. They include a lot of nutrients, such as folate, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and magnesium.⁴ Avocados also include vitamins C, B6, and E, which are critical for the immune system's functioning.⁵

Excellent for the eyesight and the heart

Consuming nutrient-dense meals on a regular basis, such as avocados, may help prevent heart disease and improve vision. Avocados' vitamins, minerals, good fats, and fibre all contribute to the cardiovascular system's wellness and eyesight.

Lutein and zeaxanthin, two compounds found in eye tissue, are present in avocados. They offer antioxidant defence to lessen the damage caused by UV radiation. Aside from that, avocados' high magnesium and potassium content helps to control blood pressure. For the prevention of cardiovascular disease or enhancement of heart health, accurate levels of blood pressure have to be maintained.

According to studies, eating a diet high in avocados may help reduce heart disease risk factors, which may delay the beginning of heart disease. Avocados may also contribute to raising levels of heart-protective HDL cholesterol and lowering levels of oxidised LDL cholesterol.

Antibacterial effect

In a research involving 163 overweight adults, those who ate 175 grams of avocado (for males) or 140 grams (for women) every day for 12 weeks had lower faecal bile acid contents and more bacterial diversity compared to a control group.⁶

Fibre components are crucial for healthy digestive functions and it is abundantly seen in avocados. Eating avocados may enhance bacterial diversity in the stomach and lower bile acid concentration in the faeces.

Antioxidative Properties

Carotenoids, vitamin C and E, and phenolic compounds are just a few of the bio active substances found in avocados.⁷ It has been demonstrated that these compounds exhibit considerable cardio protective, neuroprotective, and antioxidant properties.

Improves digestion and foetal health

Nutrient requirements, including folate, skyrocket during pregnancy and lactation. Unfortunately, many expectant women worldwide do not consume enough folate which may raise the risk of pregnancy problems. One avocado can provide 27% of the daily recommended folate intake for pregnant women.⁸

Consuming avocados can also help you meet the recommended dietary requirements for nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and B6 which are required in higher amounts during pregnancy and lactation. Furthermore, avocados' high fibre content may aid in preventing constipation, which is highly prevalent during pregnancy.⁹

May aid to fend off osteoporosis

Approximately 18% of the daily requirement for vitamin K is provided by half an avocado.¹⁰ Although sometimes disregarded, this vitamin is crucial for strong bones. By improving calcium absorption and decreasing calcium excretion through urine, vitamin K can help maintain bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Prevent cancer

A direct connection between eating avocados and a lower risk of developing cancer has not yet been determined by studies. However, avocados do have some ingredients that could be able to delay the development of some malignancies.

Prevention from chronic illness

Avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids that may help in the prevention of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. It is also high in fibre, and evidence indicates that consuming the recommended amount of fibre may lower the risk of stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and several gastrointestinal illnesses.

Other health benefits of avocado

• Both sweet and savoury dishes like smoothies, desserts, soups, salads, and burritos can be made with avocados
• Maintaining body weight has been associated with eating a fibre-rich diet. According to some research, eating avocados may increase satiety, promote weight loss, and reduce belly fat
• Saponins are natural compounds that are widely distributed in all cells of legume plants and are found in soy, avocados, and a few other plant-based foods. These may be used to improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis
• Consuming natural fibre-rich foods can help keep the digestive system healthy, minimise constipation, and reduce the risk of colon cancer
• Avocados are considered an excellent source of folate, which is a crucial factor for good dietary health. The reduction in folate levels has also been linked to depression. Thus, eating avocados can be effective in relieving depression

Nutritional facts

The calories in avocados are high and contain a lot of fat. However, monounsaturated fats are "healthy" fats that, when consumed in moderation, help lower harmful cholesterol. Almost 20 vitamins and minerals are present in avocados. Avocados contain little sugar, and also include fibre which prolongs your feeling of fullness. Consequently, a 100-gram meal contains:

• 485 milligrams of potassium 
• 81 micrograms of folate
• 0.257 milligrams of vitamin B6
• 10 milligrams of vitamin C 
• 2.07 milligrams of vitamin E

As it contains a lot of healthy fat and protein, avocado has a low glycemic index. Glycemic indexes are used to score foods that contain carbohydrates according to how rapidly those foods cause blood sugar or glucose levels to rise after consumption.³

Side effects and other concerns

Avocados may be good for your health and appearance, and they pose very few nutritional concerns. Due to their high-calorie content, eating too much of them may result in an increase in daily calories and, if not offset by other foods in the diet, may result in weight gain.

Summary

Avocados are rich in nutrients that are vital for good health, thus consistently eating them may assist in elevating the quality of your diet. Due to its versatility, avocados can be utilised to create a variety of mouth-watering recipes. It also contains a lot of macro- and micronutrients. Therefore, it is not surprising that dietitians recommend consuming avocados as a way to eat healthily. 

It is an efficient source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and has more potassium than a banana. There are numerous dishes that use avocados to help people lose weight in addition to serving it with a simple salad. Eat it every day and choose a healthy dressing made with avocados.