The Awesome Avocado

Avocados are no longer delegated to Mexican food buffets or eaten in Vegetarian California Cuisine. It's popularity continues to grow for many reasons. If you're not eating avocado for it's creamy deliciousness, then you should at least consider it a medicinal food that you ingest due to it's rating as one of theworld's top ten healthiest foods, a true Superfood.

Nutritional Wonder Fruit (That's right, it's a fruit, not a vegetable!)

Avocados contain a monounsaturated fat, oleic acid, which has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol levels in individuals eating avocados daily. In addition avocados are one of the best sources of potassium you can buy in the grocery store. Potassium is a mineral that is valuable in preventing circulatory diseases associated with high blood pressure like heart disease and stroke. The U.S. Food and Drug Association states this fact, "Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke."

The avocado fits that description perfectly. The pear shaped green globe fruit of the Persea Americana tree grows in the tropical climates of Mexico, Central and South America, as well as being cultivated in southern California. Avocados also contains a wide variety of other valuable food nutrients, including folate, another nutrient needed for a healthy heart. One cup of avocado, about a whole mashed Hass avocado contains 23% of the daily value for folate. Numerous studies have demonstrated the relationship between high levels of folate intake and lower risks of heart attacks or fatal heart disease.

Cancer Fighting Wonder Food

But it's not just your heart that a daily "dose" of avocado will protect. Avocado is packed with monounsaturated fatty acids, including that oleic acid highlighted earlier in this article. If scientific names of fatty acids bore you, all you need to know about the avocado's fatty acids is that in various laboratory studies, published and discussed in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, they inhibited the growth of cancer cells in breast and prostrate, two leading cancer killers.

Avocados cancer fighting abilities extend to oral cancer, an even more deadlier cancer, that kills 50% of the patients diagnosed. The phytonutrients in Hass avocados, which is the most cultivated and popular species of the more than 500 varieties of avocados grown, have been labeled as the fruit's cancer fighting army with a almost unique ability to kill the cancerous cells.For a more detailed look at the nutritional value of avocados checkhere at World's Healhiest Foods.

Yummy Food Wonder!!

Not only is this food a nutritionist wonder fruit, the "alligator pear", as the avocado is sometimes labeled, just simply tastes delicious, is easy to consume and add to a variety of food dishes. Slice 2 ounces to eat in your salad. Mash, add garlic (another wonder food!), chopped tomatoes (yet another wonder food) and you have creamy guacamole to eat atop chips or tortillas. Slice, eat with sliced red onions, broccoli sprouts and tomatoes in pita bread for an amazing vegetarian sandwich delight. For a wide variety of other delicious avocado recipes check out.

Beauty Wonder Fruit and Oil

John Heinerman, natural herbalist, writes in his book, Heinerman's Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs, that when studying in Honduras he met some Chorti women (descendants of the ancient Maya) who rubbed their hair and bodies with pressed avocado oil. He was astounded when he discovered that these women, whom he had thought were in their 30's, were 50 and 60 years old.

There are a wide variety of natural and green cosmetics companies that are claiming the same results. According to these researchers avocado oil penetrates the skin deeper than any other plant, and nourishes and replenishes the outer layer with unique blend of natural emollients and minerals. Avocado contains high levels of Vitamin A, D & E, potassium (sometimes labeled the youth mineral) and sterolins what are used to reduce age spots on mature skin. The antioxidant values of avocado and avocado oil aids in fighting visible signs of aging like wrinkling and spotting, by increasing collagen in the skin. in the . Avocado oil is the base for many ointments used to treat a variety of skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

Home made Avocado beauty wonders

Avocado oil is also used in expensive designer shampoos and conditioners. But you don't have to spend $20 plus dollars for avocado oil shampoo and lotions. Simply peel a couple of avocados, smash them into a pulp that you massage into your scalp and let sit for a few minutes, shampoo and rinse out for a head full of shiny healthy hair.

For a wonderful avocado mask, just mix 1 egg white into the pulp of one mashed avocado, and add a tsp of honey. Take the mixture and dab onto your face and massage gently, let dry for 5-7 minutes and rinse off with cool water. Continue this procedure once weekly and you'll see noticeable improvement in your skin softness and elasticity.

Avocado deserves it's reputation as one of the world's top 10 healthiest foods. Buy some avocado today!

Resources used in research

http://www.naturallyavocado.com/

http://www.eco-beauty.com/Natural-Eye-Skin-Care_c_45.html

World's Healthiest Foods

Heinerman's Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs book by John Heinerman

http://www.avocado.org/

Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1786186/avocado_beauty_tips.html?cat=69

http://whatscookingamerica.net/avacado.htm