The benefits of avocado in the diet
The vitamin and mineral composition of avocados is very rich. The fruits contain essential fatty acids, vitamins A, groups B, D and E, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron. Adding avocado to your diet will be an excellent prevention of premature skin aging, will have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system, and will help reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood.
The calorie content of avocado is quite high - about 280 kcal/100 g. Then why is it recommended to include it in the diet? The use of fruits in fasting days and diets for weight loss is quite justified - they contain a lot of fatty acids that help normalize weight. They quickly fill you up, without leaving you with an unpleasant feeling of heaviness after lunch, and speed up your metabolism.
When choosing dietary recipes based on avocado, you should take into account their high calorie content - and therefore the right combination of ingredients in the dish is important! The creamy pulp of the fruit will “sparkle” with taste in combination with vegetables and fruits, seafood, and dairy products. Add avocado-based soups, salads and diet smoothies to your diet.
Avocado: benefits and features
Avocado has a relatively high calorie content, but despite this, the product is highly recommended for weight loss and is included in most vitamin diets. The high energy value of the product significantly improves performance and helps overcome stress and depression.
In addition, avocado fruits contain a large amount of fiber. Complex carbohydrates in its composition provide a feeling of satiety. Also, due to oleic acid, the activity of the gastrointestinal tract improves.
Simple and complex carbohydrates
The benefits of avocado for health and weight loss
The list of beneficial properties of avocado is extremely extensive:
- Reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack and thrombosis by reducing the amount of cholesterol.
- Improves visual function.
- Helps control sugar levels.
- Improves the condition of hair and skin due to the action of vitamins C and E, group B.
- Omega 3 and 9 reduce body fat, improve metabolism, and are easily digestible.
- The fruits contain a minimal amount of fructose and can be included in the diet of patients with diabetes.
- Increases the body's protective function, including resistance to viral and bacterial microflora due to the action of vitamins C, A, E and group B.
- Phylloquinone and nicotinic acid improve sleep and strengthen the nervous system.
- Normalizes hormonal levels.
- Improves intellectual activity.
- Has a rejuvenating effect.
- Increases the elasticity of blood vessels.
- The benefits of avocados also manifest themselves in cases of anemia.
- The benefits of avocado include the high content of pantothenic acid, which helps fight hormonal imbalance.
- The pulp also contains other valuable microelements, including potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus.
Features of avocado consumption
Improper use of avocados can impair taste and reduce the concentration of microelements. When consuming it, just follow a few simple rules:
- Heat treatment causes the product to darken; to preserve the benefits of avocado, you should give preference to fresh fruits.
- The cut fruit should be used within a few hours; storing avocados for more than a day is not recommended.
- The pit contains toxic substances, so it must be thrown away.
- To protect against darkening, cut areas can be sprinkled with lemon juice.
- Ripe fruits have a high calorie content - on average 200 kilocalories per 100 grams of product.
- Avocado goes well with lean meat, fresh vegetables, and eggs - quail and chicken.
- Avocados can be spread on bread for healthy sandwiches; they are often used in Japanese cuisine for sushi and rolls.
When buying avocados, you need to be very careful when choosing a product. Unripe avocados have a bitter taste, and when ripe the fruit spoils very quickly. Before buying, feel the shell: it should not be too hard, but not too soft. If the skin squeezes too easily, the avocado is overripe. There should also be no dark spots on the surface. Unripe avocados can be ripened at home if left in a warm room for several days.
KBJU avocado:
- Calories: 212 kcal
- Proteins: 2.0 g
- Fat: 20.0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.0 g
Recipes for “quick” avocado soups
Dietary nutrition should be balanced. What’s a healthy menu without first courses? And avocado can become the main ingredient for making soups. As a rule, hot and cold puree soups are prepared from it.
Cream soup based on potatoes and avocado will warm you up on a cold day. You will need the following products: half an avocado, 3 potatoes, 0.5 liters of vegetable broth, a bunch of dill, 2 tbsp. l lemon juice. Prepare according to the recipe:
- Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes, and cook in vegetable broth.
- Add avocado pulp and lemon juice to the finished potatoes. Grind everything with a blender.
- Bring the soup to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Serve the dish hot, sprinkled with finely chopped dill on top.
And when it’s hot outside, add cold cream soup to your diet - it’s perfectly nourishing and refreshing. For cooking you need ingredients - 3 cucumbers, a sprig of fresh mint, half an avocado, 2 tbsp. l lemon juice, half a glass of still mineral water, salt and pepper to taste. Prepare like this:
- Peel the avocados and cucumbers, cut the vegetables into cubes, and chop with a blender.
- Add lemon juice, salt and pepper, mint - mix again with a blender.
- Dilute the soup with mineral water to the desired consistency. Chill slightly in the refrigerator before serving.
Green salad with avocado and two sauces
Ingredients
- Kale cabbage 10 g
- Pak choi salad 8 g
- Mini spinach 10 g
- Broccoli 30 g
- Green peas 15 g
- Edamame beans 10 g
- Avocado 30 g
- Young zucchini 60 g
- Olive oil 5 ml
- Teriyaki sauce 10 ml
- Sesame oil 30 ml
- Refined olive oil 35 ml
- Olive oil with herbs 35 ml
- Peanut butter 30 g
- Soy sauce 20 ml
- Lemon juice to taste
- Salt to taste
Cooking method
- Prepare peanut sauce. Place sesame oil, herbaceous olive oil, peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a blender bowl. Add 55 ml water and whisk until smooth.
- Roughly tear all the greens with your hands and place in a serving dish. Divide the broccoli into florets and add to the salad along with the peas cut into thin strips. Add peanut sauce and stir.
