Healthy Food Series – Avocado

Happy Tuesday y’all! It’s time for the weekly Healthy Food Series on iScriblr.

Keeping up with the fad of being cognizant of the health benefits and clean regime, here comes my newest aid to a “healthful lifestyle” that not only keeps you appraised with the newest food trends but also helps you lose those extra pounds (and feel good inside out!)

Our star of the day for Healthy Food Series is  – AVOCADO!

HISTORY

Avocado’s history as a food item is as intriguing as the fruit itself. Amusingly, the word “avocado” is believed to be derived from the Nahuatl word “ahuacatl”, which means “testicle” and obviously portrays the shape of the fruit. It also likely refers to the fact that they believed the avocado to be an aphrodisiac (an erotic love drug!) Historically, Avocados have long been a part of the Mexican diet and impressively, archaeologists have found evidence of avocado consumption going back almost 10,000 years in central Mexico. Though, back then, humans were simply gathering and consuming wild Avocados.
In the 16th century, Spanish explorers became the first Europeans to eat Avocados. The Spanish called the fruit “aguacate”, a corruption of the word “ahuacatl”. By the time of the Spanish conquest, Avocados had spread from Mexico through Central America into parts of South America. The Spanish eventually brought Avocados to Europe and sold them to other countries including England. (Yay, globalization!)
In the US – Henry Perrine, a horticulturist, first planted avocados in Florida in 1833. However, it didn’t become a commercial crop until the early 20th century. While they were fairly popular in California (known as ahuacate), Florida (known as alligator-pear) and Hawaii where they were grown, people in other states avoided avocados for unknown reasons. It was not until the 1950s, that Avocados started gaining widespread popularity, thanks to easy recipes and quick salads.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Avocados are very nutritious and contain a wide variety of nutrients, including 20 different vitamins and minerals, making it a “super-food”. Here are some amazing health benefits of Avocado –

1 Avocados are actually very high in potassium, with a 100 gram (3.5 ounce) serving containing 14% of the RDA. Several studies show that having a high potassium intake is linked to reduced blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure.
2 Avocados and avocado oil are high in monounsaturated oleic acid, a “heart healthy” fatty acid that is believed to be one of the main reasons for the health benefits of olive oil. Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and been shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer.
3 Avocados tend to be high in fiber, about 7% by weight, which is very high compared to most other foods. Fiber can have various important benefits for weight loss and metabolic health.
4 Not only do avocados increase antioxidant absorption from other foods, they are also high in antioxidants themselves. Studies show that these nutrients are linked to drastically reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, which are common in the elderly.
5 Some studies in isolated cells have shown that nutrients in avocados may have benefits in preventing prostate cancer, and lowering side effects of chemotherapy in some cells.

**NOTE : PLEASE BE SURE OF YOUR ALLERGY CONDITION and PROMINENCE before trying this “super-food” out!**
Some people do have allergic reactions to Avocado. Generally, there are two main forms of allergy – those with a tree-pollen allergy develop local symptoms in the mouth and throat shortly after eating avocado and the second, known as latex-fruit syndrome, is related to latex allergy and symptoms include generalized urticaria, abdominal pain, and vomiting and can sometimes be life-threatening.
Also, Avocado leaves, bark, skin or pit are documented to be harmful to animals – cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, birds, fish and horses can be severely harmed or even killed when they consume them.

NUTRIENT CONTENT

The table below contains information on the vitamins, carbs and fiber in avocados per 50 grams.
*Daily values are based on 2000 calorie diet.

Because of the low sugar content, they are expected to have a very low glycemic index score, which means that they do not raise blood sugar levels as much as other fruits. Also, just half an avocado provides 4.5 grams of fiber, which is very high. Dietary fiber is an important nutritional component with abundant health benefits.

RECIPE

Avocado is super versatile and can be used in everything from burger recipes to salad dressings to even brownies! Not only are the Avocados healthy, they’re also incredibly delicious and go with all sorts of foods. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or just an avocado lover (like me), it fits in perfectly with your “healthy lifestyle”. Well, since there is so much to make out of this wondrous fruit, it would be unfair to name just a single recipe and hence, I present to you all – 25 Fun Avocado Recipes from my favorite food blog – CookieandKate!

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY AVOCADO?

As per Healthline – “At the end of the day, avocados are an awesome food. They’re loaded with nutrients, many of which are lacking in the modern diet. They are weight loss friendly, heart healthy and last but not least, taste incredible! What more could you ask for in a food?”

Here’s to clean living and a healthy lifestyle! Cheers!

Love,

Disclaimer : The facts and information have been collected/collated from Healthline, Google and Britannica.