Did you know? People who eat avocados regularly in a balanced diet tend to consume more shortfall nutrients than non-consumers.“Shortfall nutrients” are nutrients that lack in the diets of many people. These nutrients include dietary fibre, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. And guess what? Eating avocados in a healthy diet can help you improve your intake of these nutrients. That’s why you should learn more about the nutritional value of an avocado. This is because avocados are more than just fruits!
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Learn more about the nutritional value of an avocado.
Avocado is a nutrient-dense food. As a result, avocados contain many different nutrients. And on top of that, avocados are also rich in other healthful phytonutrients. These nutrients and phytochemicals are responsible for the nutritional value and health benefits of avocados. Here is a summary of the nutritional value of an avocado to your diet. Eating avocados regularly in a healthy diet can provide you with the nutrients listed below.
The nutritional value of avocado in summary
A list of avocado nutrition facts/ Avocado nutrition facts list
- Avocados have 100 kcal of energy per 50 g serving. Therefore can provide you with energy and vitality for your day.
- They are good sources of healthy fats.
- Avocados have good quantities the healthy monounsaturated fats.
- Avocados and olives are the only fruits containing healthy monounsaturated fats.
- They also contain a higher proportion of their fats in the form of unsaturated fatty acids which are healthier.
- Avocados are free from unhealthy trans fats.
- They are naturally a low sugar food as they contain less than 1 g sugar per 50 g you eat.
- Avocados are a good source of dietary fibre some of which are soluble fibre.
- The fruit is also naturally low in sodium which makes them good for heart health.
- They are a very good source of potassium.
- They also contain the vitamin niacin.
- Avocados also contain vitamin A, vitamin C, pantothenic acid and folate.
- Avocados contain vitamin E, vitamin K and the mineral boron.
- In addition, they can also provide you with polyphenol antioxidants.
- They are good sources of colourful carotenoids which include beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin. These are beneficial to good health.
- Finally, avocados are naturally gluten-free, which is good if you are gluten intolerant.
Explaining the nutritional value of an avocado
For more information read:
Whilst the summary lists the most important components, of avocado nutrition, this is not enough. It is therefore imperative that I
explain the nutritional value of an avocado. Here are the explained facts about the nutritional value of an avocado.
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- The forgotten fruit: A case for consuming avocado within the traditional Mediterranean diet.
- Avocado consumption is associated with better diet quality and nutrient intake.
A good source of dietary fibre
Avocados are a source of dietary fibre. They contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. In our body fibre helps to keep our bowels
healthy. It helps in keeping our bowels and gut healthy.
Contains the vitamin niacin
Having important vitamins like niacin is one of the important facts about the nutritional value of an avocado.
Niacin is an important vitamin for our health. Eating avocados in a healthy diet can help you boosts your niacin intake. Niacin is important for your body to obtain energy from food. When you eat food, you need to access the energy and nutrients present in the food. Niacin helps your body access the energy available in the food. It can also help you fight fatigue and improve your brain function.
Niacin is also important for a healthy nervous system and skin. Eating avocado as a part of a healthy diet goes a long way toward getting adequate niacin.
A source of pantothenic acid
The nutritional value of an avocado is mainly based on its ability to provide a wide range of nutrients to a healthy diet. And this also includes several minerals and vitamins. One of those nutrients are the vitamin, pantothenic acid.
Avocado contains useful quantities of pantothenic acid. This is a B group vitamin which helps the body to produce energy from the food we eat. Especially foods that contain fats like avocado.
Pantothenic acid is also needed to keep your brain functioning optimally, by keeping it sharp and focused. Pantothenic acid also helps in fighting fatigue and tiredness. This vitamin also plays an important part when you produce vitamin D. Therefore, the avocado is not only useful as a stand-alone food. But it also helps in boosting the nutritional value of other meals and foods. It does this by boosting the dietary values of vitamins such as pantothenic and other nutrients.
A good folate source
It is fair to say that avocados contain several essential vitamins which include folate.
Folate is an essential nutrient during pregnancy. This is
because it is one of the essential vitamins that help support a healthy pregnancy. In addition, folate is required for the proper development of the foetus.
Your body needs folate for a healthier brain function, healthy blood, immune system and optimum health. Eat avocado as part of
your diet to ensure a healthy life.
A Vitamin C chest!
Vitamin C is just one of the most common and also important nutrients out there. The importance of vitamin C is evidenced by the fact that its deficiency is quick to manifest into a health condition. Many people complain about bleeding gums, and aching gums. And the immediate obvious cause in most cases is vitamin C deficiency.
A healthy diet containing avocados is can help boost your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C aids your body in absorbing iron. Vitamin C also has antioxidant properties. Therefore it protects our bodies from free radical damage and oxidative stress.
Eating avocados as part of a healthy diet can provide vitamin C which can:
- Help you build strong bones and muscles.
- Help you maintain healthy looking skin.
- It can help improve your brain performance.
- Vitamin C is also good for a healthier immune system and oral health.
As I said, an avocado alone is not enough for optimal health. However, you can utilise the nutritional value of an avocado in a healthy
diet and lifestyle.
A plant source of vitamin E and K
Avocados contain important fat-soluble vitamins E and K.
Vitamin E is a powerful protective antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative damage. It also protects fatty acids in your body from detrimental oxidative damage.
Vitamin K is essential in the building of strong bones. It also helps in the clotting of blood to close wounds and stop bleeding.
Avocados are good sources of potassium
Avocados are an excellent source of potassium which is essential for optimum health.
A 50 g serving of avocado contains 255 g of potassium. This is better than many other fruits. Your body needs potassium to maintain an osmotic balance between tissues. It is also essential for a healthy nervous system and muscle
function.
More on the nutritional value of an avocado
An avocado has zero empty calories, and no added sugars, salts or saturated fats. And this is good for a healthy body.
Empty calories come from foods that have a lot of sugars but zero satiating power. These foods do not chase away hunger but they will provide you with calories. And main culprits are refined cereals, sugar, sweets, syrups and confectionaries among others. These foods give you a lot of energy whilst your stomach remains empty.
Refined foods are also the major sources of added salts, sugars and saturated fats which are unhealthy. This is the main reason I recommend eating avocados whole, without removing or adding anything. Not even sugar or salt!
Avocados are a key part of the Mediterranean diet which emphasises the use of foods high in healthy monounsaturated fats, fibre and
antioxidants. And an avocado contains all these making it healthy,good-for-health food when eaten moderately.
The usefulness of the nutritional value of an avocado
All the nutrients found in avocado are good for optimum health. The nutrients can be helpful to pregnant and lactating mothers. And they are also essential to women who may wish to conceive.
By weight, avocados contain significantly higher amounts of folate and potassium as compared to other fruits and vegetables. This
makes them a very good plant source of these nutrients. Avocados also contain more fibre, monounsaturated fatty acids and healthful
fat soluble antioxidants. Many expectant mothers do not get enough of these nutrients in their diet and avocados can help bridge
these gaps for you.
Foods like avocados can help provide nutrients in meals to help pregnant women achieve optimal health. Such foods contribute to better health, better birth outcomes and improvements in early childhood development. They also improve the quality and quantity of breast milk.
Conclusion on the nutritional value of an avocado
In the context of health, eating avocados in a healthy diet can provide you with all the nutrients you need. This fruit can be part of many different healthy diets. They are useful in providing nutrients and healthful compounds to each diet. Whilst eating avocados in a healthy diet is good for your health, overeating avocados are not. Nothing comes out of eating too much of any food other than poor health. So, try to make use of the nutritional value of an avocado in a healthy diet and live a healthy life.