Avocado Nutrition, Avocado juice

Avocado is sometimes known as the alligator pear because of the texture of its skin and its pear-like shape.

Avocado Nutrition Facts:

The avocado contains a good supply of carotene, there being three times as much in a well-coloured ripe fruit as in a hard one. Analysts have found no less than 11 vitamins and 17 minerals in avocado, making it a very comprehensive storehouse of the nutritional needs of man. There is a high level of oil which contains the vitamins A, D, and E, and is rich in the mono-unsaturated fat oleic acid. This type of fat is the principal constituent of olive oil which is rapidly gaining credence as a preventer of heart disease. Although the calorie count of the avocado is large, there being 165 calories in l00g (40z), it is of excellent nutritional worth. The avocado is also rich in vitamin 86, with an impressive 530 micrograms per l00g (40z).

There is evidence that the leaves and fruits of the avocado have been shown to contain a substance known to be somewhat toxic to goats, rabbits, horses and canaries. There is no evidence that there is any danger to man, but for the sake of prudence it is best to have no more than one avocado a day whether juiced or fresh.

Happily the fate of the unfortunate canary need not affect the use of avocado juice in the therapy because the best effect is found when the juice is employed as an external application to the skin.

Avocado juice is a good way of having a balanced quantity of the oil of avocado. The oil is second only to lanolin in being the most penetrating oil known when applied to the human skin. Yet, unlike lanolin which is thought by many experts to be the cause of more cases of sensitivity to cosmetics than any other ingredient, avocado is emollient and innocuous without any known sensitizing effects.

It can therefore be used externally as the ideal treatment for soothing sensitive skins. Avocado reduces ultra violet light and is a useful sun screening lotion for use prior to moderate exposure to the suns rays.

Avocado tree, native to Latin American countries is now largely cultivated in Mediterranean countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Spain, China, India, and South Africa. The temperature in these areas is most suitable for proper growth and survival of the avocado trees. Great care is required to be taken to protect avocado fruit from various diseases. Avocado fruit diseases occur mainly due to attack of certain fungi. Botanically, it is referred to as Persea Americana. Avocado fruit is known for its excellent health benefits and therapeutic properties. It mainly comes in three varieties. The shape varies from pear-shaped to spherical and the color varies from greenish yellow to purple, depending upon the varieties. On the inside, you will find a single rock hard seed. Contents of fats and other nutrients also vary from variety to variety. Avocado fruit is also known as butter fruit and alligator pear.

An avocado’s nutrition value makes it a great choice for health conscious people. The benefits of avocado are attributed to the nutrition value of the avocado fruit, which includes several essential nutrients such as vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, and antioxidants. You can consume avocado fruit in a number of ways such as in salads, juices, and several other recipes. For gaining the maximum avocado nutritional benefits, it is best to eat the ripe fruit in a salad or drink the avocado juice regularly.

Some people have the misconception about the avocado nutrition and calories: being rich in fat content and high in calories, avocados may pose adverse effects on one’s health. However, this is not true. Excess intake of anything can affect your health adversely, and the same is true with an avocado as well. In moderate quantities, the avocado is actually a healthy fruit to include in one’s diet. Avocado juice calories may vary from 500 kcal to 750 kcal per 100 gm, depending upon the variety. This is because fat content greatly varies from one variety to the other. The nutritional value of the avocado fruit has made it popular among humans since ancient times. Some of the avocado juice benefits are mentioned below:

• Since it is rich in folate, avocado juice has the ability to regulate your blood pressure. Avocado’s cholesterol regulating property makes it very useful for patients of high blood pressure as it contains considerable quantities of linolelic and oleic acids. Therefore, its regular intake protects you from hypertension and other heart diseases. This is one of the most popular avocado health benefits.

• Owing to its high content of potassium, regular intake of avocado juice greatly reduces the risk of kidney stone formation by facilitating excretion of urinary calcium and oxalate from the excretory system.

• Since avocado is very rich in vitamin A and several antioxidants, its regular consumption helps in improving eyesight and protects you from other ailments related to eyes such as glaucoma and cataract.

• The fruit is also rich in potassium, and hence, avocado juice helps in maintaining the electrolytes’ level in your body, thereby preventing muscles cramps due to loss of fluid while playing a sport or excessive sweating.

• Regular intake of avocado fruit juice helps in strengthening your immune system to a great extent and therefore guards you against the attack of various bacterial and viral infections.

Although avocado benefits for babies, men, women and children are more or less similar, one of the major avocado benefits for women is that it provides considerable relief from nausea and morning sickness during pregnancy. Further, women are more prone to anemia due to menstrual flow, and since it is rich in iron, the regular intake of avocado juice protects women from anemia. Avocado is also known to be one of the best fruits for weight loss. Though avocado is rich in fats, it contains only unsaturated fats that do not cause obesity. The avocado health benefits for weight loss are attributed to its property of inhibiting insulin secretion, which is directly related to weight control.

Avocado oil, which is obtained from fresh avocado fruit, is widely used for culinary and cosmetic purposes as well. Avocado benefits for skin are also well-known. One of the main benefits of avocado oil on the skin is that its regular application on the skin gives your skin a glow and makes it look youthful. In addition to this, avocado benefits for the face include its ability to lessen wrinkles and fine lines that appear due to ageing. Therefore, avocado oil is widely used by several manufacturers in in face creams and lotions. Avocado oil is also widely used for hair care as well. The benefits of avocado oil for hair include prevention of hair loss, strengthening, and conditioning. In order to obtain the maximum avocado benefits for hair, massage your scalp with avocado and olive oil mixed in equal quantities once a week.