Eat avocados to control blood sugar, lose weight, and treat neck pain ~ Nutritionist: No more than 1/2 avocado a day

In the colorful world of weight loss, what foods are popular these days? Have you heard that fitness enthusiasts in Europe and the United States are starting a weight loss diet trend of eating "avocado and eggs"? Some people who practice the ketogenic diet to control their weight prefer to use "avocado salsa" in their dishes; while Japanese weight loss experts recommend "drinking water boiled with avocado seeds to get rid of obesity." No matter which one it is, it is an indisputable fact that avocado is a "nutrient-dense" superfood. In addition to the well-known benefits of avocados in protecting the heart and lowering cholesterol, there are some unexpected benefits. In addition, nutritionists will also teach everyone how to eat avocados wisely without gaining weight!

Research: Avocados can help lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, lose weight, and protect cardiovascular health

Director Jiang Qiuyue, a nutritionist at Wuzhilin New Hospital, said that more and more studies around the world have found that avocados (including the nutrients in the pulp, peel, and seeds) are beneficial to human health, including helping to lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, lose weight, and protect the cardiovascular system. According to foreign research statistics, the average American adult consumes about 68 grams of avocado per day, which shows that avocado is a very popular fruit abroad.

Avocado is known as "forest butter" and is rich in high-quality fatty acids, ω-3 fatty acids.

What nutrients does avocado contain? In fact, avocado is the fruit that least resembles a fruit, because ordinary fruits contain almost no fat, but avocado is rich in fat and is even known as "forest cream". Depending on the maturity of the avocado, the calories per 100 grams of avocado are about 70 to 85 calories; the sugar content is about half of that of ordinary fruits, about 7 grams; the fat content is about 5 to 7 grams; it is especially rich in high-quality fatty acids - ω-3 fatty acids, and it is also rich in minerals and vitamins, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, B, C, D, E and folic acid. The "high nutritional density" is amazing!

In addition, avocados are rich in antioxidant and anti-cancer plant sterols. Studies have shown that the antioxidants (polyphenols and plant sterols) and oleic acid in avocados can reduce the inflammatory response of chronic diseases and can help patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes to control the disease through dietary therapy. In recent years, the global obesity rate has been rising, and the risk of health hazards caused has also increased. This is closely related to metabolic imbalance and long-term inflammatory response of the body.

The benefits of avocado to human health include helping lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, lose weight, and protect cardiovascular health.

The way to consume avocado varies according to each person's preference for avocado. It is recommended to make it into salad, jam, and juice.

Past studies have shown that the oil in avocados can reduce some inflammatory substances (TNF-α, IL-6 and CRP), protect against cardiovascular disease, reduce insulin resistance, and help control blood sugar (Disease Markers, 2014). A cross-study in the United States (Journal of Functional Foods, 2017) also showed that a group of overweight adults (BMI: 28.1) replaced some of the edible oils in their breakfast with avocado oil, and found that it could reduce insulin, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and inflammatory substances (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6) after meals.

Avocados are rich in fat and can make you feel full and help you lose weight.

Since avocados are rich in fat, won’t eating too much cause obesity? Can you lose weight by eating avocados? Nutritionist Jiang Qiuyue said that since every 100 grams of avocado contains about 4 to 6 grams of dietary fiber, and because avocado is rich in fat and has the effect of stabilizing blood sugar, it makes the eater feel fuller and less likely to get hungry, so it is often used as a holy product for weight loss. The Japanese will even boil avocado seeds into water and drink it, which invisibly increases the dietary fiber and can help lose weight, which is similar to the effect mentioned above.

Recently, some Japanese doctors have pointed out that avocados are rich in B vitamins and vitamin E anti-inflammatory oleic acid. Eating half a avocado a day can relieve shoulder and neck pain. Is this true? Nutritionist Jiang Qiuyue said that vitamin B group can stabilize and treat neuritis, and vitamin E has antioxidant effects. The oleic acid rich in avocados also has anti-inflammatory effects, so it more or less helps relieve muscle nerve pain.

When eating avocados, do not add too much sugar or salt to season them. You can boil the avocado seeds into water and drink it.

The way to consume avocado varies according to each person's preference for avocado. It is recommended to make it into salad, jam, and juice are all good choices. Just try to keep its fresh and natural ingredients, and do not add excessive sugar or salt to season it, so as not to unknowingly burden your body. In addition, it is more suitable to boil avocado seeds into water and let the dietary fiber and minerals dissolve in the water before drinking.

★【Tips for eating avocado】:

(1) All healthy foods should be consumed in moderation. Too much or too little is not good. If you want to use avocados to lose weight or fight inflammation to improve your health, you should consume them in moderation. It is recommended to eat 1/2 avocado every day. If you consume too much every day, it will increase calories and lose the effect of weight loss.

(2) Avocados have a high potassium ion content (250-380 mg per 100 grams), which makes them less suitable for chronic kidney disease patients. If you still want to eat them, it is recommended that you only eat a small amount occasionally, and do not exceed 50 grams per day.

(3) Although avocados are recognized worldwide as a healthy food with high nutritional density, patients with diabetes or hypertension should not rely solely on eating avocados to control blood pressure and blood sugar and stop taking medication without authorization. Avocado diet therapy only has an auxiliary effect on the control and treatment of chronic diseases. However, the best way to control the three highs is to go to the hospital outpatient clinic and be evaluated by the attending physician to receive good treatment.