Avocados: Do They Really Live Up to the Hype?
Avocados: Everyone’s talking about them. There’s avocado toast at nearly every breakfast restaurant in America. But are avocados really as good as everyone seems to think they are? In short: Yes!
Why? Because they are loaded with vitamins and minerals, nearly 20 in total. They are an amazing source of vitamins C, E, K, and B6 and also contain riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, potassium, lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Here’s what that means for you:
The fats are amazing for your brain, hair, skin, and nails. Eating fat also signals your brain to turn off your appetite, all while helping keep your blood sugar levels stable, as it slows the breakdown of carbohydrates.
The beta-sitosterol found in avocados is great for heart health and can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
The vitamins and minerals in avocados provide antioxidant protection for your eyes, especially from UV light, and can help lower the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
They are high in vitamin K, which is essential for bone health by increasing calcium absorption and reducing urinary excretion of calcium.
The high levels of folate found in avocados can reduce the risk of birth defects (when consumed by pregnant women) and lower the risk of depression by preventing the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid that is linked with lower production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine (hormones that regulate mood, sleep, and appetite).
Here are some ways to add avocado to your diet:
Add to a shake, making is extra creamy and delicious
Spread on toast, in place of butter or jam
Mix in with egg/chicken/tuna salad in place of or with mayonnaise
Make chocolate avocado pudding
However, one thing to be careful of when eating avocados is the high levels of fat that they contain. While this fat is good for your body, many people have trouble digesting it. If your gallbladder is slow or malfunctioning, then it can be painful to eat the fat that your body needs. That’s why it’s important to take Standard Process’s Cholacol. Cholacol supports healthy fat digestion, is a great source of bile salts, and it helps enzymes break down fats, which can help with the discomfort you may feel after eating a fatty meal. This supplement is not only useful for eating avocados, but for any fatty foods! Ask Dr. Lipton about this amazing supplement at your next appointment or come in and pick one up today!
