An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the English man would say. Let us bring it closer home to a fruit we can all relate to. Two avocados a day keep the doctor away. Okay, I exaggerated a bit. Maybe one avocado is just enough.
I know some avocado fanatics who believe avocados should be added to every meal and snack. You know, avocado with bread, githeri, rice, ugali, etc and they make it an accompaniment to just about any food. Then there is the group that prefers to stay far away from it because they believe that eating avocados will lead to weight gain. The basis of their belief is that the fruit has oil, the very thing that they are trying to do away with. It cannot be disputed that indeed avocados have oils, lots of oil in fact. It has however has been scientifically proven that these oils are not harmful. On the contrary, these oils could very well be the best remedy for cutting down some weight.
Avocados are rich in heart healthy monounsaturated fat. They are great for weight management because of their high fat, low sugar content. A good intake of avocados will fill you up quickly. With a full stomach, you will be able to prevent craving for extra in takes of carbohydrates and protein which are directly associated with weight gain. Avocadoes are also a high source of fibre being made up of 75% insoluble fibre which speeds up the digestion process and 25% soluble fibre which is responsible for the full feeling you get. Taking half of an avocado around meal times could really help in avoiding unnecessary snacking in between meals.
Weight loss is not the only benefit of eating avocados as studies have found that avocados could be useful in regulating blood sugar levels. This certainly would be helpful to diabetics as they try to work around their meals to reduce on their sugar in take.
Another benefit of eating avocados is that they are rich in potassium. They contain 35% more potassium than bananas. An imbalance in your potassium- sodium ratio will lead to hypertension, stroke, kidney stones and heart disease. It is therefore advisable that we take foods rich in potassium to create a balance to the sodium that we take some times in excess especially when consuming salt.
It is clear that the avocado is not an ordinary fruit and yes, they will help to keep the doctor away. You will not fail to come across avocados in the Kenyan markets and they are cheaper to purchase than most of the fruits you will find there. Feel free to add an avocado to your salad or make guacamole dip, make juice or a smoothie, make a sandwich or simply cut an avocado into half and sprinkle lemon juice on it and enjoy.