What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Avocados Regularly

The health benefits of avocados include heart health and weight management, as well as improved cognitive function and digestive health. Avocados also contain healthy fats, disease-fighting antioxidants, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.

Just one avocado provides 40% of the daily value (DV) of folate, 30% of the daily value of vitamin K, and more than 20% of the daily value of vitamin C.

Healthy fats and fiber slow stomach emptying, keeping you full longer and delaying hunger. This feeling is called satiety.

Lawyers do the trick. Their fats come mostly from heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), and their carbs come mostly from fiber.

Adding half an avocado to your meal can increase satiety for up to five hours.

Eating avocados regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight. Contrary to popular belief, eating fat does not automatically lead to weight gain. Eating healthy fats is a wise weight management strategy.

Plant-based fats like those in avocados offer antioxidants and fight inflammation, both linked to healthy weight management. Avocados also contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion and absorption of ingested fats and carbohydrates. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps remove digested food from your intestines.

Over time, eating avocados can reduce the ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat, which is found just under the skin. This reduction means that body fat is redistributed away from the organs.

Avocados have protective effects on the heart. Eating avocado regularly reduces total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

Avocados are an excellent source of potassium, a micronutrient that helps reduce blood pressure. A balance between increasing potassium and decreasing sodium can help treat high blood pressure.

If you have type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance, higher blood sugar leads to increased insulin production. Adding half an avocado to a meal can help limit insulin and glucose spikes.

Eating avocado can also reduce abdominal fat (called visceral fat). Visceral fat cushions the organs in your abdomen and is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Avocados can help your body absorb more antioxidants from other nutritious foods you eat. For example, pairing avocado with tomato sauce and carrots boosts the absorption of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for healthy skin, vision and immunity.

Avocados can also contribute to a healthier diet in general. Regular avocado eaters tend to eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains. People who eat avocados consume more of the following nutrients than those who don’t:

Avocados benefit your gut microbiome inside your digestive tract, which is home to billions of microorganisms and their genetic material. A healthy gut microbiome strengthens immune function, reduces inflammation and protects against chronic disease.

Avocado is rich in a phytochemical called lutein, a pigment related to beta-carotene and vitamin A. You may know lutein as one of the two main carotenoids found in the eye. The other place lutein is found is the brain.

Research has shown that eating an avocado a day for six months improved performance on memory tests in older adults. The lutein supplement didn’t produce the same results, suggesting that something in avocados boosts brain function.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants found in your eyes, particularly in macular pigment, that help your eyes sharpen your vision.

Eating avocados provides zeaxanthin, which may increase the amount of macular pigment in your eyes. Avocados also seem to increase lutein absorption better than taking a simple lutein supplement, likely due to the healthy fats in the fruit.

Avocados are rich in antioxidants. Avocado or fruit pulp extracts have been found to have anti-cancer properties. An extract containing antioxidants like lutein and vitamin E stopped the growth of prostate cancer cells. Another extract eliminated cancer cells from the mouth.

A large avocado (201 grams) without the skin or seeds provides the following nutrients:

• Calories: 322 calories
• Protein: 4 grams
• Carbohydrates: 17 grams
• Fiber: 13 grams
• Folate: 163 micrograms
• Vitamin K: 42 micrograms
• Vitamin C: 20 milligrams
• Vitamin E: 4 milligrams
• Potassium: 975 milligrams
• Magnesium: 58 milligrams

Over 300 calories for an avocado may seem like a lot, but the calories mostly come from nearly 30 grams of healthy fats. Most of the carbs in avocado come from 13 grams of fiber, which is half the recommended daily intake for an adult.

Eating just one avocado provides 40% of your daily need for folate, one of several B vitamins responsible for energy metabolism and new cell production. Avocado contains more than 30% of the daily value of vitamin K, necessary for blood clotting and bone health. It also contains more than 20% of your vitamin C needs and 26% of the daily vitamin E intake.

Avocados also contain minerals. An avocado provides almost 30% of the daily value of potassium and almost 20% of the daily value of magnesium.

Avocados can be enjoyed on their own or as an accompaniment to your favorite dishes and snacks. Here are some ways to add more avocado to your day:

• Mash avocado on whole grain toast with salt and pepper.
• Add avocado slices to sandwiches or burgers.
• Garnish the tacos with diced avocado.
• Make guacamole with mashed avocado for dipping.
• Add diced avocado to leafy green salads.
• Whisk avocado into fruit smoothies.
• Add blended avocado to homemade chocolate pudding or brownies.
• Mix the avocado with the hummus.

Avocados can even replace butter in baking. Swap every tablespoon of butter in brownie and cupcake recipes for half a tablespoon of mashed avocado. The swap reduces calories, improves the nutritional quality of your treats, and still provides a creamy texture that will satisfy you.