AVOCADO
aka Persea americana
GROW
Propagate: seedings
Light: sunny
Water: once a day
Soil: good drainage
Fertilizer: twice a month
USES
Promotes Healthy Heart : Beta-sitosterol, which is found in avocados, helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Eating avocados daily can help in protecting the heart from atherosclerosis.
Good Source of Potassium : Avocados are a good source of potassium. These significant levels of potassium make avocados a powerful fruit in the fight against hypertension.
Eating potassium-rich foods like avocados and bananas reduces the tension of blood vessels and arteries, regulating blood pressure. This, in turn, may help reduce the risk of clotting, heart attacks, and strokes.
Aids in Digestion : Avocados are soothing for the intestine and aid in digestion. They contain soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which help to keep the digestive system running smoothly. These types of fiber are very important for digestion because they bulk up stools and help ensure the smooth passage of food through the intestinal tract.
Finally, they reduce the symptoms from conditions like constipation and diarrhea. All in all, the huge amount of fiber found in avocados (40 percent of one’s daily requirement per serving) makes this a very important food for optimizing your digestive health.
Improves Vision : Avocados can help keep your eyes healthy. They contain carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are known to protect eyes against cataracts, eye diseases related to age, and macular degeneration. These conditions are often caused by free radicals that accumulate in the tissues of the eyes. The antioxidant activity of these special carotenoids in avocados neutralize the effects of those dangerous free radicals.
Relieves Arthritis Pain : The anti-inflammatory properties of avocados are perhaps its most valuable attribute. Between the wide range of phytochemicals, flavonoids, carotenoids, phytosterols, fatty alcohols, and omega-3 fatty acids it contains, avocados are one of the best foods for reducing the inflammation in tissues, joints, and muscles.
Prevents Bad Breath : Consumption of avocados helps in preventing bad breath, which is primarily caused due to indigestion or an upset stomach. Halitosis can be eliminated by improving the root cause, digestive health; the antibacterial and antioxidant flavonoids found in avocados also kill the bacteria in your mouth that can result in bad breath.
Liver Care : The chemicals contained in avocados appear to be very good at reducing liver damage. These organic compounds help in improving liver health. Liver damage can be caused by a number of factors, with Hepatitis C being the main one. Avocados may play a major role in toning up and protecting your liver from a wide variety of conditions.
Vitamin K Deficiency : Vitamin K deficiency is not very common but may be seen in neonatal care. It may lead to a bleeding disorder known as vitamin K deficiency-related bleeding (VKDB). This occurs mostly due to an insufficient intake of vitamin K by the mother during pregnancy.
The inclusion of avocado in the diet of a pregnant woman may help in lowering risk of VKDB in the newborn child since avocados are one of the rare fruits that have a very high amount of vitamin K (almost 40 percent of the daily requirement in a single serving!)
Morning Sickness : During pregnancy, morning sickness is very common. Avocados can help overcome nausea and queasiness during pregnancy since it contains vitamin B6, which is commonly connected to reducing nausea and vomiting.
Antioxidant Properties : Avocado contains both vitamin C and E: which help enhance the antioxidant properties of the human body. Vitamin C recycles vitamin E and helps reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol.
Avocado also contains antioxidants such as epicatechin, violaxanthin, neochrome, and about a dozen others. Antioxidants neutralize the effects of free radicals, the dangerous by-products of cellular metabolism. Free radicals are responsible for dozens of serious conditions in the body, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, vision problems, premature aging, and cognitive disorders.
Healthy Skin : Avocados contain many vitamins and minerals that help in maintaining healthy skin. Carotenoids found in avocados are associated with reducing UV-induced inflammation of the skin due to exposure to the sun. Pure avocado oil helps in protecting the skin against sunburn damage. The high levels of beta-carotene in avocados can be enzymatically split into provitamin A, which has long been connected to protecting the skin from a variety of conditions and the damaging effects of the sun.
Anti-Aging Properties : Research published in 2007 shows that lutein and zeaxanthin may decrease signs of the aging process by protecting the skin from damage from UV rays and radiation.
Consuming avocados and applying pure moisturizing avocado oil to the skin is also associated with healthy aging due to the antioxidant properties of compounds lutein and zeaxanthin.
Strengthens Bones : Avocados contain zeaxanthin and lutein, which are associated with a reduced risk of cartilage defects, which is also one of the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Furthermore, the levels of essential minerals in avocados are significant, including zinc, phosphorous, copper, with trace amounts of calcium and selenium. All of these minerals are connected to lowered risks of osteoporosis and improvements in bone mineral density.
Nutrient Absorption :The fat in avocado helps the body absorb carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, and converts them to vitamin A. Findings indicate that the absorption of carotenoid antioxidant molecules, which helps protect the body against free radical damage, increases three to five times when a salad is eaten along with avocado.
Adding sliced avocado to a mixed salad may further make a healthy meal even better! This makes avocado a great element as an appetizer since it prepares the digestive tract to function at its highest level during the meal to come!