- Cut the zucchini into large cubes and fry until golden brown in odorless olive oil. Place on top of salad. Place a slice of avocado next to it and drizzle with teriyaki sauce.
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Delicious avocado salads
As a rule, seafood, vegetables, and fresh herbs are added to recipes for dietary avocado salads. The dishes turn out very tasty and satisfying.
Try making a diet salad with grapefruit and shrimp - an excellent choice for those who like something sour. The following products are needed - grapefruit, avocado, 100 g shrimp, 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Prepare like this:
- Prepare all ingredients. Boil and peel the shrimp, peel the grapefruit and cut it into cubes. Carefully separate the skin from the avocado - it will act as a plate. Cut the pulp into cubes.
- In a separate container, combine shrimp (if they are large, you can chop them), avocado and grapefruit. Add salt and pepper and drizzle with lime juice and oil.
- Let the salad stand in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Then place the dish among the avocado peel “baskets” - you should get 2 servings. The salad can be decorated with fresh mint leaves.
A meat salad may also be present in your diet - take chicken. The dish will be satisfying - an excellent option for dinner. You need the following products - 200 g of chicken fillet, green apple, 2 avocados, half a lemon, 2-3 leaves of green salad, 1 tbsp. l olive oil. Prepare according to the recipe:
- Boil the chicken fillet, cut it into cubes. Peel the avocado and cut the pulp. Tear the lettuce leaves into pieces. Cut the apple into cubes.
- Mix all ingredients in a salad bowl. The salad dressing will be a mixture of lemon juice and oil. Salt the dish if it seems “bland” to you.
Asian salad with orange, avocado and spinach
Ingredients
- Baby spinach 180 g
- Oranges 1 piece
- Avocado 1 piece
- Shallot 30 g
- Ginger root 10 g
- Rice vinegar 2 tablespoons
- Vegetable oil 1 tablespoon
- Sesame oil ¼ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Cooking method
- Finely chop the shallot, chop the ginger, mix, add vinegar and oil - sesame oil and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Whisk the dressing, add salt and pepper.
- Peel the orange and remove the white layer underneath, cut into circles about 1 cm thick, and divide each circle in half. Cut the avocado into thin slices.
- Toss the spinach with the dressing, then the avocado and orange, carefully toss the salad and serve.
Avocado smoothie in dietary nutrition
Smoothies are at the peak of popularity among those losing weight. These drinks are very healthy and filling - they can easily replace a full meal. There are many recipes for dietary smoothies - they are prepared from vegetables and berries, fermented milk products. And adding avocado will make the drink even healthier. Preparing them is very simple - the ingredients are washed and cleaned, and then crushed in a blender. If the drink seems too thick, it can be diluted with still mineral water to the desired consistency. Try these smoothie combinations:
- Avocado + peach + nectarine + 2 tbsp. l natural low-fat yogurt + 2 tsp honey + 1 tsp flax seeds.
- Avocado + peeled cucumber + half a green apple.
- Avocado + bunch of spinach + 3 cabbage leaves.
Avocado muffins
Ingredients:
- flour (300 g);
- sugar (80 g);
- cocoa (150 g);
- baking powder (1 teaspoon);
- salt;
- chocolate;
- avocado (1 pc.);
- yogurt (150 ml);
- milk (150 ml).
Preparation
- Preheat the stove to 160 degrees.
- Mix the following ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, salt.
- Chop the avocado. To make the cake have a delicate taste, mix the resulting puree with yogurt.
- Then add milk. Mix everything again.
- Fill the muffin tins with the mixture. Leave in the oven for 40 minutes, checking periodically for doneness.
- Ready! Try it and enjoy.
Avocado sandwiches for a healthy snack
Even while on a diet, you can have a tasty snack. The main thing is to use healthy products and forget about sausage, mayonnaise, and rich bread. A great option would be diet sandwiches with avocado! The oily pulp of the fruit in them usually acts as a paste that is spread on bread.
Prepare a diet sandwich from the following products - avocado, a clove of garlic, a pinch of curry, 2 slices of whole grain bread, a tomato, half a lemon, 1-2 lettuce leaves. The recipe is:
- Peel the avocado. Make a puree from the pulp (with a fork or a blender), add chopped garlic and curry to it.
- Dry the bread in the toaster.
- Spread the resulting paste onto one piece of bread. Top with lettuce, tomato and lemon slices. Cover the sandwich with the second piece of bread. You can have a snack!
Avocado sandwich
Ingredients:
- Rye bread;
- avocado (1 pc.);
- salt (0.5 teaspoon);
- pepper;
- greenery;
- olive oil.
Preparation
- To make this sandwich you only need a couple of steps. First you need to mash the avocado, while simultaneously mixing it with salt and pepper.
- Then add herbs for beauty and oil for taste.
- Believe it or not, this is all you can spread on bread. It turned out both tasty and healthy!
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Chicken with avocado
Dietary, tender, refined... This dish will definitely lift your spirits!
Ingredients:
- smoked chicken breast (420 g);
- salt;
- prunes (120 g);
- greens (20 g);
- avocado (1 pc.);
- mayonnaise;
- roasted pistachios (90 g);
- cucumber (2 pcs.);
- egg (3 pcs.).
Preparation:
- Rinse the prunes, pour boiling water over them and leave for 30 minutes.
- Drain the water, dry the prunes and cut them into cubes.
- Chop the eggs, add sliced cucumbers, pistachios and chicken.
- Mix the ingredients, season with mayonnaise, add herbs.
- That's all! This combination of products deserves a place on the holiday table.