The avocado pear is a very unique kind of fruit, which has numerous health benefits. It is the fruit of the avocado tree, otherwise known as Persea Americana. Many species of avocados pear differ according to shape (elliptical to circular), and colors such as green and black. Their weight can be anything between 220 grams to 1.4 kg. Avocado contains mostly carbohydrates. Despite its being green, delicious, and not sweet, the fruit is rich in healthy fats.
The most common species is called the Hass avocado. It is popularly called "crocodile pear," which is accurately descriptive since it comes with an elliptical shape and a rough green skin typical to that of a crocodile. The fruit's greenish-yellow flesh is what usually gets eaten, while the covering skin and shell are not edible.
Over the years, numerous studies have discovered the countless health benefits of avocado pear. That is why we have decided to highlight some of the most important ones so that it can transform into one of the impeccable items on your shopping list for grocery stores. If you've been avoiding avocado pears before because you fear things with high caloric content, your mind will definitely change at the end of this article.
1. Cares for your skin
The benefits of avocado for the skin are mainly to work against wrinkles, stretch marks, and cellulite thanks to its high vitamin C content, which enhances the metabolization of collagen. This substance gives firmness to the skin.
The avocado pear's health benefits include its richness in vitamins E, K, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium, which help hydrate one's hair and skin. It contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3, which acts in the body as an antioxidant, improves cholesterol control, and prevents atherosclerosis.
The avocado pear is also rich in antioxidants that help protect and prevent skin cells from aging, providing greater elasticity, and leaving a more beautiful and healthy appearance.
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From the perspective of beauty, avocado fruit consumption can help improve the skin, since its components favor having a better tone, given its richness in fatty acids and antioxidants.
2. Good for your muscles
When you eat avocado pear before physical activity, it enables muscle hypertrophy. It generates energy for training and has proteins necessary for regaining and building new muscles.
The fruit also prevents muscle fatigue because it combats free radicals that might arise due to intensive exercising and helps to burn body fat. The avocado pear is also rich in potassium, which promotes muscle development, prevention of cramps, fatigue, and asthenia.
3. Helps pregnancy
Thanks to its rich folic acid content, eating avocado is especially helpful during pregnancy. It prevents congenital diseases, such as problems in the nervous system and spina bifida, which occurs when the fetus's spine does not close completely.
The avocado fruit has to be abundantly consumed by the woman before the pregnancy sets in and during the pregnancy's first trimester to enjoy this benefit.
4. Boosts hair growth
When used in hair masks, the avocado increases the hair strands' hydration and boosts their growth. This is so because the avocado fruit is rich in fat and vitamin E, which is responsible for making hair appear shiny and smooth.
5. For weight check and treatment of constipation
Being rich in fiber, the avocado provides a feeling of fullness, regulates blood sugar levels, and helps treat constipation. The fibers allow for control of one's appetite to prevent excessive consumption of food. In addition to that, when you have a high-water intake, it also favors the production of soft stools, facilitating their exit. However, the avocado is a very caloric fruit with high-fat content, so it should be consumed in small portions of weight-loss diets.
Avocado is fattening if consumed in excess because it is one of the richer fruits in fat, which provides many calories, although they are of good quality. So, the recommended serving is two tablespoons once a day.
6. Good for your brain
The main health benefit of avocado pear for the brain is to boost memory capacity since omega-3 improves brain function by stimulating blood circulation and increasing your ability to concentrate.
7. Prevents heart disease and cancer
Being a fruit that is rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, the avocado helps reduce blood markers that increase the risk of heart disease, lowering total cholesterol, bad LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.
In addition to this, it increases the production of good HDL cholesterol, thus preventing the formation of atherosclerosis and taking care of heart health, which, combined with its high potassium content, enhances the reduction of blood pressure and can also improve sexual performance.
Similarly, because it is rich in antioxidants such as omega-3, vitamin C, A, and E, regular consumption of the avocado pear helps neutralize free radicals in the body, reducing any inflammatory process that might be taking place within the body, preventing cancer.
8. Avocado pear protects the heart
Different studies prove that the numerous health benefits of avocado pear consumption include the resistance of cardiovascular diseases. Fats in this food, mostly monounsaturated, can beneficially affect cardiovascular risk. Now avocados don't just contain any fat; most of the avocado pear contains oleic acid. This is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is also the main component in olive oil and is believed to be responsible for its beneficial effects.
9. Controls cholesterol
Some studies confirm the importance of consuming avocado in people with high cholesterol. Thanks to the amount of fiber and healthy fats it provides, it helps to lower total cholesterol levels. In particular, it reduces LDL or bad cholesterol. The key would be in the compound called beta-sitosterol and other plant sterols responsible for keeping cholesterol at bay.
10. Decreased risk of depression
Foods with high folate levels may help reduce the risk of depression because folate helps prevent the build-up of homocysteine, a substance that can interfere with circulation and the delivery of nutrients to the brain. Too much homocysteine can also interfere with the production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which regulate mood, sleep, and appetite.
11. Helps prevent osteoporosis
The avocado provides about 21 micrograms of vitamin K per 100 grams, making it a great ally for osteoporosis prevention. Recent studies have confirmed that this vitamin helps improve bone quality, thanks to increased absorption of calcium.
12. Improves constipation problems
The avocado fruit's many dietary fibers facilitate the transit of food in the stomach. In the case of constipation, it can therefore be very useful. Be careful; do not eat more than five times a day as its fibers are effective. And it is more precisely the insoluble fibers that make it possible to increase the stool. These fibers are not digested and, therefore, do not attack the intestine.
13. Inflammation
Monounsaturated fats, as well as phytosterols and carotenoids, are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Small studies indicate that a daily dose of 300 g of avocado would slow the progression of arthritis and relieve pain. Further work should confirm this.
14. Vision
Avocado is rich in carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Epidemiological studies show that these substances could lower the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but this has not been formally demonstrated with avocado.
15. Good for blood sugar level
The high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids, low glucose levels (such as fructose and sucrose), and high nutrient fiber levels can have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. There are indications that daily consumption of avocado reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome (a combination of several conditions: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, overweight, etc.).
Bottom Line
Not only are avocado pears healthy, but they are also very tasty and can be used with virtually all kinds of food. They can be added to salads and different recipes or simply be eaten directly with a spoon. They have a rich, creamy, and oily texture that mixes well with other ingredients. One notable mention is guacamole, which is probably the best-known use for avocados. Include avocado pear with ingredients like salt, garlic, lemon, and a few others, depending on the recipe.
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