35 Major Benefits Of Avocados
Avocado is a delicious fruit that grows on the tree of the same name and is native to South Central Mexico. It belongs to flowering plant family Lauraceae. Botanically speaking it is a large berry that contains a single seed. They come in various shapes like a pear shape, egg shape and spherical.
Avocado is a good source of various nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids, dietary fibers, essential fatty acids, etc. and presence of these compounds make them very useful for us. In this article, we will know about the major health and beauty benefits of avocados, but first, let’s take a look at the below-mentioned nutrition chart.
Nutrition Chart Of Avocados
Health Benefits Of Avocados
(1) Good For Digestion
Regular consumption of avocados is very beneficial for our stomach as it aids in the digestive process because of the presence of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers in it.
These dietary fibers regulate the bowel movement and ensure that waste gets excreted out of the body smoothly and thus provide relief from constipation and other digestive problems.
The fiber present in avocados also stimulate the gastric juice and other digestive juices and enhance the absorption of nutrients by our body.
Avocados are an excellent source of dietary fibers, and one serving of avocados can provide around 40 percent of the daily fiber requirement of our body.
(2) Aids In Dental Care
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very beneficial for teeth and aids in maintaining proper dental health because of the presence of antibacterial and antioxidant flavonoids in them.
It is effective for eliminating bad breath (which is mainly caused by indigestion and upset stomach) by improving our digestive health.
The antibacterial nature of avocados is also effective for killing bad breath causing bacteria present in our mouth. It has been found that avocados are also effective for reducing the risk of oral cancers.
(3) Keep Our Liver Healthy
The liver is a vital organ of our body and damage to it can be very dangerous to our health. Avocados are very effective for keeping our liver healthy and also reduces liver damage.
This benefit of avocados is mainly due to the presence of certain organic compounds in it. It has been found that consuming avocados play an important role in improving our liver health and also prevents it from damage.
(4) Keep Our Eyes Healthy
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very beneficial for keeping our eyes healthy and for protecting them from eye problems like age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, etc.
This Benefit of avocados is mainly due to the presence of antioxidants, flavonoids, and carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin in it.
The antioxidants present in avocados fights with the free radicals accumulated in our eye tissues stabilizes them and thus prevents them from doing damage to our eye tissues.
(5) Good For Cardiovascular Health
Regular and moderate consumption of avocados is very beneficial for our heart health and helps in keeping our cardiovascular system healthy.
Beta-sitosterol present in avocados helps in maintaining proper cholesterol level and thus reduces the risk of various cardiovascular problems.
It has been found that consuming avocados protect our heart from the risk of atherosclerosis by enhancing the antiatherogenic properties of HDL cholesterol.
In addition to this, avocados are also a good source of potassium which helps in providing relief from hypertension and also reduces the risk of clotting, heart attack, and heart strokes.
(6) Keep Our Kidneys Healthy
Consuming avocado is very beneficial for keeping our kidneys healthy because of the presence of potassium in it.
Potassium is a vital nutrient that helps in keeping our kidneys healthy by maintaining proper fluid balance in our body.
It should be noted that it is important to have a proper potassium balance in our body as both too much and too low potassium level is bad for our health.
Proper potassium level helps keep our kidneys healthy by maintaining proper fluid balance, helps in removal of toxins out of the body and also plays an important role in maintaining a normal heart rate.
(7) Treats Vitamin K Deficiency
Avocados are an excellent source of vitamin K, and one serving of avocados can provide around 40 percent of the daily vitamin K requirement of our body. It makes avocados very beneficial for providing relief from vitamin K deficiency.
Vitamin K deficiency is dangerous, and some of the common symptoms of vitamin K deficiency are bleeding within the digestive tract, gum bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, bruising, cartilage calcification, etc.(source).
Pregnant women and newborn babies are more prone to vitamin K deficiency, and it is, therefore, advisable to include avocados to pregnant and nursing mothers.
(8) Provides Relief From Morning Sickness
Consuming avocado is very beneficial for pregnant women as it provides relief from morning sickness and also helps in overcoming nausea, vomiting, and queasiness experienced during pregnancy.
This benefit of avocados is mainly due to the presence of vitamin B6 in it.
(9) Provides Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Avocados are anti-inflammatory in nature which means they are very effective for reducing inflammation in tissues, joints, muscles, etc. and are also effective for providing relief from inflammatory diseases like arthritis, gout, etc.
This anti-inflammatory nature of avocados is mainly due to the presence of antioxidants ( like vitamin C ), and antioxidant flavonoids, etc. present in them.
It is effective not only for providing relief from pain caused by inflammatory diseases ( like arthritis) but is also effective for reducing the risk of inflammatory diseases.
