Avocado: the benefits and harms of the green Persea fruit
The fruits of the South American Persei or avocado tree do not have a pronounced taste and aroma, they are not as bright as citrus fruits, apples and pears, but for some reason they are incredibly in demand. The reason for its popularity is the benefits and harms brought by avocados, which are easy to avoid, knowing the features of an exotic culture.
It is well known that the fruits covered with dense green or brownish skin are extremely nutritious and thanks to this feature they are even listed in the Guinness Book of Records. But what is the calorie content of an avocado? What are the beneficial substances contained in the oily pulp, and when the value of the fruit is less than the harm they bring?
Biochemical composition of avocado, calorie content and nutritional value
The indigenous people of Central and South America, where the avocado or alligator pear comes from, traditionally used the fruits for food, preparing simple, hearty dishes from them. The Europeans who came to the continent eagerly studied the local flora, customs and culture. When meeting avocados, they were amazed at how oily and nutritious the greenish flesh with pear, nut or pumpkin flavors.
Dense in an unripe fruit, the pulp of a ripe avocado is more like a delicate paste, which easily creases and spreads easily, like butter. The mass is similar to this product of animal origin, not only in appearance, but also in its high fat content, making up 48% of the weight.
In addition to vegetable fats, which are easily absorbed by the body, per 100 grams of avocado there are:
- 1.6 grams of protein;
- 2.3 grams of carbohydrates;
- 0.5 grams of fiber;
- 5.0 grams of mono- and disaccharides;
- 0.5 grams of starchy substances;
- about 1 gram of ash.
Calorie content avocado per 100 grams, depending on the variety and ripeness, it can range from 110 to 250 kcal. That is, only a few fruits can fully provide the weft energy costs of an adult engaged in physical work.
But the alligator pear, as the fruit is often called at home and in the USA, is not only a source of energy, but also a mass of components useful for the body.
Why is avocado good for you?
The beneficial properties of the fruit are determined by its composition and the combinations of available bioactive compounds. The avocado pulp contains in sufficient quantities:
- vitamins E, K, PP, D, ascorbic acid and beta-carotene:
- numerous compounds belonging to the group of B vitamins;
- organic acids including pantothenic and oleic;
- a set of macronutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus;
- trace elements, namely iron, zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, fluorine, molybdenum;
- alimentary fiber;
- a number of polyunsaturated acids.
With such a set of substances, modern vitamin complexes or dietary supplements will envy the South American fruit. It is also important what kind of fats the avocado contains. Since the product is a vegetable product and there is no cholesterol in its pulp, a salad seasoned with green pulp, an eaten avocado sandwich or other dish will not be able to negatively affect the walls of blood vessels, will not cause the formation of cholesterol plaques, and will not cause the development of hypertension and other dangerous diseases.
Avocado, containing no more than one and a half percent of sugars, can be used with benefit and harmlessly for diabetes.
And those who care about the beauty and health of the skin and strive to maintain excellent visual acuity will appreciate the high content of carotene and vitamin K in the greenish pulp.
Health benefits of avocado
Excellent nutritional qualities, a rich set of macro- and microelements, vitamins, organic acids and fats. These are the main, but far from all, components that determine the benefits of avocado, which is without harm to the body:
- supplies a person with energy;
- increases efficiency and maintains productive brain function;
- strengthens blood vessels and supports the heart;
- is an excellent prevention of atherosclerosis and hypertension;
- supports vision;
- stimulates tissue regeneration and cares for the beauty and health of the skin.
The beneficial properties of avocados are invaluable for vegetarians, for whom the fruit is a worthy, and sometimes the best substitute for animal fats. Thanks to the use of dishes based on this unusual fruit, you can protect yourself from stress and depression, strengthen the immune defenses and even, due to the antioxidant capacity, look young longer.
Since avocados are almost half oil, the fat-soluble vitamins, which include the carotenoid group, vitamins K and D, are excellently absorbed.
