Health (Nutrition) Benefits of Avocados

The tropical green gem of a fruit, the avocado, has been touted as being one of the most nutritious foods known to man; and for good reason. They naturally contain disease fighting and health-promoting properties that most people don’t even know about. 

 Avocados from Feria Libre - 4 X $1

The curative properties of the avocado are amazing. They are loaded in B vitamins, as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. The avocado is also one of the most fiber rich vegetables known to man. Eating one avocado daily is superbly beneficial to your overall health. 


Avocados are an excellent source of natural raw oil, which is easily burned through regular physical activity. The oil of an avocado is very helpful to the body because it is raw and natural. And the more of these you eat over animal fats, the lower your body fat (cholesterol level)!
 

It never ceases to amaze us when we hear someone say they don’t eat avocados because they are fattening. This accepted folk lore is absolutely absurd. Any natural food with raw and natural oil is potentially fattening if you're eating too many calories overall. But that wouldn't make them any more fattening than any other foods with fat in them, such as boxed/processed foods and fatty meats. And the latter is more likely to cause you the health problems. 



There's much more to weight loss than avoiding all fats!  In fact, avocados should be included in the diet of anyone who is concerned about their health. And the wonderful thing about it is, avocados taste so good! At least we think so.
 

The luscious avocado has more than twice the amount of potassium than a banana. Potassium is a very important mineral needed by the human body as it is a natural anti-inflammatory and blood pressure regulator; therefore it is good for the body to receive good amounts of potassium for health. The curative properties of the avocado are absolutely amazing. For good heart and vein health nothing beats the incredible avocado. 



Avocado Facial 



And here is something else I bet some of you didn’t know. As a topical agent the avocado is great for the skin and can be used as a weekly facial to clean the skin of impurities. Many natural cosmetic manufacturers use the oil of an avocado in their skin care products such as skin moisturizer, cleansing cream, makeup base, sunscreen, lipstick, bath oil, and hair conditioner. Avocado oil can also be used as a natural sunscreen. Among eight plant oils, avocado oil proved the most effective sunscreen (Swisher, 1988).
 

The buttery essence of the avocado enhances the flavor of many foods because of its mild, delicate flavor. Avocado can be eaten right out of its shell, or can be spread on whole grain toast and used in sandwiches. Below is our quick and easy guacamole recipe. Guacamole is great for dipping tortilla chips, or used as a side for nachos, burritos, black beans, pinto beans, enchiladas and other Latin American dishes.

 

 Veggie Plate

We can really go through the avocados in our family, and when avocados are in season here in Cuenca Ecuador, you can buy three or four nice sized avocados for just a dollar. Sometimes you can get five or six smaller sized avocados for one dollar too, but usually they need to be used right away. 

It is not avocado season in Cuenca right now (October 2014) so avocados are up in price, but once summer is here, you’ll see more vendors selling them at a good price and Supermaxi and Coral will both sell them at better prices. 



The below guacamole recipe is our family favorite; add more or less Cayenne pepper to taste.
 

Easy Guacamole Dip

 
2 ripe avocados
½ onion, diced 

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced,
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
½ lime or lemon juice
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together and enjoy!

We're an Expat Family of Five Living Frugal, Healthy and Happy in Cuenca Ecuador! Enjoy the blog!