(10) Reduces The Risk Of Several Types Of Cancers
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very effective for reducing the risk of several types of cancers like oral cancer, skin cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancers, etc. because of the antioxidants, flavonoids and other essential compounds present in it.
Antioxidants like Vitamin C, Glutathione, etc. present in avocados fights with the free radicals of our body, stabilizes them and thus prevents our cells from dangerous cancer-causing effects of free radicals.
In addition to this, avocados also contain carotenoids and monounsaturated fats, and these compounds also help in a significant reduction of cancer.
Studies have shown that the organic compounds present in avocados prevent cancerous cells from metastasizing and cause them to undergo apoptosis (automatic cell death).
(11) Provides Antioxidant Benefits
Avocados are a good source of many antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathione, etc. and the presence of these antioxidant compounds make them very beneficial for our health.
These antioxidants stabilize the unstabilized ions (free radicals) of our body prevents our body cells from the harmful effects of the free radicals and also reduces the risk of various types of cancer.
In addition to this, Vitamin C helps in recycling of Vitamin E and reduces LDL cholesterol level in our body.
They are also loaded with a number of antioxidants like epicatechin, violaxanthin, neochrome, etc.
These compounds also help in neutralizing the effects of free radicals and provide a lot of benefits like reducing the risk of respiratory diseases, reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems, premature aging, cognitive disorders, visionary problems, etc.
(12) Helps In Weight Management
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very effective for weight management. Depending on the need and the serving size, avocado can be used for both weight loss and weight gain.
Avocados can be used for weight loss because they are high in dietary fibers and eating one serving of avocados can provide around 40 percent of the daily requirement of dietary fiber by our body.
The dietary fibers present in avocados make us feel fuller for a long time and decreases our urge to eat, again and again, controls overweight and thus provide relief from obesity.
Avocados are high in calories ( in comparison to other fruits), and 100 grams of avocados provides around 200 calories of energy ( in comparison to other typical fruits that provides around 60-80 calories for 100 grams).
So, if you want to gain weight in a healthy manner, then it will be better to include avocados to your fruit plate.
It will provide more calories to your body, and there will be almost no saturated fats ( 2.1 grams per 100 grams) and sugar ( 0.7 grams per 100 grams) in it.
(13) Keep Premature Ageing At Bay
Regular consumption of avocados is very beneficial for reducing fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, dark spots, freckles, etc. and thus help in keeping premature aging at bay.
This anti-aging benefit of avocados is due to the number of antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Xanthophyll, etc. present in them.
(14) Make Our Bones Stronger And Reduces Osteoporosis Risk
Consuming avocado is beneficial for our bones too as it helps in improving our bone health.
The carotenoids such as Zeaxanthin and Lutein present in avocados reduces the risk of the cartilage defect.
In addition to this, avocados also contain essential minerals such as zinc, phosphorus, copper and trace elements like calcium and selenium.
These compounds help in making our bones stronger increases bone density and reduce the risk of development of Osteoporosis.
(15) Enhance Absorption Of Nutrients
Eating avocados increase the absorption of nutrients by our body and because of this reason it is advisable to eat them along with other fruits and vegetables.
They enhance the nutrients present in fruits and vegetables. It has been found that absorption of the carotenoid antioxidant molecule increases by three to five times when the salad is eaten along with avocado.
Absorption of carotenoids is beneficial as it protects our cells from free radical damage.
They also improve our appetite and prepare our digestive system to function at its highest level.
(16) Good For People Suffering From Diabetics
Regular consumption of avocados is beneficial for the people who have diabetes as it helps in lowering blood glucose levels.
The dietary fibers present in avocados slow down the absorption of sugar by our body and prevents our blood sugar level from sudden increases.
Avocados are low in sugar and 100 grams of avocados provides only 0.7 grams of sugar.
In addition to this, the majority of carbohydrates present in avocados are made up of 7-carbon sugars, which is a rare form that inhibits the enzyme Hexokinase and thus controls the way glucose is metabolized by the body.
Avocados are beneficial for diabetic patients as it only regulates blood sugar level but also helps in maintaining their overall health.
(17) Beneficial For Athletes
Avocados are a good source of some nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, essential compounds, etc. and are also high in calories.
Consuming 100 grams of avocados provides around 200 calories of energy. This makes them very beneficial for the athletes as they require a lot of energy and also need to maintain proper nutrition level in their body.
Avocados not only provide energy to athletes but also helps in improving their overall health because of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential fatty acid, etc. present in them.
(18) Controls High Blood Pressure
Avocados are a good source of potassium, which is a vital nutrient that plays an important role in controlling our blood pressure level.
It provides relief from high blood pressure and also reduces the risk of various cardiovascular problems like heart attack, heart strokes, irregular heartbeat, etc.
