Choosing a ripe avocado
Why are NutriKiwi Avocado’s so good?
- Nutrient Dense
- Good for the heart
- Healthy fats
- Good source of fibre
- Packed with antioxidants
- Eye health
- Fighting fatigue
- Full of folate
- Perfect baby first food
- Weight and Type 2 Diabetes management
- NutriKiwi Avocado Nutrition Table
Why is nutrient density important?
Nutrient dense foods give you the most nutrients for the fewest amount of calories. In other words, nutrient dense foods give you the “biggest bang for your buck.”
Avocados play a role in managing coronary heart disease. As part of a healthy diet, avocados may play a role in helping to manage conditions such as high blood cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease. These effects are primarily because of avocado’s low saturated fats and high healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat content. Additionally, as this natural wholefood is low in sodium and a source of potassium, avocados may help to guard against high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
A 75g (1/2 an avocado) serve of avocado has nearly 14g of ‘good’ fats, about 8.6mg of sodium and 390 mg of potassium.
Healthy fats help carry important fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and E and colourful carotenoid pigments such as beta-carotene.
Avocados are a good source of dietary fibre. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre can help reduce cholesterol re-absorption in the intestine, while insoluble fibre such as that found in avocados keeps bowel movements regular. People, who consume high-fibre diets, are less likely to have constipation. Fibre may also play a part in weight management – eating fibre rich meals may have you feeling fuller quicker and reduce the amount you eat.
Eating ½ an avocado serve will give you about 4 g of fibre which is 13% of the recommended daily amount.
Vitamins C & E for normal immune, brain and nervous function. Mother Nature gave avocados a strong antioxidant capacity to help prevent the healthy fats in avocados going rancid too quickly. The antioxidants in avocados include vitamins C and E which are well understood to contribute to the reduction of tiredness, normal immune, brain and nervous system function, and give protection from free radical damage and more. Avocados also contain other natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds called phenolics.
Half an avocado (75g) contains the following antioxidant nutrients:
- 2.02 mg Vitamin C (5% RDI for Vitamin C)
- 1.25 mg Vitamin E (12% of RDI for Vitamin E)
- 64 mg Gallic acid Equivalents (GAE) of total phenolic antioxidants
Carotenoids in avocado may protect your eyes. Avocados may protect your eyes. Firstly, the vibrant colours of avocados come from natural carotenoid pigments that are important for eye health. Also, research indicates that the healthy fats in avocados help the body to absorb disease-preventing carotenoids from the diet, and aid in their conversion to vitamin A – needed for normal reproduction, vision and immune function. Additionally, the consumption of avocados with salads or salsa increases the availability of carotenoids multi-fold, which may add to the potential health benefits such as vision. Guacamole anyone?
Contain the B vitamins folate, B6 and niacin plus vitamin C for energy. With tiredness, exhaustion and lack of energy being a common cry from many overworked and stressed adults, eating a varied, healthy and balanced diet containing fatigue fighting nutrients such as those found in avocados can give your engine a much-needed boost.
Avocados are a good source of vitamin B6 and folate (30% and 41% of the recommended intake of an average adult, per ½ an avocado, respectively) and are a source of niacin and vitamin C, all of which help to fight tiredness and fatigue. Vitamin C also helps to absorb iron from food which may also support increased energy.
Avocados are an important dietary source of folate, which is vital for healthy growth and development, at all stages of life, particularly for children, and essential during pregnancy for healthy foetal development. A serve of avocado (75g or about ½ an avocado) contributes 81.6 ug of folate, which is approximately 20% of the folate recommended daily intake (RDI) of 400ug per day for women of childbearing age.
A ¼ avocado serving has 4 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.
Many studies show the benefits of regular avocado consumption on weight and Type 2 Diabetes including a lower likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome, weight loss including shedding extra kilos around the waist, and better appetite and blood glucose control.
Serving size: 1/2 avocado – 75g
Avg Quantity per serving | % RDI per serve* | Avg Quantity per 100g | |
---|---|---|---|
Energy (kj) | 684 | 8% | 912 |
Protein (g) | 1.34 | 3% | 1.78 |
Fat, total (g) | 17.0 | 24% | 22.7 |
– saturated (g) | 2.50 | 10% | 3.33 |
Carbohydrate (g) | 0.06 | 0.0% | 0.08 |
– sugars (g) | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0 |
Dietary Fibre (g) | 3.86 | 13% | 5.14 |
Sodium (mg) | 8.6 | 0.0% | 11.5 |
Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.47 | 30% | 0.63 |
Folate (µg) | 81.6 | 41% | 108.8 |
Niacin (mg) | 1.85 | 18% | 2.46 |
Vitamin E (mg) | 1.25 | 12% | 1.66 |
Vitamin C (mg) | 2.02 | 5% | 2.69 |
Potassium (mg) | 390 | n/a | 520 |