Avocados are an excellent fruit that can be used in various ways. They are very nutritious and have so many health benefits.
When is the best time to eat avocado? The best time to eat avocados is when they are ripe, and have them with your morning meal. However, eating avocados at other times also has many benefits.
But why and how? This article will discuss the best time to eat an avocado, the benefits, and how to pick the ripe ones.
When is the Best Time to Eat Avocado?
Only When They Are Ripe
Avocados are a healthy food that you should eat. They are suitable for you, so don’t pass them up.
They’re ideal if you eat them as soon as they’re ripe but just before they become soft.
Take care to eat only the ripe avocado. For tough and green avocado, leave it for a few days so it can ripen. After that, it will get slightly softer.
In the Morning
You can eat avocado any day, but it is best to have it with your morning meal.
A new study shows that avocados might be the perfect breakfast for champions. You can have it as avocado on toast or avocado smoothie.
Researchers looked at people who ate either half or a whole avocado for breakfast. They found that replacing a carb, like bread or cereal, with avocado can benefit the hours following the meal.
Researchers found that overweight adults who ate avocado at breakfast showed improved blood flow. This can affect things like your blood pressure.
After breakfast, people who ate the meal with the extra avocado found better blood sugar and fat levels.
Avocado at Lunchtime
The NIH, the National Institutes of Health, studied avocados. They found out that people who ate avocado were full for six hours afterward.
“Avocados reduce your appetite for at least five hours after eating one,” says nutritionist Lori Meyer, an RD who has reported on the wonders of avocado.
The study says that people who eat avocados tend to eat less for the rest of the day and take in fewer calories when they eat an avocado around lunchtime. This leads to weight loss.
Avocados have a lot of fat, a source of fiber, and carbs. They tell your body to burn more fat.
Avocado at Night
The green fruit has an unclear bad reputation when it comes to sleep and avocados.
The Express recently said that avocado could sometimes keep you up at night. This is because it contains the amino acids which stimulate the brain.
But some experts also say that avocado will help you sleep. For example, boosting your potassium intake with avocado can help you sleep better and reduce nighttime wake-ups.
How often should you eat avocados?
Eating Avocados Every Day
Eating an avocado a day is good for your health. It also won’t hurt you. But it would help if you did not eat too many of them.
The New York-based nutritionist, Carolyn Brown, recommends how much avocado intake we should eat in a day. The Huffington Post shares this information.
The author says that we should eat half or one avocado per day. Eating one avocado provides 44% of the recommended daily intake of fat and 21% of the recommended saturated fat intake.
What will happen if you eat an avocado a day for a month?
Eating an avocado a day for a month will help your system keep a healthy fluid balance through chemical channels for cells and organs.
Avocados are high in vitamin C and E. Vitamin C is recognized for its role in forming collagen and elastin, which help maintain skin suppleness and firmness.
About Avocado
Nutrition Facts
USDA National Nutrient Database states that one serving of an avocado fruit (40 grams or 1/5 of an avocado) contains:
- 3 grams of fiber;
- 4 grams of carbs;
- 6 grams of fat;
- Less than a gram of sugar;
- 64 calories.
Avocados are the nutrient and vitamin all-star of the produce section. In a medium avocado, which is roughly 100 grams, there are 20 different vitamins and minerals.
- Vitamin K: 26% of the daily value (DV)
- Vitamin B9, aka Folate 20% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 17% of the DV
- Vitamin B5: 14% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV
- Vitamin E: 10% of the DV
- Potassium: 14% of the DV
Avocados are good for you. They are a rich source of magnesium, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate, and potassium. Avocados also contain omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene.
Avocados contain more potassium than bananas.
According to Healthline, a 3.5-ounce avocado has 708 milligrams of potassium or 14% of your recommended daily allowance, and bananas have 422 milligrams or 10 percent of your daily recommended allowance.
So don’t forget to add them to your smoothies
Health Benefits
Help Reduce Blood Pressure
Avocados are a better source of potassium than bananas.
This mineral is vital for the body. For example, it helps keep a healthy blood pressure level.
Support Heart Health
Beta-sitosterol helps regulate cholesterol levels. It is essential to control LDL cholesterol in your blood because it may be linked to a higher risk of heart disease. Avocados are a good source of beta-sitosterol.
Moreover, avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, which is good for your heart-healthy diet.
Protect Vision
Avocados are a good food because they have many things called phytochemicals. This helps protect the eyes from UV light which can cause damage to them.
Also, avocados contain monounsaturated fatty acids. These help the body absorb beta-carotene and other fat-soluble antioxidants that can protect the eyes from eye-related macular degeneration.
Reduce the Risk of Depression
Folate is a nutrient found in avocados that helps prevent the accumulation of the substance called homocysteine. This can affect circulation and nutrient delivery to your brain.
Improve Digestion
Half an avocado is only 7 grams of fiber. That is good for your digestion and bowel movements.
Eating it regularly helps keep your digestive tract healthy, prevents constipation, and might help prevent colon cancer.
Help Weight Loss
Studies show that eating avocado with a meal can make you feel full. This happens for six hours after eating.
What’s more, it’s low in carbs and high in dietary fiber, so it helps reduce appetite and weight gain.
The National Health and Examination Survey study found that people who consumed avocados had significantly lower BMIs, waist circumference, and body weight.
Avocado Benefits for Female
Prevent Osteoporosis
Avocados are rich in vitamin K, which is very important for your bones.
Taking enough vitamin K will help you absorb calcium and not lose it through urination. This is according to Medical News Today.
Moisturize the skin
Avocados are high in healthy fats that can help to moisturize and protect the skin.
They also contain vitamins C and E, important for skin health.
Vitamin C helps protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, while vitamin E help when your skin needs a little extra hydration.
Reduce wrinkles and age spots
A study found that avocado can reduce wrinkles and age spots. So use it as an overnight face mask to get the benefits.
Vitamin C is known for its involvement in creating collagen and elastin, which help maintain the skin’s elasticity and firmness.
Just mash up half an avocado with a tablespoon of honey or sugar for a nourishing moisturizer for dry skin.
How Do You Tell if an Avocado is Ripe?
It’s not always easy to tell if an avocado is ripe. If you’re not sure, here are a few simple ways to check:
- A ripe avocado will be very dark with flecks of green. You can tell by its color and feel.
- Give the avocado a good shake and see if it produces any sound.
- Gently give gentle pressure to the avocado in your hand. It should feel soft and squishy, but not too squishy that it falls apart.
- Ripe, ready-to-eat avocados may have a darker color, but they can vary. You should pick your avocado by how it feels. It will feel a little soft and not mushy to the touch.
- If you want to know if your avocado is ripe, then take a look at the stem. If it is brown, then it might be ripe. On the other hand, if the stem comes off easily and there is green underneath, it might be perfect for eating.
- Avocados with brown stems are too ripe. Sometimes they have dark spots inside.
- If the stem won’t come off, the avocado isn’t ready to eat yet.
But remember that avocados ripen best on the counter at room temperature. If you wait too long, they will start to go bad.
FAQs
When should you not eat avocado?
If the avocado is mushy when squeezed, has brown or mold on the inside, and smells sour, it is rotten.
You may be able to save some of the fruit if it just started to get brown on the inside, and you can still see that all of the fruit looks good.
When should I eat avocado to lose weight?
Eating a fresh avocado at lunchtime can help you lose weight. It doesn’t have a lot of calories, but it is still filling.
Is it good to eat avocado on an empty stomach?
Eating avocado by itself on an empty stomach is not good. It has a lot of fat and some people can’t digest it. This can make them feel sick like they are going to vomit.
