HEALTH BENEFITS OF AVOCADOS

When it comes to avocados, people say a ‘no-no’ to this fruit, probably because they don’t know much about this fruit which was once crowned as the ‘fruit for the kings’ for the high content of fat and its aphrodisiac properties. Avocados are widely used in sushi and other raw food diet today. They maybe higher in fats for a fruit but come loaded with healthy oils and other nutrients. They are a great meat substitute for Vegans to help balance their diet. Avocados are generally used as vegetables but are more closer to the family of berries. This mild fruit is sometimes referred as an alligator pear and is a native of Mexico.  It is widely believed that avocados were cultivated by the earliest era of Aztecs, that would be 7000-10000 years ago. They believed that the avocados are the testicle trees with great aphrodisiac properties and they considered avocados as the ‘fruit of the kings’. It is believed that the Aztec families restrained their virgin daughters from stepping out of the house during the harvest season as the avocados were considered as the “fertility fruit”. Not just the Aztecs, but the Mayans too had similar beliefs about avocados. Nutritional Values in Avocados Apart from just fats and oils, there are many nutrients present in avocados. Some of them are mentioned here: Per 150 grams of avocados contain - Amounts Per Selected Serving % Daily Value Calories (from fats) 184 % Total Fats 22 % Omega Fatty Acids 165 milligrams Cholesterol 0 % Protein 6 % Dietary Fiber 8 % Vitamin A 219 % Vitamin C 4 % Vitamin D 25 % Vitamin E 4 % Vitamin K 16 % Magnesium 5 % Manganese 14 % Phosphorus 2 % Zinc 2 % Copper 2 % Sodium 0 % Potassium 4 %