5 Health Benefits of Eating Avocados

Posted on by costafitness

Where my avocado lovers at??

Avocados are such a great food to use in your diet, at least in my opinion. They have so many health benefits so I wanted to share 5 awesome benefits to enjoying an avocado!

Avocados are high in fiber. This helps with your digestive health and helps process foods as they break down in your bowels.

High in potassium. We hear all about this but what exactly does that mean? Yes it can lead to less muscle cramps for athletes but that’s not it! It can help build muscle as protein gets broken down. It helps with blood pressure, muscle strength and bone strength. I could go on and on but you get the point, get that potassium in!

Avocados are high in fat…healthy fat that is. Avocados contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which aid heart health as well as healthy brain function.

Healthy eyes! This one was a new one for me. Studies have shown that avocados contain something called lutein and zeaxanthin which helps to keep your eyes healthy as we age.

Avocados can lower blood pressure. Cardiovascular disease as of 2018 takes a life every 38 seconds. This is insane and a big portion of the reason is what we are eating. Foods such as avocados can help reduce blood pressure but I also highly recommend some kind of daily activity or exercise and a diet such as the DASH diet. For more information on this topic, please feel free to reach out to me and ask me any questions. I will answer what I can but a registered dietitian will have the answers as well.

Next time you stop at the store, grab some avocados and make healthy guacamole or slice it up as a snack. You will be consuming a high quality food and may experience some of these health benefits! Share this with someone that needs to see this!

-Alex Costa-

Sources:
https://www.heart.org/-/media/data-import/downloadables/heart-disease-and-stroke-statistics-2018—at-a-glance-ucm_498848.pdf

https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/recipes/2014/12/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-avocados

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Chocolate Almond Butter Avocado Smoothie

Posted on by costafitness

choc avocado smoothie.png

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their week. I have an article and recipe for all of my avocado lovers out there.

I discovered a few different chocolate avocado smoothie recipes the last couple days and switched some things around to get this delicious smoothie recipe. One thing I will say is don’t knock it till you try it!! This may sound like it could be gross but it is the exact opposite. This is definitely one of my favorite smoothies I have thrown together so far.

This is super simple and easy to make so lets get into what you need.

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of chocolate almond milk
  • 1 TBS of organic almond butter
  • 1/2 of an avocado, should be about 60-90 grams
  • 1 banana, 100 grams is what I used
  • 4-5 ice cubes

Throw all ingredients into a blender and mix for about 30-60 seconds.

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Importance of fiber and healthy fats:

Fiber can be a key for weight loss. It doesn’t stop there, it helps your digestive track move smoother and faster to help digest the food you are consuming. When you consume fiber, it can clean your intestines and colon which in turn keeps bacteria away helping to reduce chances of colon cancer.

I found a study by Joanne Slavin that discussed how an increased fiber intake can reduce chances of cardiovascular disease. They state that “adequate fiber intake consistently lowers the risk of CVD and coronary heart disease (CHD), primarily through a reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.” So in other words, it lowers your LDL cholesterol which is the bad cholesterol. HDL is the good cholesterol in the blood stream.

Avocados are a stocked house full of health benefits and can be used in so many recipes. They are mainly comprised of healthy fats which are crucial for cells in the body and play a role in brain function. They can reduce inflammation and reduce cravings as well.

I am also a big chocolate fan so if you are like me then you may find yourself making this smoothie quiet a bit. I have the macronutrients listed in the photo above for anyone interested in tracking macros. If you try this out then reach out to me and let me know what you think!

Have a great day!
-Alex Costa-

 

Sources:

https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/why_fiber_is_so_good_for_you/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705355/#B31-nutrients-05-01417