An article in LIVESTRONG.com discusses the health benefits of avocados. Avocados are high in fat, but the majority is a type of monounsaturated fat known to lower cholesterol.  Other health benefits include fiber potassium and essential vitamins.

Health Benefits of Avocados

1. Healthy Unsaturated Fats

Most of the fat in avocados comes in the form unsaturated fats. They are especially high in monounsaturated fat, which boosts your levels of (good) HDL cholesterol without raising the (bad) LDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated fats may also help lower triglycerides in your bloodstream.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that eating one Hass avocado per day decreased overall cardiovascular disease risk factors.

You can work this amount of fat into your daily diet as long as your total fat intake stays within the recommended range: According to the Institute of Medicine, 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories should come from fat.

2. Added Dietary Fiber

Chances are good that you need to add fiber to your diet. Most Americans only consume 15 grams of fiber daily, compared to the recommended daily intake of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men, reports the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Adding avocados to your daily diet will help you increase your fiber because you’ll get 4.5 grams from half of an avocado. The soluble fiber in avocados helps protect your cardiovascular health by lowering levels of cholesterol. It also slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, which keeps your blood sugar balanced.

3. Loads of Nutrients

Even though avocados are a little high in calories, those calories come packaged together with a good dose of nutrients. Just a half of the fruit has 487 milligrams of potassium, which is the same amount as a large banana (without the sugar). Potassium can help lower your blood pressure and keeps your muscles and nerves working.

Avocados are a good source of many of your daily vitamins. You will get about 11 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C and niacin and 20 percent of the daily folate and vitamin B-6 from half an avocado. The same portion is also a good source of vitamins E and K.

See article at LIVESTRONG.com  July 06, 2018