How Many Calories in an Avocado
How many calories in an avocado? Avocado is a very delicious and nutritious fruit. Apart from being a fruit that is widely used in different recipes and even in making shakes and smoothies, you can also eat avocado as it is. This fruit has a lot of amazing health benefits from nourishing the skin to giving nutrients for the body. Avocado is packed with lots of vitamins and minerals but there are also concerns, especially since fruits also have calories – around 50 for each NLEA serving (30 g).
How Many Calories in an Avocado – Nutrition Facts
When you eat 1 cup of pureed avocado (230 g), it gives you 368 calories.
It has a total fat content of 4.5 which is comprised of saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats.
But what makes avocados really healthy is that it gives you different vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your body.
It contains vitamin C, iron, niacin, folate, magnesium, zinc, manganese, vitamin K and a whole lot more. These vitamins and minerals are essential for the body as they can reduce your risk of developing certain diseases and illnesses.
Tips When Eating Avocado
With all the benefits that you can get in eating avocado, you should have this fruit as part of your diet.
However, there are also important things that you have to keep in mind, such as the right serving size. If you’re really conscious with the calorie content, it actually helps that you are aware with the servings per package so you can easily track calories.
You can then compare your intake with the FDA’s calorie measurement. Based on the guide provided by FDA, 40 calories is considered to be low while 100 calories is moderate and 400 calories is high.
In eating 100 grams of an avocado, it gives you 160 calories and it provides 20 different vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
Eating too much can increase health risks. The same applies when you are eating avocado. This fruit contains fats like mono and polyunsaturated fats. Make sure that you eat just the right amount of avocado.
There are different ways to add avocado to your daily diet. You can choose to eat the fruit as it is without adding anything.
You may also want to add some milk or sugar if you want to make it tastier. Avocados can also be used in different kinds of recipe.
In fact, you can even add avocados to your salad recipe. Browse the Internet for some of the best avocado dishes that you can serve at home.
You get to have a healthy and delicious meal that does not contain too many calories.
Health Benefits of Avocado
Avocados are known to give you much-needed vitamins and minerals. There have been various studies conducted showcasing the amazing benefits of eating avocado.
So, what makes this fruit a top favorite and what are the potential benefits that you can get in eating the fruit?
- Have a healthy heart
One of the benefits of eating this fruit is that it gives you a healthier heart. Experts say that avocados contain beta-sitosterol. This compound is proven to maintain just the right amount of cholesterol. It’s important for you to have healthy cholesterol level and by eating avocado, you can reduce your risk of having cardiovascular disease.
- Improves your vision
Avocados contain zeaxanthin and lutein. These two compounds are important for you to have better eye health. As they work as antioxidants, they reduce the damage brought about by aging. When you eat avocado, it gives you better vision and you cushion the risk of having eye related problems.
- Avocados promote bone health
As we age, our bones start to become thin and fragile. Osteoporosis is one of the most common bone diseases experienced by people experience as they age. There are ways to prevent osteoporosis. When you eat avocado, it reduces your risk of having bone-related diseases. It contains vitamin K, calcium and vitamin D that are known to be essential vitamins to improve bone health. Vitamin K can increase the absorption of calcium. With low intake of this vitamin, it results in a bigger risk of having bone fractures.
- Cancer prevention
Avocados contain just the right amount of folate that can be beneficial to reducing your risk of having cancer. In fact, there are studies that would show that by eating avocados, you protect yourself against having certain types of cancer like cervical, stomach, pancreatic and colon cancer.
- Lowers the risk of depression
As avocado contains folate, it can actually reduce your risk of depression. With so many people experiencing depression, this is one good way to lower your risk. Folate is known to prevent high levels of homocysteine in the body which can block the essential nutrients needed by the brain. When you eat avocado, it gives you happy hormones and regulates your mood.
- Have better digestion
Are you having a hard time digesting your food? This fruit is known to improve your digestion. With its texture, it contains high amounts of fiber that can prevent constipation. Avocado is high in natural fiber which is essential for you to have a healthy digestive system. Eating this fruit also lowers your risk of having colon cancer.
- Reduces your risk of having chronic diseases
Avocados contain fiber and other essential vitamins which make it effective in helping you reduce your risk of having chronic diseases. According to a study conducted by the University of Kentucky, they found out that with high fiber, you can reduce your risk of having diseases like strokes, diabetes, obesity and coronary heart disease to name a few. It even lowers your blood pressure and aids in maintaining a healthy level of cholesterol.
