By Justice Westmoreland
November 15, 2018
Most children refuse to eat any food that is even relatively similar to a vegetable. When I
was a child, anything green and mushy was completely out of the question. You would not catch me even ten feet away from brussel sprouts or broccoli. However, as I grew into my adult years, I realized how important these foods are for my overall health. Once I realized this concept, avocados quickly became my favorite food. This green, mushy substance has changed my life for the better due to the life-altering health benefits that avocados provide through enhancing healthy skin, promoting weight loss, and battling cancer.
As winter begins to present itself with bitterly cold wraths, our skin is dried out and
progressively becomes damaged by the changing of the seasons. In order to help prevent this, avocados provide many essential vitamins in order to help rejuvenate and moisturize the skin. An article titled “Are These Foods Really Good for You?” published in Food Sense confirms, “The fruit supplies a healthy array of vitamins and minerals not often found together in one place. These include fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamins B6, C, E, and K” (7). A particular vitamin that has been found within avocados to be very helpful in protecting the skin is Vitamin E. Vitamin E is less commonly known as tocopherol. These are antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables that allow proper development of cell membranes within the body. Cell membranes are incredibly powerful in keeping the skin moisturized by acting as a barrier between the skin and some of the harsh effects of the seasons changing around us. Since Vitamin E cannot be self-generated within the body, it is essential to eat foods that contain large amounts of Vitamin E in order to see these health benefits. Alongside vitamins, avocados also contain healthy unsaturated fats that allow the skin to stay moisturized and hydrated. When our skin becomes dry and damaged during the winter months, avocados provide an array of nutrients to our skin in order to keep it healthy. Christopher Calapai wrote an article titled “Foods for Glowing Skin Through Fall and Winter” in Natural Solutions emphasizing, “Avocado contains fats that lubricate the skin and protect it from damage. They promote clear, youthful skin” (2). With vitamins and healthy fats collaborating together within avocados, dry and damaged skin does not stand a chance.
Along with promoting healthy skin, avocados also enhance weight loss and increase
metabolism rates. When winter comes around and we begin to neglect our healthy eating habits, avocados come in to save the day. While some foods may still leave you feeling hungry, avocados provide a more fulfilling substance that leaves you satisfied after consumption. Bob Bergh, a botanist at the University of California, suggests, “Its high fat content gives a quicker feeling of satiation ("fullness"), thus helping to reduce overeating.” Due to the abundance of monounsaturated fat found in avocados, this fruit allows us to feel full longer and provides slower digestion rates. As a result, those eating avocados will eat a more balanced diet since they will not be tempted to eat unhealthy foods and they will also not be prone to overeating. Along with leaving you feeling fuller, avocados also reduce the effects of metabolic syndrome, a disease that affects over forty percent of adults aged forty years or older. A study conducted by the American Heart Association verifies, “Metabolic syndrome is a serious health condition that affects about 23 percent of adults and places them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and diseases related to fatty buildups in artery walls.” This means that approximately seven million individuals in the United States suffer from metabolic syndrome. These symptoms are due to an increase of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. This causes a buildup of lipids and makes it hard for blood to flow properly throughout the body. Thankfully, avocados provide agents that help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and increase HDL “good” cholesterol. The increase in good cholesterol levels allows the body to flush out toxins and unwanted fats in the body by carrying them to the liver. This reduction in bad cholesterol allows those who suffer from metabolic syndrome to see a dramatic increase in their metabolism rates which will allow for weight loss and overall health.
Lastly, avocados provide cancer-fighting agents against a variety of cancer types.
According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, “Approximately every 3 minutes one
person in the United States (US) is diagnosed with a blood cancer.” From this statistical fact
alone, it is clear that blood cancer is an ongoing problem within our society today. Leukemia,
lymphoma, and myeloma are the most prevalent forms of blood cancer. My aunt was diagnosed with Leukemia approximately three years ago after a year of ongoing symptoms. Since then, she has had to suffer through an immense amount of chemotherapy and a multitude of medications in order to sustain her everyday life. To help alleviate some of these harmful effects, her doctor recommended a list of foods to help fight the cancerous cells within her body and build her immune system. Avocados were the number one recommended food on the list given to her due to the benefits they contain and their combat against cancer itself. Research conducted by Dr. Rajkumar Paul observes, “Studies have shown that phytochemicals extracted from the avocado fruit selectively induce cell cycle arrest, inhibit growth, and induce apoptosis in precancerous and cancer cell lines” (221). Apoptosis is more commonly known as cell death. This indicates that avocados contain phytochemicals that kill cancerous cells within the body without harming healthy cells. These agents within avocados also inhibit cancerous cells from growing larger and spreading throughout the body of the victim. Since this allows for cancer cells to be more concentrated within the body, it makes it easier to treat the individual with blood cancer. With
more research yet to be conducted, this could be a significant advancement within the field of cancer as a whole.
An article published in May 2017 by Dr. Josh Axe, a clinical nutritionist and doctor of
natural medicine advocates, “...avocado health benefits are something everyone should take
advantage of.” So, the next time you are roaming through the grocery store and looking for
something nutritious to add to a meal, remember the multitude of health benefits that avocados provide. Through enhancing healthy skin, promoting weight loss, and helping to fight cancer, there is nothing that an avocado is not already capable of doing.
Works Cited
“About Metabolic Syndrome.” American Heart Association, July 2016,
“Are These Foods Really Good for You?” Consumer Reports on Health, vol. 30, no. 12,
Dec. 2017, pp. 8-9
Axe, Josh. “Avocado Benefits: The Most Nutrition-Packed Food on the Planet?” Food Is
Medicine, May 2017, draxe.com/avocado-benefits/.
Bergh, Bob. “The Avocado and Human Nutrition. I. Some Human Health Aspects of the
Avocado.” Aug. 2016, pp. 25-35 209.143.153.251/WAC2/WAC2_p025.pdf.
Calapai, Christopher. “Foods for Glowing Skin Through Fall and Winter.” Natural
Solutions, Oct. 2017, pp. 6-7
“Facts and Statistics.” Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Jan. 2018,
Paul, Rajkumar. “Avocado Fruit (Persea Americana Mill) Exhibits Chemo-Protective
Potentiality against Cyclophosphamide Induced Genotoxicity in Human
Lymphocyte Culture.” Journal of Experimental Therapeutics & Oncology, vol. 9,
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no. 3, Sept. 2011, pp. 221–230 search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=aph&AN=69926385&site=eds-live&custid=084-800.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.
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