One of my dearest girlfriends eats one to two avocados for lunch every day. I couldn’t understand why she would want to eat avocados everyday! I wouldn’t have considered it my favorite fruit (yes it is a fruit!) to have for lunch because they have such a high calorie content. But my girlfriend insisted that one of the best things you could do for yourself was to eat at least one avocado every day!
Avocados, although high in calories, are considered one of the healthiest foods we can eat. The key to a healthy diet is moderation. Avocados are bursting with nutrients that offer a myriad of health benefits. An avocado contains more than 25 of the vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytonutrients our bodies need daily. People who eat an avocado everyday tend to be generally healthier and have a much higher nutrient intake and lower body mass index than those who don’t. And don’t worry about the fat thing! Yes avocados have a high fat content, but they are a source of the “good fats” the healthy fats! A good fat, monounsaturated fat, can reduce the risk of a stroke or a heart attack and reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the blood!
Avocados help you manage your weight. Studies of people who ate at least a half avocado for lunch were satisfied and full longer and less likely to snack. Avocados are helpful in regulating blood sugars to aid in preventing diabetes. Avocados have oleic acid content in it which has healthful properties to lessen chronic inflammation in the body that is thought to be responsible for allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer and most of today’s modern diseases.
Other Health Benefits of Avocados
- eye health- avocados are a source of phyto nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin that can fight macular degeneration
- Brain Food – Avocados provide 20% of the body’s daily copper needs
- prevents cancer-oleic acid is known to fight breast and prostate cancers
- aids digestion because of the fiber in avocados
- great natural mouthwash because it cleanses intestine to help prevent coated tongue and bad breath
- benefits in diabetics – monounsaturated fats can reverse insulin resistance
- benefits pregnancy-it is loaded with folate potassium and vitamin C and B6 which are all essential for the development of a healthy baby
- it gives you an energy boost because the healthy fat produces a steady stream of energy
For those of us who suffer from bouts of depression – it is a mood enhancer because of the vitamin and mineral content potassium and folate (Depression sufferers lack sodium magnesium and potassium) folate also staves off depression
Avocados also benefit the skin!!! They contain all of the nutrients vital for healthy skin.
Flawless skin can be achieved because their is a high content of vitamin A in avocados. Vitamin A removes dead cells from the body. Vitamin C is involved in creating elastin and collagen which bind the skin together.
The amino acid glutamine cleanses and protects the skin from environmental change.
Avocados are a great moisturizer for dry skin because the high content of vitamin C is a great natural moisturizer, and the high content of oleic acid maintains the moisture in the skin’s epidermal layer, keeping it soft and moist.
Avocado Oil is a wonderful skin moisturizer. It is easily absorbed and can penetrate into the layers of the skin to clean and restore nutrients to the skin. They have humectant qualities that can draw water from the skin and plump it up.
Would you like to make your own body moisturizer?
mash 1 or 2 avocados, add honey or add the essential oil of your choice, leave on skin for 20-3o minutes, rinse.
Avocados can prevent skin from aging because they have antioxidants that help eliminate the toxins that are responsible for premature aging and wrinkling. Vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage from oxidizing fats in your skin cells that can lead to aging skin.
To make a facial mask:
mash an avocado as a facial mask , put it on your face and leave it on for 20 minutes. It will remove the toxins that help to prevent premature aging.
Avocados are really good for treating sunburn. Vitamin E plays a role in reducing harmful UVA and UVB radiation from sun exposure.
Use avocado oil as a natural sunscreen to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays.
Avocado oil can also ease sunburn pain and treat sunburn if you apply the oil on the spot where the pain or chafing occurs. It can also treat scars, itching, inflammation, skin cracking and age spots.
What Next? Would you believe it treats your hair too?
Is There Anything More? You betcha!
Aside from health, hair, and skin benefits, avocados are delicious and versatile.
I hope you will all go out and by a bunch of avocados, and a bottle of avocado oil to keep in the house. It’s for your health, your skin, and hair! We should all do what my girlfriend has been doing for forever, we should eat one every day!
You Are Awesome!
We miss you already!
xoxoxo
Sookie and Sylvie (dogs and birds shouldn’t eat avocados)