Substances entering the body act softly and in a complex manner, providing a tonic, strengthening, general health-improving effect on a person.
Benefits of avocado for women
Representatives of the fair sex of all ages want to stay beautiful, healthy, fit and cheerful for a long time. Why is avocado good for women? Almost everyone!
The high concentration of iron determines the benefits of avocados for women, much more often than men suffering from anemia. At the same time, the dietary product not only improves the blood composition, it:
- takes care of the health of the vascular system;
- helps supply tissues with nutrients and oxygen;
- maintains tone;
- resists mood swings, lethargy, apathy.
It is important that avocado with benefit and without harm for a woman acts at any age and at different periods of life. Young beauties will not ignore the fact that avocado pulp in culinary dishes acts as a real aphrodisiac, awakening desires and toning up. In fact, the effect of the fruit is not limited to this.
If you regularly enter it in the menu:
- the hormonal background is normalized;
- the reproductive system receives significant support;
- improves the condition of hair, skin, nails, digestion.
The role of avocado in home cosmetology is great. It is an excellent raw material for emollient and nourishing masks, creams, balms and compresses.
Older women will appreciate the benefits of avocado, which, when used topically, activates blood circulation, softens the skin, supports their regeneration and resists inflammation.
It is an excellent universal anti-aging product that is pleasant to wear in a mask and indispensable in the diet.
But, in addition, it is worth knowing about the benefits of avocado for women when losing weight. The inclusion of fresh pulp in the diet will help to effectively support the body during the diet, not to feel hunger, to be calm and cheerful, full of energy and strength for active work and rest!
Avocado during pregnancy and lactation
The menu of the expectant mother largely affects the condition and development of the child. Similarly, foods consumed by a woman act during the period of breastfeeding. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce only the most useful and fresh into the diet.
During pregnancy, avocados are indispensable as a source of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals that have a positive effect on a woman's health and on a rapidly developing fetus. Avocado comprehensively supplies both organisms with everything they need, especially folic acid, potassium and iron, vitamins A, B and K, the need for which increases sharply while waiting for the baby.
It should be remembered that avocados, like other fruits, can cause allergic reactions, therefore, it should be introduced into the menu carefully and only after consulting your doctor.The same rule is followed after the birth of a child.
When breastfeeding, a tasty and healthy fetus will help maintain and restore the mother's body, and through milk will provide the baby with the nutrients necessary for growth. It is best, if there are no contraindications, to try an avocado for the first time after childbirth, when the baby is 2-3 months old.
Health benefits of avocados for men
As a source of fast energy and a complex of nutrients, avocados are valued by men committed to a healthy lifestyle.
A vitamin salad with this fruit, a refreshing nutritious cocktail or a popular meat sauce will not only help maintain strength and activity throughout the day, they:
- increase potency;
- normalize hormones;
- gently relieve stress;
- will have an anti-inflammatory effect;
- improve the condition of the heart system and blood vessels;
- will increase the body's resistance to diseases and extreme stress.
Doctors note the complete absence of harm to the body and the benefits of avocados at the risk of cancer and inflammatory diseases of the male sphere, including adenoma and prostatitis, which often precedes it.
Avocado contraindications and precautions
With a lot of useful properties, avocado has practically no contraindications. Even an allergy to this fruit is extremely rare.
And yet, with a tendency to various types of food intolerances, you need to be careful about the new fruit, especially when it comes to the diet of a child, expectant or nursing mother. Doctors advise against giving avocados to children under the age of three.
Both children and adults should be discouraged from eating fruits if the avocado has darkened too much, has mechanical damage, traces of pests or putrefactive bacteria.
The strictest precautions should be taken against the skin, pits and leaves of the fruit, which contains the compound persin, which is toxic to humans.
At first glance, this substance reminds of itself little, but getting into the body, it causes swelling of the digestive system and respiratory system, negatively affects the work of the heart, and promotes the accumulation of fluid. Therefore, before use, the fruit must be thoroughly washed and cleaned.