by Debbie Ross

Created on: March 08, 2009   Last Updated: March 16, 2009

Even though the average avocado contains over 30 grams of fat and a massive 731 calories, dieticians and nutritionists agree that adding a little avocado to your daily diet has health benefits that outweigh the fat and calories. Beside the fat and calories, avocados contain folate, potassium, monosaturated fats and they are high in fiber. They are also an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin B6, and copper.

A cup of avocado has twenty-three percent of the daily recommended value for folate. Folate, extremely important in women who are pregnant, helps prevent birth defects of the spine and brain in the fetus. Folate is also a vital nutrient for heart health. One study followed over 80,000 women for fourteen years using dietary questionnaires. The researchers found that women whose diet included higher intakes of folate had a fifty-five percent lower risk of suffering heart attacks or fatal heart disease.

Potassium is a mineral which the body needs to help muscles and nerves function properly and to help regulate blood pressure. The U.S. Food and Drug Association recommends that an adequate intake of potassium may help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. The avocado is an excellent source of potassium-even better than the banana.

The avocado also contains the monounsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid which has been shown to offer substantial protection against breast cancer. This fat may also help to lower cholesterol. One study has shown that a low fat diet which contained avocados not only lowered the LDL or bad cholesterol but raised the level of healthy HDL cholesterol. The same oleic acid has been found to improve fat levels in the body and to help control diabetes.

Fiber, another essential element in our diet, helps to control diabetes, weight, heart disease, and bowel disorders. The avocado has more fiber, per ounce, than other fruit-up to ten grams in only one avocado.

The avocado is also packed with vitamins A, C, and E which are the primary vitamins in the antioxidant group that protect the cells in human tissue. It further helps the body to absorb certain nutrients, such as lycopene, beta-carotene and lutein. Lycopene helps to prevent heart disease and prostate cancer while beta-carotene and lutein may decrease the risk of certain cancers and eye disorders.

If the amount of fat contained in an avocado is still a worry, remember that most of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats. To further eliminate this fear, shop for Florida grown avocados which contain about two thirds the calories and half the fat of California grown avocados.

Sources: Mayoclinic.com

MedicineNet.com

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