Avocados are high in beneficial plant chemicals aka phytochemicals with antioxidant powers and ‘good’ fats (monounsaturated) plus they’re packed with fibre, with a whopping 10g of fibre in one avocado! Your gut bacteria’s favourite nutrient.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And now a study has suggested they can lower oxidised LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ type) too.<\/p>\n
Whether it’s #avotoast, good old guac or straight out of the shell… it turns out avos aren’t just good for the ‘gram’<\/p>\n
THE STUDY<\/strong><\/p>\n 45 adults who were classed as overweight or obese, with high LDL cholesterol levels, followed 3 different diets for 5-weeks each (in a random order):<\/p>\n 1. Lower-fat diet.<\/p>\n 2. Moderate-fat diet with one Hass avocado daily (approx 140g).<\/p>\n 3. Moderate-fat diet with high oleic oils that matched the fatty acid profile of an avocado.<\/p>\n Oxidised LDL cholesterol levels (that’s the potentially harmful type caused by damage to cholesterol) were measured before and after going on each diet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE RESULTS\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Only the diet with an avocado a day decreased oxidised LDL cholesterol. It also increased a phytochemical called lutein, linked with anti-inflammatory effects and protecting eye health (Wang et. al.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The benefits of avocados aren’t just down to the healthy fats – they’re also likely due to the vitamins and array of phytochemicals.<\/p>\n So is eating one avocado a day a good idea?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’d still never suggest focusing on any one ‘superfood’ – it’s all about the variety of plant goodness! But including avocados (amount really depends on your energy needs, but on average I’d say 1\/2 an avocado (70g) per portion) regularly as part of a balanced, heart-healthy diet could be a good idea for #cholesterol levels – a key risk factor in heart disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Avocados are high in beneficial plant chemicals aka phytochemicals with antioxidant powers and ‘good’ fats (monounsaturated) plus they’re packed with fibre, with a whopping 10g of fibre in one avocado! Your gut bacteria’s favourite nutrient. And now a study has suggested they can lower oxidised LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ type) too. Whether it’s #avotoast,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n