Avocados have long been considered a superfood, albeit with a poor ecological balance. If you want to avoid heart disease, you can eat avocado twice a week, according to a new study. So get your avocado and then enjoy your time at IviBet.
More avocado, fewer heart attacks:
Cardiovascular disease kills 18 million people worldwide every year. According to a new study by the WHO, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, avocados can reduce the risk of heart disease, including heart attacks. The study was conducted over four years and involved around 110,000 participants.
Around two portions of avocado a week, i.e. 160 grams or around one whole avocado in total, could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 21 percent. According to the study, the results cannot be applied to the reduction of strokes.
SO HEALTHY
Healthy fruit with important fats. Even though avocados contain a lot of fat (160 calories per 100 grams), they are “good” fats, namely unsaturated fatty acids. In addition to the essential fatty acids, it also contains numerous vitamins that the body cannot produce, such as vitamin B6 and vitamin D.
Avocado is a regular ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine in particular, such as the Crete diet. The oil from the fruit is also considered one of the healthiest cooking oils alongside olive oil.
The study also investigated what happens when a quarter of an avocado is eaten every day instead of margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese or processed meat. This reduced the risk of heart disease by 16 to 22 percent. And: even if avocados do not have the best ecological balance, they usually perform better than animal products.
Even though avocados are very healthy, we should not eat them in large quantities. They have travelled a long way to get to Germany. They need a lot of water to grow. You can also do something for your own heart health with a balanced regional diet.
Is avocado a fruit or a vegetable?
It is not easy to tell at first glance whether an avocado is a fruit or a vegetable. In this article, you will find out which category avocado belongs to and which characteristics classify it.
Avocados have been a popular food in Germany for many years. Whether as a spread on breakfast bread, as a dip or in a bowl: avocados are versatile and enrich national and international cuisine.
However, opinions are often divided on the question of whether green avocados are a fruit or a vegetable.
FRUIT OR VEGETABLE?
Most people would probably classify the avocado as a vegetable straight away. After all, it doesn’t taste as sweet as most types of fruit. However, this fruit is actually a berry and therefore a type of fruit from a botanical point of view. This is because the avocado comes from a perennial tree that belongs to the laurel family.
In some countries, people have been eating avocados for several thousand years. Depending on where the avocado is grown, there are different varieties:
- South Africa produces an avocado variety with a smooth green skin.
- Israel, on the other hand, exports avocados with low-fat content.
- Another popular variety from Mexico is called Fuerte and has olive-green skin.
- The Hass variety comes from California and is characterized by rough skin with a nutty aroma.
USE AND INGREDIENTS OF AVOCADO
It is not easy to tell at first glance whether avocados are classified as fruit or vegetables. Avocados originally grow in the tropical rainforests of Central America. However, they are grown in many different countries, including Australia, South Africa and the USA. In total, the fast-growing trees produce up to 400 different cultivars.
The fruits are harvested when they are still unripe. The avocados are then best left to ripen for a few days in the newspaper. However, the pear-shaped fruits are only ripe when they are almost spoiled. Then you can easily remove the flesh from the pit and use it.
However, we recommend only eating avocados in moderation, if at all. The fruit is ecologically problematic for various reasons. The long transportation routes and therefore high CO2 emissions, as well as the high water requirements of avocado plants, are just some of the downsides.
If you decide to buy avocados from time to time, make sure they are organic if possible. This will ensure that farmers have avoided the use of synthetic chemical pesticides during cultivation.