Health Articles
Health Benefits of Avocado
by: Junji Takano
Avocado fruits are getting very popular anywhere in the world. Throughout the year, you can find avocado in your nearby malls. Avocado is sometimes called avocado pear or alligator pear; and Aguacate Palta in Spanish.
The world, especially in developing countries, is trying to adapt avocado as one of substitute to cope for the shortage of nutritious food production.
We believe that avocado originated in Mexico and Central America. However, today, in countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Sri Lanka, Brazil, India, China, Japan, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Chili, Ethiopia, Spain, Palestine, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Hawaii are planting and harvesting avocados. Oh, yes, you can plant it even in your backyard garden and it is adaptable as long as the climate does not go below 5°C during winter season.
In fact, I myself planted four avocado trees 25 years ago, and just a year ago, I added another two in my back yard. One tree bears about 200 pieces of fruit.
Avocado is one of the most recommended fruits as well as a food for bodybuilding and medicine for cholesterol-related heart disease.
Also do you know that avocado or an avocado extract is good for prevention or treatment of breast cancer as well as prostate cancer? Some information states that a toxin found in avocado is the answer to kill cancer cell. However, the toxin mentioned here is not identified completely. Scientists believe that the toxin has a great effect on the myocardium (heart muscle tissue) as well as on tissues of the lactating mammary gland.
Although many farmers believe that fresh and dried leaves, bark, skin, and seeds are toxic to cattle, goats, horses, rabbits and birds, there is no definite scientific explanation to that.
Do not worry about the fruit meat of avocado. There are no dangerous toxic elements for human consumption as well as for animals.
Creamy rich avocado is considered the world's healthiest fruit, because of its nutrient contents such as vitamin K, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, and reasonable calories in it.
Avocados contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that may help lower cholesterol.
In our studies, patients with high cholesterol levels who ate avocados diet showed clear health improvements. After a week of avocado diet, patients had significant decrease in cholesterol contents.
Avocado is a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke.
Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. One cup of avocado has about 23% of the Daily Value for folate, a nutrient important for heart health.
Another study showed that individuals who consume folate-rich diets have a much lower risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke than those who do not consume much of this vital nutrient.
Not only avocado has a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids including "oleic acid", which has recently been shown to offer significant protection against breast cancer, but it is also a very concentrated dietary source of the "carotenoid lutein"; it also contains measurable amounts of related carotenoids plus significant quantities of vitamin E.
A few slices of avocado in salad, or mixing some chopped avocado into salsa will not only add a rich, creamy flavor, but will greatly increase your body's ability to absorb the health-promoting carotenoids that vegetables provide.
Compare to any other vegetables such as carrots, spinach, or fruits, just a slice of avocado improves your body's ability to absorb carotenoids.
At first, you can try to start planting a seed in your room. You will love it as seen on below photos.
After eating avocado, don't throw the seed. Place it on the garden soil in your container garden. The soil should be always with water. In about 3 weeks, you will enjoy seeing leaf bud growing. If you cannot keep it in your room, plant it in your back yard. You will enjoy seeing it growing, again.
Well, how to eat avocado. There are hundreds of ways or recipes for avocado. Here's a few you can try to enjoy eating avocado.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The simplest way is just slice the avocado and place ham and mayonnaise to make a bread sandwich. Probably you can add a proverb. "One avocado a day, doctors away". To preserve, mash and place the avocado in the freezer. In this way, you can keep it for several months. Do not keep the avocado fruit as is in the freezer.
Again and again, some critics might write us complaining about the article saying that avocado is toxic. Avocado toxicity is not scientifically well established up to now.
Avocado poisoning has been a source of controversy and confusion among animal breeders. Some breeders have voiced an opinion that avocado fruit may be toxic, while other breeders have fed avocados to their animals with no abnormal incidences at all.
Most avocados grown in the United States and other countries go for human consumption in the form of fresh fruit or processed paste products. Also, many parts of it are used for various products including animal feeds and baby consumption.
Probably, avocado poisonings in humans and animals are fairly limited, however, the avocado tree can be toxic.
They say that toxic chemical is found in leaves, bark, pits and skin of the avocado tree. Although some people claim that avocado fruit has skin allergy effect. It is just the same as banana, walnut, and kiwi allergy.
Anyway, if you are a delicate person, just don't eat avocado. Once again, one avocado a day may save your life from cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
About the Author:
Junji Takano is a Japanese health researcher involved in investigating the cause of various diseases since 1960. In 1968, he invented Pyro-Energen, the first electrotherapy device that eradicates viral disease, cancer, and diseases of unknown cause effectively without side effects.
Click here to find out more: http://www.pyroenergen.com
Free newsletter: http://www.pyroenergen.com/newsletter.htm
------------------------------------------------------------
Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as the entire article remains the same as well as the resource box.