Avocados or “alligator pears” are known for their creamy smooth flesh and bumpy skin. They are a popular food across many cultures. Perhaps best known as the star ingredient in guacamole, they are versatile and prepared in an array of dishes, or simply eaten plain with a spoon. Although not sweet, avocados are botanically classified as a fruit with a large berry and single center pit, grown from the Persea Americana tree. They are believed to have originated in Mexico or Central America, with Mexico being the leading producer worldwide.
Avocado
The Nutrition Source
The researchers looked at 30 years of data from more than 110,000 female and male participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. After taking into account a wide range of cardiovascular risk factors and overall diet, they found that people who ate at least two weekly servings of avocado — with a serving defined as half an avocado — had a 16 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease during the study period.
Eating one avocado a week may lower heart disease risk
Avocados are one of the few fruits (yes, technically they're a fruit, not a veggie) that contain healthy unsaturated fats. These fats help lower undesirable LDL cholesterol when eaten in place of saturated fat. The popular Haas avocado, which has dark-green, nubby skin, grows year-round in California. A larger variety with smoother, bright-green skin grows in Florida. Marketed as SlimCado, it contains about half the fat and third fewer calories than Haas avocados. Avocados ripen or "soften" after they have been harvested.
Vegetable of the month:
Avocado
We were able to show that when people incorporated one avocado a day into their diet, they had fewer small, dense LDL particles than before the diet,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., RD, distinguished professor of nutrition, who added that small, dense LDL particles are particularly harmful to promoting plaque buildup in the arteries. “Consequently, people should consider adding avocados to their diet in a healthy way, like on whole-wheat toast or as a veggie dip.”
One Avocado a Day for Heart Healthy Benefits
Hass avocados, the most common commercial avocado cultivars in the world, contain a variety of essential nutrients and important phytochemicals. Although the official avocado serving is one-fifth of a fruit (30 g), according to NHANES analysis the average consumption is one-half an avocado (68 g), which provides a nutrient and phytochemical-dense food consisting of the following: dietary fiber (4.6 g), total sugar (0.2 g), potassium (345 mg), sodium (5.5 mg), magnesium (19.5 mg), vitamin A (43 μg), vitamin C (6.0 mg), vitamin E (1.3 mg), vitamin K1 (14 μg), folate (60 mg), vitamin B-6 (0.2 mg), niacin (1.3 mg), pantothenic acid (1.0 mg), riboflavin (0.1 mg), choline (10 mg), lutein/zeaxanthin (185 μg), phytosterols (57 mg), and high-monounsaturated fatty acids (6.7 g) and 114 kcals or 1.7 kcal/g. The avocado oil consists of 71% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and 16% saturated fatty acids (SFA), which helps to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and enhance the bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals from the avocado or other fruits and vegetables, naturally low in fat, which is consumed with avocados. There are eight preliminary clinical studies showing that avocado consumption helps support cardiovascular health. Exploratory studies suggest that avocados may support weight management and healthy aging.
AVOCADO HASS COMPOSITION AND POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS
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