We can often hear that Avocado is a superfood, that Avocado is extremely healthy, that everyone needs to eat Avocado every day. But, on the other hand, eating Avocado every day is very expensive financially. And we do not always have high-quality Avocado available in our stores. I will say right away that not everything is so clear. There is an opinion that spending money on Avocado is not at all advisable and not necessary. So you still need to eat it, or not necessarily?
The Benefits of Avocado
So, first, we will analyze the benefits of Avocado, what it gives, what it contains, and what the advantages are, and what are the reasons for it.
First, it is worth saying that Avocado is a reasonably fat fruit. Yes, it is a fruit. Previously, it was believed that this nut is due to its chemical composition because it is pretty fat, and this is typical for nuts when there are more fats than proteins and carbohydrates. And for fruits, it is more specific when carbohydrates are more than anything else. Nevertheless, yes, Avocado is so special – it is a fruit.
Well. Even though Avocado is quite fast, it is already hopelessly outdated ideas that fatty food is unhealthy food and is not a dietary food. Here is a fat French fry; yes, this is not dietary. And when we talk about fats, for example, from nuts or Avocado – this can be considered a dietary product if you control the total calorie content.
Well. Of course, Avocado is useful. It contains a lot of potassium and fiber. I have repeatedly said that an adult should consume at least 30 g of fiber per day.
Learn more:
Fiber: the most important component of a healthy diet.
What are the vitamins in Avocados?
Avocado contains vitamin C, although not in huge quantities, but still there, and there are also antioxidants. And, even though Avocado is relatively fat, it is well, not very high in calories, let’s say, 160 kilocalories per 100 g. It is a lot or a little, well, of course, the relativity of what to consider. Regarding the cabbage? Yes, a lot. But about buns, this is not enough. Avocado also contains B vitamins, vitamin E, A, K, folic acid, and a whole set of minerals:
- phosphorus
- iron
- sodium
- copper
- magnesium
- and many others.
Often, even Avocado is recommended for people who have cardiovascular diseases. since it heals our:
- blood vessels
- it lowers cholesterol
- and also improves its state of the gastrointestinal tract.
What are the disadvantages of Avocado?
Well, okay, with the benefit, I think it’s more or less clear. But there are also downsides to the dark side of Avocado.
First, it has a rather toxic peel and bone. And you can not use thousands of them in any case.
Another disadvantage is quite often allergic reactions to Avocado. However, this is an individual moment. But it is worth mentioning separately about the fat composition. You can often hear that avocados are high in Omega-3 and Omega-6. And this improves our cholesterol profile. But there is one very insidious nuance that few people know about: the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3.
We might think that wow, this fruit has Omega-3, and that’s great.
Yes, there is, but we must take into account how much Omega-6 is there. And Omega-6 is much more there. And the whole point is that Omega-3 and omega 6 are antagonists in a certain sense.
If Omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect, then Omega-6 has a pro-inflammatory effect. So to put it simply, Omega-3 is good, Omega-6 is bad.
Of course, I greatly simplify but roughly speaking; it is so.
But of course, it is physically impossible to exclude Omega-6 from our diet completely.
It is present everywhere in various volumes. Therefore, scientists have researched this question quite well and have answered it.
The norm of Omega-3 and Omega-6
Is to maintain a healthy balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6, no more than one to four.
That is, for every gram of Omega-3, there should be no more than four grams of Omega-6. And what is the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 in Avocado? 13 to one
Yes, of course, this is not some spender. It is not such a terrible fat as in chips and French fries or confectionery products with palm oil. Nevertheless, when Avocado is called a superfood and certainly the most helpful fruit, it is worth recalling this moment. The fact that the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in avocados is not the most ideal.
Vitamins and Minerals
Next, let’s look at the vitamins and minerals. Technically, avocados have them, but to what extent? And if we eat one fruit every day, how much do we meet our needs for vitamins and minerals?
But it is not difficult to calculate we have this information. For example, vitamin C for every 100 grams will contain only 10 milligrams. This is not enough.
The daily dose for a person is at least 50 milligrams. Thus, you need to eat 5 pieces of Avocado to make up for the lack of vitamin C., and if you compare, for example, with kiwi, then we will need only half a kiwi berry to meet this need. Well, that is, yes, half a kiwi or 5 avocados. that is as if there is vitamin C, but in fact, it is not enough.
It’s the same with other vitamins and minerals they are. And nutritionists can say that yes, they are there, but they are not enough.
Daily value in 100 grams of Avocado
next, I will call the percentage of the daily value that is contained in 100 grams of Avocado:
- vitamin b1 4%
- b2 7%
- b6 13%
- b12 is practically absent, that is, not the full range of b vitamins
- Vitamin E 14%, would seem that a fat-soluble vitamin is also contained in a fat avocado but in 100 grams, only 14% of the daily dose.
- Vitamin K for which avocados are often praised. 18% of the daily dose. And I must say that vitamin K is probably the best thing in Avocado. However, it is not very much, at least something.
- Well, also with potassium, the situation is not the most outstanding: 19%. but better than nothing and okay too
- magnesium 7%
- phosphorus only 6%
- manganese 7%
- But of the minerals, copper stands out 19%.
In total, we see that there are vitamins and minerals in avocados. But to fill the daily requirement, you need to eat half a kilogram of Avocado every day. which is not very advisable because there are a huge number of other vegetables and fruits where these vitamins and minerals are more.
Expediency
And here we move on to our next point: expediency.
In my opinion, the Avocado was overrated. I’m not saying that Avocado is a dummy. No, it’s not a dummy. It’s good fruit. If you like Avocado, if you like its taste, add it to a salad and cook dishes for your health.
Of course, I do not dissuade you from doing this. But you need to understand that in terms of benefits, Avocado has a very good PR. while there are much cheaper available and more healthy fruits and vegetables.
What kind? for example:
- beets, which are very cheap and richer in vitamins and minerals.
- Carrots, again a cheaper and richer
- cabbage, are very cheap and very useful.
or if we want something fatter than this:
- nuts
Nuts are certainly not so cheap anymore. But if you recalculate the dollar divided by the benefit in this ratio, the avocado nuts will beat you.
Especially if it’s walnut, it generally outperforms all nuts.
Bottom line
Answering the question: is it worth spending on Avocado? Yes, it is worth it if you like the taste of it, and you like it.
That is, of course, there will be no harm. But if we want to get the most out of our nutrition. Then do not expect miracles from avocados. At the same time, there are other much more miraculous vegetables and fruits.
And now you will be very interested in reading an article about what the walnut does. And this is a perfect and helpful replacement for Avocado.
Learn More: