Avocados Can Help You Absorb Nutrients

Avocados... do you love them? I do!  Well, I didn't used to, but I do now. It's a good thing too!
Avocados have more fat than carbohydrate which is unusual for a fruit. In fact, 77% of the calories come from the fat. The majority of the fats in avocados are oleic acid which is a monounsaturated fat. Oleic acid has been shown to reduce inflammation and have positive effects on lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), raising good cholesterol (HDL), and lower triglycerides.

                            Source: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1844/2

The fats are also beneficial because you need fat in your diet in order to absorb fat soluble vitamins. This means that you need to combine certain vitamins with fats in order for them to be utilized. This includes vitamins A, D, E, and K along with antioxidants like cartenoids.Some of my favorite ways to eat avocados is in salads or with salsa. One study showed that adding avocado or avocado oil to either of these things can increase your antioxidant absorption by 2.6 to 15 fold (Source).

Avocados are also excellent sources of antioxidants themselves. They contain lutein and zeaxanthin which are important for eye health.

Here are a few recipe ideas for avocados:

Tuna sandwich- use mashed avocado instead of mayonaise
Avocado Hummus 
Avocado Quesadilla
Avocado Salsa
Ways to eat avocados for breakfast

What do you like to do with avocados?