(19) Prevent Birth Defects
Avocados are a rich source of folate and folic acid, and a single cup of avocado provides around 23 percent of the daily requirement of folate to our body.
Folic acid plays an important role in the growth and development of the newborn babies and folate helps in preventing newborn babies from congenital disabilities such as neural tube defect and Spina bifida.
Beauty Benefits Of Avocados For Skin
(1) For Skin Cleansing
One of the most important beauty benefits of avocado is its ability to keep our skin clear.
It is a good source of vitamin A which helps in getting rid of dead skin cells, and the glutamine amino acid present in avocados helps in skin cleansing, and also protects our skin from the harsh environmental factors like pollution, dirt, etc.
(2) Keeps Premature Ageing At Bay
Avocados are a good source of a number of antioxidants like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, and there are also some antioxidants carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin in it.
These antioxidants fight with the free radicals (unstabilized ions) of our body, stabilizes them and prevents them from doing damage to our skin cells.
By doing so, they help in reducing fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, age spots, etc. and thus keep premature aging at bay.
It is also effective for making our skin young and glowing. Antioxidants are also effective for the removal of toxins from our body and this also helps in keeping our skin healthy and free from the premature aging effect.
(3) Treats Acne
Acne is a common skin problem that affects millions of people all over the world. Till date, there is no effective cure for acne but it can be treated.
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very effective in controlling acne or skin breakout.
Although there could be many factors behind the cause of acne the most common factor is the clogging of our skin pores by dirt, impurities, excess oil, etc.
When our skin pores get clogged then it becomes difficult for our skin to eliminate toxins effectively and this gives rise to acne, pimples, and other skin problems.
Avocados are very effective for the removal of toxins from our body and skin and thus helps in controlling acne.
Avocados can also be applied topically for controlling acne, and for making our skin smooth and glowing.
In addition to the avocado fruit, avocado oil can also be used for controlling acne.
For this, thoroughly wash your face with a mild facial cleanser, massage avocado oil on your face in a circular motion.
After 20 minutes, gently rub it off with a warm wet towel, and finally apply mild scrub on your face and pat dry (source).
(4) Keep Our Skin Healthy
Regular and moderate consumption of avocados is very beneficial for keeping our skin healthy because of the presence of nutrients like Vitamin A, vitamin E and Vitamin C in it.
These are known to be very beneficial for maintaining our skin health.
Vitamin A present in avocados is beneficial for skin as it normalizes blood flow helps in skin exfoliation protects our skin from UV rays, reduces pigmentation, reduces wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of aging, helps in keeping our skin hydrated and provides a lot of other benefits (source).
Vitamin C present in avocados plays an important role in the production of collagen, an amino acid that holds the body together and is found in bones, skin tissues, tendons and give them strength and structure (source). It improves skin elasticity and keeps our skin firm.
In the same way, Vitamin E also plays an important role in keeping our skin healthy as it treats sunburn, keeps premature aging at bay, treats skin problems like eczema and psoriasis, keeps our skin moisturized and provides a lot of other benefits (source).
In addition to these compounds, avocados are also a good source of other vital nutrients like Zinc, Vitamin K, selenium, copper, etc. that keep our skin healthy.
(5) Provides Nutrition To Our Skin
Consuming avocados on a regular basis is very effective for providing proper nutrition to our skin because of the presence of a number of vital nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Iron, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, etc. in it.
When proper nutrition is provided to our skin then it becomes less prone to be affected by skin problems and risk of premature aging, sunburn, acne, dry skin, etc. also get reduced.
(6) Keep Our Skin Moisturized
Avocados are effective for keeping our skin properly moisturized and this makes them very beneficial for people with dry and parched skin.
Consuming avocado fruit is helpful but alternatively, one can also tropically apply avocado oil on his skin to get rid of dry skin for moisturizing it properly.
Avocado oil goes into our skin pores deeply and provides proper nourishment to our skin.
Because of this reason, avocado oil is added to a number of skincare products ( meant for treating dry skin problem) to make them effective.
(7) Provides Nourishment To Our Skin
Massaging avocado oil on our skin is very effective for keeping our skin healthy as it is easily absorbed by our skin cells and it penetrates deeply into our skin pores.
This is good as it helps in providing proper nourishment to our skin and ensures that vital nutrients like vitamins, minerals, zinc, copper, phosphorus, selenium, etc. get absorbed our skin properly.
It also helps in keeping our skin moisturized and provide relief from the dry and parched skin.
Avocado oil is also helpful in the generation of new skin cells and promotes blood circulation in our body and skin.
(8) Protection Against Harmful UV Rays
Regular and moderate consumption of avocados is very beneficial for protecting our skin cells from the harmful UV rays of the sun.
