Avocado: More Nutrients from the Same Amount of Food
Avocados serve as a versatile addition to a wide range of recipes, as a quick look online will show! Regular avocado consumption also tends to boost diet quality compared to the recommended American diet by increasing fibre, magnesium, potassium and fat-soluble vitamin intake [1].
More than just Tasty Salad, Salsa and Guacamole. Eating avocado has great “side-effects”. An experiment that measured the amount of vitamins absorbed from a salad showed that adding avocados increased α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein and lycopene absorption [2]. Adding avocado oil alone to the salad also increased the absorption of these nutrients. Avocado has also been shown to increase α- and β-carotene absorption, as well as vitamin A levels, when added to tomato sauce and raw carrot dishes [3]. Whereas there is not direct experimental evidence, the chemical responsible for many health benefits in chillies (i.e. capsaicin) is also soluble in oil, and so it’s possible that avocado may boost all the benefits we receive from spicy food. As such, it appears the fat/oil content of avocados is able to increase the nutritional quality of a whole range of plant-based dishes.
“Fatty nutrients” for the Heart. Lycopene is a red-pigmented molecule found in tomato, carrots, potatoes, papaya and other fruit and veg. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that can lower…
