According to a recent article on YahooL!fe, avocados are a great way to help lower your LDL cholesterol, suggesting that the heart-healthy green fruit can have an impact when eaten regularly. The study sponsored by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (AHA) found that eating one avocado per day could lead to a decrease in these bad cholesterol levels.
Study author Joan Sabaté, M.D., Dr.P.H., said: “While one avocado a day did not lead to clinically significant improvements in abdominal fat and other cardiometabolic risk factors, (it) did not result in body weight gain. This is positive because eating extra calories from avocados doesn’t impact body weight or abdominal fat, and it slightly decreases total and LDL cholesterol.”
The HAB/AHA study was not the first time researchers have sung the praises of the avocado, whether it was for the fruit’s nutritional qualities or its helpfulness to those trying to maintain a healthy weight. Lainey Younkin, a weight-loss dietitian who helps people create a healthy lifestyle that lasts, wrote in an article for EattingWell, that some people can help lower their “bad” cholesterol levels by tweaking their routines.
A standard serving is about one-third of an avocado, so it’s easy to add an avocado a day with a serving at each meal. The other option is to go for an avocado-packed recipe to reach your goal in a single sitting.
Avocados made more news this year when another American Heart Association study found that eating a serving of avocado twice each week could lower your heart disease risk by as much as 16 percent. The impact was especially noticeable when study participants replaced foods like cheese and butter with avocado.
Citing that adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in the states is generally poor, study author Kristina Petersen, Ph.D., mentioned that higher diet quality is associated with a lower risk of several diseases besides heart disease, including type 2 diabetes and some cancers
Even if you don’t fit a whole avocado into your daily routine, there are plenty of ways to add some goodness to your diet. Add it to a wrap, sandwich, or salad, or make a meal of it with just a hint of salt and pepper. No matter how you bring it to your table, the creamy texture and slightly buttery taste of avocados will bring you back for more.
