Top 4 Benefits of Avocado- A Super Food Packed with Nutrition

From smoothies, and desserts to toast toppings, avocado is touted as a health food. Because of its surprising benefits, this fruit has grabbed the attention of many health-conscious people. It has a creamy, rich and velvety texture with a mild flavor. It is available in a wide range of varieties ranging in texture, color, and size.

 

Types of Avocado

There are hundreds of types of Avocado that vary in color and shape. From round to pear-shaped, these weigh from 8 ounces to 3 pounds. Here are some of the popular varieties explored.

Hass

You can find this variety of avocado throughout the year in the stores. When ripe, it turns from green to purplish black. It contains 18-22 % oil. 35% of its varieties are found in New Zealand, whereas 75% are produced in California.

Fuerte

The name Fuerte refers to strong in Spanish. It is a high-quality California Avocado with a smooth skin and is classified under the category of ‘Avocado other.’ It contains 12-17% oil and is very popular in California and in Europe making it very cultured. This pear-shaped fruit weights 250 gms.

Reed

This summertime late variety extends into late fall. Available in oval or round shape, this green characteristic skin fruit weighs 200-350 gm. The major hub of cultivation is Israel and during peak season, this fruit tastes excellent.

Lamb Hass

This variety of avocado is rounder and larger than other varieties. It has dark skin, close to a black color when ripe. It contains a high percentage of meat and is slightly creamy and nutty taste. After getting mature, this fruit stays on the tree for a long period. Therefore, the production can be carried out throughout the year making them more common than other kinds

Wurtz

Also known as little Cado, this is the smallest variety of avocados available. It is one of the finest flavored avocadi with a rich taste. The tree of Wurtz avocado is also compact and small. It only grows up to 8-10 feet. This green, pear-shaped fruit is a hybrid variety of Mexican and Guatemalan sources. It can also easily grow in a pot! Which means you can grow this variety at home.

Bacon

These are an oval-shaped, thin-skinned and smooth types of avocado. It has a creamy and buttery texture and is less oily than Hass avocados. The tree of bacon avocados is medium-sized and can reach up to 15-20 feet.

Pinkerton

This variety of avocado has an elongated pear shape with medium thick, green and easy to peel skin. These are large in shape starting from 8 to 18 ounces. The flesh is high in oil content, smooth and creamy. This healthy type of avocado enables the body to absorb fat-soluble nutrients and contains monounsaturated fatty acids, which helps the body in reducing cholesterol level.

Sharwil

The shawl avocado is narrow pear-shaped and medium in size fruit that weighs between 8 and 20 ozs. They have rough green skin that stays green and only gets black when it ripens. This type of avocado is only second to olives in terms of oil content. There are 20 essential nutrients available in the avocados including folic acid, magnesium, potassium, protein, biotin, vitamin E, K and more.

 

Health Benefits of Avocado

Avocados come with ample health benefits such as helping in treating arthritis, diabetes management, aphrodisiac, promoting weight loss, supporting eye health, and promoting liver function.

Let’s learn about some major health benefits of Avocado in detail:

Promotes Weight loss

Avocado is very effective in promoting weight loss. It can reduce your appetite and suppress your overall calories intake. In other words, when you include it in your meals, you feel satisfied for a long span of time.

Improved heart health

Avocados and its oil are known for promoting heart health. It balances the blood lipids due to their fatty acid composition. Moreover, in terms of the chemical makeup, avocados contain 71% monounsaturated fatty acids, 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids and 16% saturated fatty acids.

Digestive Health

If you consume one avocado a day, you will receive 9.2 grams of fiber that supports healthy digestion. This superfood stimulates the healthy functioning of your digestive organs such as liver, intestinal tract, pancreas and gallbladder.

Cancer Prevention

According to various studies, avocado has cancer-preventing abilities. The nutrients found in avocado can attack oral cancer cells and also prevent precancerous cells from developing further in the mouth. Apart from this, avocados are also good for skin, hair, and eyes. It even prevents osteoporosis, acts as an antidepressant, and saves you from chronic diseases.

 

Easy Avocado Recipes

There is a wide range of dishes you can prepare using avocado! One of our favorites is Wild Caught Salmon Poke. It is amazingly nutritious and easy to prepare.

(amount of ingredient based on your preferred taste)

Wild Caught Salmon Poke

Ingredients:

• Sushi-grade wild caught salmon
• Sweet onion
• Scallion
• Black or white sesame seeds
• Soy sauce or tamari
• Toasted sesame oil
• Honey
• Sea salt
• Avocado
• Cooked brown rice
• 1 sheet nori

Optional mix-ins:

• Kimchi
• Edamame
• Pickled Ume Plum
• Baby greens
• Serrano pepper
• Rice paper wraps
• Quinoa

To Prepare:

Add onion, salmon, scallion, sesame seeds, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, and honey to the bowl.

Season it with a small pinch of sea salt and fold it to merge.

Add some soy sauce, honey and oil as needed and allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes at room temperature.

Serve it with steamed brown rice.

 

We’ve also included our favorite Guacamole recipe to try out!

(amount of ingredient based on your preferred taste)

 

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• Diced Tomato
• Onion
• Chopped cilantro
• Lemon Juice
• Salt and Pepper

 

To Prepare:

Chop avocados and scoop out its flesh with the help of a spoon.

Use a fork and mash all the scooped flesh in a bowl and mix it until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Now stir in the lemon juice, onion, tomato and a sprinkling of pepper and salt.

Mix the ingredients until it blends smoothly.

Taste the mixture and if you think some flavor is lacking then add lemon juice or salt accordingly.

Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or eat immediately.

 

If you are looking to add this superfood to your diet, try out Leo’s Meals today!