Prolonged exposure to UV rays is bad as it can give rise to sunburns, premature aging, weakening of immune system, eye damage and may even cause cancer (source).
Avocados are a good source of antioxidants that forms a protective layer on our skin (by moving towards the upper layer of our skin cells when exposed to sunlight) and protects our skin from UV rays damage.
Applying avocado oil on our skin is also effective for preventing sunburn and other harmful effects of UV rays of the sun.
(9) Make Our Skin Soft
Avocados can be used for skin cleansing.
For this, mash a fully ripened avocado ( after removing pit and skin ) in a small bowl to form a paste.
Now, apply this paste onto your skin and rough skin areas like knees, heels, elbows, etc. Leave it for half an hour and then wash off with cool water.
It will help not only in skin cleansing but will make your skin buttery soft.
(10) Removes Toxins From Our Skin
Avocados are very effective for making our skin free from dirt, grime, excess oil and other impurities that can clog up the skin pores and give rise to acne and other skin problems.
For this, beat an egg until it is frothy and then add mashed avocado and milk to it. Stir the concoction until it forms a lotion like consistency.
Now, this concoction can be regularly applied to the skin for keeping our skin pores free from dirt, impurities, excess oil, etc. and thus helps in removal of toxins from our skin cells and reduces the risk of acne and other skin problems.
It also helps in making our skin look young and radiant.
(11) Effective Hand Scrub
Avocados can be used as a scrub and are very effective for making our hands soft. For this, take some mashed avocados in a bowl and add egg white, oats and a little amount of lime juice to it.
Mix the ingredients properly to form a paste and finally, apply this paste on paste. Leave it for 20-25 minutes and then wash off your hands with tepid water ( two parts of cold water and one part of boiling water) or lukewarm water.
(12) Controls Excessive Oil
Avocados are very beneficial for people suffering from oily skin problem as it helps in maintaining oil balance.
For this, blend avocado, egg white, and lemon juice together and whirl it until you get a smooth paste. Now, use this paste as a face mask and after 20 minutes, rinse off your face with warm water.
The benefit of this Avocado face mask lies in the fact that lemon acts as a natural astringent and controls oil production by our skin, egg white provide strength and nourishment to our skin and the presence of protein in avocados helps in oil balance.
(13) Avocado Mask For Skin Moisturization
Both consumptions of avocados and topical application of avocado oil are effective for keeping our skin properly moisturized.
However, moisturizing properly of avocados can further be strengthened by using an avocado mask.
For this, remove seeds and skin from two fully ripened avocados and mash them properly. Add honey and yogurt to it, and stir it well to form a paste.
Now apply this paste on your face and after 15 minutes, rinse off with tepid water or lukewarm water.
This face mask is very effective for providing proper moisturization to our skin and also helps in skin cleansing, for making our skin soft and firm.
(14) For Providing Moisturization To Our Eyes
Avocados are beneficial not only for providing proper moisturization to our skin but also for keeping our eyes moisturized.
For this, simply mash up a fully ripened avocado and add aloe vera gel to it. Stir it properly to form a paste and then carefully spread this paste on pre-cleansed under eye skin.
Leave it for ten minutes and then wipe it off. Finally, splash some tepid water/lukewarm on your face.
This face mask is effective not only for keeping our eyes moisturized but also for providing relief from eye irritation and eye dehydration.
Beauty Benefits Of Avocados For Hair
(1) Scalp Rejuvenation
Avocados are very beneficial for our hair health and help in proper rejuvenation and moisturization of our scalp.
Applying avocado oil on our hair on regular basis treats dry and damaged hair, provide nourishment to our hair and make our hair look lustrous and full of life.
Avocados are rich in vitamins, proteins, amino acids, etc. and these compounds play an important for maintaining proper hair health and promotes hair growth.
(2) Make Our Hair Shiny
Avocados are very beneficial for our hair and scalp as it provides a lot of benefits like providing proper nourishment to our hair and scalp, keeping our hair and scalp properly moisturized, rejuvenate the scalp, promotes hair growth, etc.
In addition to this, it is also effective for making our shiny. For this, mash one avocado and add one egg and little essential oil to it.
Mix the ingredient properly to form a paste. Now apply this mixture on your hair and scalp and leave it for 15 minutes.
Finally, shampoo our hair and apply regular conditioner ( if needed).
This mask acts as a wonderful conditioner and thus helps in keeping our hair soft, moisturized and shiny. It is also effective for getting rid of dry and brittle hair.
Disclaimer
The information contained in the post is for general purpose only and shouldn’t be considered as medical advice or as an alternative to medical advice. Although I’ve tried my best to keep the information contained in this post as accurate and updated as possible, I make no guarantee of the accurateness of the same.
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