It continues to trend as one of the world’s favourite foods, and is only increasing in popularity. This is the avocado. It’s versatile, incredibly tasty, and more importantly it’s very healthy! 

What is an Avocado? 

Whilst some people might believe the avocado to be a vegetable – due to its green colour – it’s actually a fruit. More specifically, it’s defined as a large berry with a single seed. Avocados grow on trees in warmer climates and are native to Mexico. They have a creamy, smooth texture and are covered by a bumpy, thick, dark green or blackish skin. 

What are the Health Benefits of Avocado?

Avocados may be known for their great taste, but they also have some incredible health benefits. These include:

• Full of incredibly healthy mono-saturated fat, a fat which makes your body healthy and is good for your heart
• Full of magnesium and potassium, two nutrients known to help reduce blood pressure
• Loaded with fiber, which can help prevent constipation, maintain a healthy digestive tract, and lower the risk of colon cancer. This fiber can also promote regular bowel movements, making the avocado a good detoxing food 
• Loaded with antioxidants that can protect and improve the health of your eyes 
• A great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6
• Low in sugar

Are There Any Negatives to Eating Avocado?

Whilst it’s true avocados contain a plethora of health benefits, there can be some downsides to eating it too often. These include: 

• They have a high fat content. Though the fats in an avocado are good for you, they are still quite high in calories. This makes it something to watch out for if you’re trying to keep your calories low
• For those who have liver issues, avocados may be too much of a good thing. That’s because it encourages collagen formation which could damage the liver depending on how many avocados are eaten daily. If the collagen can’t be properly processed, it’s possible this could lead to fibrosis
• It can be expensive. Eating avocados regularly means buying it regularly, and it can cost more than double the price of other fruits. Some households may not be able to afford to make it a part of their diet, even if they wanted

How To Incorporate Avocado Into Your Diet

It’s easier than you think to incorporate avocados into your diet. One of the most popular forms of eating it is on toast, and there are a few ways to do that. You can puree an avocado and spread it over your toast as a substitute to butter and margarine, which appears to be incredibly popular with millennials. You could even serve slices of avocado with your scrambled or poached eggs, along with salmon. A tasty – but simple – breakfast idea. 

Adding avocados to salads can make it a more substantial meal, keeping you fuller for longer, and you could also make a homemade avocado soup, another healthy choice for lunch or dinner. 

Other ways of using avocado in your diet include baking avocado fries, blending it as part of a healthy smoothie, and if you’re feeling really experimental, making soft and creamy avocado ice cream.

In Conclusion

Whilst avocados are high in fats – and in turn, calories – the health benefits that it provides greatly outweigh the negatives. Those fats are the good fats which are great for heart health.  It’s high nutritional content also makes it extremely beneficial to the overall health of your body. And even better, it’s easy to incorporate into your diet, proving to be a diverse and versatile fruit that you can eat in many different ways.

So if you’ve not yet jumped on the avocado train, perhaps it’s time to see if you can be won over by this tasty and healthy food!