Avocado Healthy Power

Fruity Box | Avocado Healthy Power | Avocados are distinct fruits with high fat content and calories. Subtly flavorful yet buttery, they are amongst the most popular fruits having nutrition profile
Some of the common names for this staple fruit are alligator pear, aguacate, butter pear etc.

Botanically, the Avocado fruit belongs to the family of lauraceae, the family that also includes some unusual members like bay laurel, cinnamon etc. Scientific name is persea americana.
Avocados are medium sized evergreen trees of about 20-30 feet in height with large green leaves. The tree prefers fertile soil with high moisture content to flourish. Small light green flowers appear during winter. After about 8-10 months later, hundreds of pear shaped green color fruits appear on the tree.

Avocados, like bananas, mature on the tree but ripen only after their harvest. Once Ripen, they turn dark green or deep purple and yield to gentle pressure. Inside, cream color flesh has butter-like consistency with bland taste yet pleasant aroma. The fruit features centrally placed single brown color seed. On an average, each fruit weighs about 300-700 g, although heavier avocados are not uncommon in the markets.

Avocado Healthy Power :   

• Avocados, like olives, are high in mono-unsaturated fats and calories. However, they are very rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals and packed with numerous health benefiting plant nutrients.

• Their creamy pulp is very rich source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids like oleic and palmitoleic acids as well as omega-6 poly unsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid. Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet that is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids help lower LDL or bad cholesterol and increase HDL or good cholesterol, thereby, prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile.

• They are very good source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. 100 g fruit provides 6.7 g or about 18% of recommended daily intake. Dietary fibers help lower blood cholesterol levels and prevent constipation.

• In addition, the fruit, like persimmons, contain high concentration of tannin. Tannin, a poly-phenolic compound, which was once labeled as anti-nutritional agent is in-fact, has beneficial anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer and anti-oxidant properties.

• Its flesh contains many health promoting flavonoid poly-phenolic antioxidants such as cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta and alpha carotenes in small amounts. Together, these compounds act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

• They are also good in many health benefiting vitamins. Vitamin A, E and K are especially concentrated in its creamy pulp.

• Avocados also excellent sources of minerals like iron, copper, magnesium and manganese.  Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has cardiac-protective role as well.  Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Iron and copper are required in the production of red blood cells.

• Fresh avocado pear is a very rich source of potassium. 100 g of fruit provides 485 mg or about 10% of daily required levels. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids where it helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure, countering bad effects of sodium.