Avocados truly deserve to be enlisted amongst amazing natural products called super food. They are very nutritious and beneficial to humans’ health. Avocados could be used and prepared in various ways, which makes them highly useful ingredient in different cuisines. There are several types of avocados, depending on their place of origin and growing. Those fascinating fruits are known for their rich, creamy texture and flavorful nutty taste. The creaminess of their flesh depends on the fat content of an avocado.
Avocados belong to Persea Americana group of plants. The types could be divided into three main groups, depending on their mother soil. There is West Indian avocado, originating from Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The second one is Guatemala avocado that, logically, originates from Guatemala and the third one is Mexican avocado. Those sorts of avocados are grown in other territories, as well, so you would often find fruits named by their ancestral origins, in other countries. Avocados became quite popular in United States during the 80s, so now they are commonly found in supermarkets all over the country. While Mexico is the leading producer of avocados, they are also grown in California and Florida. Avocados are also grown in South American countries, such as Columbia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Being native to central America territories avocados are grown in Mediterranean climate areas all around the world. Avocados are known by many names, throughout the planet. Sometimes they are called ‘alligator pear’, due to their skin or ‘butter fruit’, due to their buttery, oily flesh. There are different cultivars of the fruit, made by different ways of breeding. Some of the best known are Choquette, commercial cultivar in Florida, Hass, the most common cultivar of avocado, Gwen, Lula, Pinkerton, Reed and so on.
Avocados’ nutritional content
Avocados are recognizable for their thick green skin and pear like shape. Their insides are creamy and of a nutty, rich taste. Botanically, they are large berries! Avocados are very nutritious and high in calories. Their creamy texture depends on the fat content of a particular fruit. Smaller avocados are usually higher in fat contents and more oily; they appear creamier than others. Those amazing fruits are real treasuries of valuable elements.
Avocados are rich in vitamins and minerals and are low in sugars, but high in fats. They have 160 calories per 100 gr of fruit, which is quite a high level. Amount of 100 gr of avocado contains 2% proteins, 14.6% fats, 8.5% carbohydrates (6.7% dietary fiber and 0.6% sugars).
Avocados are also an excellent source of useful minerals, such as copper, calcium and magnesium. It contains 0.2 mcg of copper, 12 mg of calcium and 30 mg of magnesium per 100 gr. Avocados are great source of vitamin C and B group of vitamins. It contains 10 mg vitamin C and 1.4 mg of panthotheic acid per 100 gr. It also contains a considerable amount of vitamin E and riboflavin. Another important nutrient found in avocados is beta carothens, as well as lutein, zeaxantine and beta sitosterol.
Avocados’ calorie content
Speaking of avocados’ energy value, they are quite high in calories. People often misunderstood the fact some very useful ingredients and viands are actually highly caloric. Nuts, for example, are very fatty and high in calories, but they are extremely healthy. The same is with avocados. They are full of ‘good’ fats, which are beneficial to our body and our organism make great usage of those.
As we’ve mentioned before, an amount of 100 gr of avocado contains 160 calories. An average serving size is actually very small, it is 1/5 of an average avocado fruit or 1 ounce of fruit, containing about 50 calories. Avocado isn’t a viand you should eat in large amounts and it is not needed in large servings. It highly valuable nutritional content makes this fruit beneficial in small servings.
The exact calorie content depends on the fats’ level in an avocadoand on the way of measuring the calorie content itself. For example, a cup of peeled, cubed avocado contains 260 calories and an abundance of valuable nutrients. According to other measuring, a cup of pureed avocado contains about 370 calories. You should keep in mind there are different varieties of the fruit itself, with different nutritional charts. They are all beneficial and healthy, bit if you wonder about their calorie content, you need to determine the precise type, serving sizes and so on.
Generally, avocados are considered high in calories. They differ from fruits such as apples, pears, citric fruits and other ‘light’ ones. Avocados are called ‘butter fruit’ for reason. However, that makes them more nutritional than other fruits. Avocados are real super food. There are ways to include this magnificent fruit in your regular diet and experience all of its benefits, without worrying about calories it contains.
Caloric avocados for weight loss?
Avocados are not fattening products, if you mind the amounts, of course. They are nutrient-dense and full of beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are scientifically proven to be beneficial for our bodies in general. Moreover, due to their ‘good’ fats content, avocados are actually helpful in fighting the undesirable pounds and belly fat. Despite their high calorie content, avocados are on the top of the list of weight-loss food.
Avocados are a good choice for people trying to lose weight. If you are practicing a calorie reduced diet, 50 calories of a single avocado serving could easily fit in your diet plan. It is true they are high in calories, but they also help you burn undesirable fats from your body and shrink your waist. They are nutrient boosting food, helping your body absorb nutrients from other food easier. It is commonly advised to combine them with eggs, for full energy boost effect. Avocados with eggs supply your muscles and other body tissues with all needed material. This combination provides your body with an appropriate amount of dietary fiber (which boost your digestive system), good fats (which feed all your body tissues and actually help you burn ‘bad’ fats) and proteins from eggs (which contribute to your muscles recovery and repair). Avocados are often advised as a great after workout snack, for the same reasons.
Numerous researches have shown consumption if monounsaturated fats, which avocados are full of, is beneficial to weight loss. Our body can utilize them much easier and use them as a energy source far better than saturated fats. It also affects our insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in a good way. Avocados are good source of valuable omega fats, which are known to lower the ‘bad’ cholesterol levels and help absorption of vitamins and antioxidants from other viands we eat.
You know sugary food makes you fat, of course. It badly affects your cardiovascular system, your skin and so on. Too much sugar often leads to serious diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, in the first place. Although they are high in calories, avocados are very low in sugars and low glycemic index food. They would not cause sudden glucose levels in your blood and trigger sudden and irresistible hunger cravings. Avocados are good for reduction diet programs because they will keep you satisfied for longer periods, due to their amazing nutrient composition. Actually, avocados contain the lesser amount of sugar than most other fruits.
Moreover, avocados are creamy and delicious and they appear satisfying, which is great for people who find it difficult to change eating habits and switch to ‘lighter’ food. Avocados are not so light and they also give you an impression of eating something buttery and tasteful.
How to include avocados in your diet?
The best time of day to eat avocados is the morning. As we’ve mentioned before delicious and nutritional avocado omelets would be the best recipe to experience benefits from this amazing fruit, exploit its calories in a good way and start a day full of energy, without sudden hunger cravings and such. Eating avocados would also keep your skin bright and youthful, protects your heard from serious health issues, prevent you from weight gain and other health issues.
You can use avocado as an ingredient for popular guacamole sauce, of course, or mix it with other viands to enrich a salad or other meal. Avocados could be a good choice for a healthy, nutritional and non-fattening snack. They are extremely suitable for cooking. Do some research and discover amazing and creative avocado recipes. They could be good ingredients for healthy snacks, sweets, meals and beverages.
