All The Benefits Of Avocado, Inside And Out

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In the United States, the consumption of avocado per capita has grown tremendously over the last several decades. Californians have a reputation of putting that stuff on everything, but across the country, this creamy green fruit has skyrocketed in popularity. There are even entire festivals dedicated to it. It’s such a hot commodity, it seems grocery stores can’t even decide how to price it. You go into your local store one week and avocados are 80 cents each, and the next week, they’re $3 each. What is going on here?! It’s almost as if there is some underground avocado stock market driving the prices that we don’t know about. If you find a friend with an avocado tree, you know you’re a bit nicer to her come avocado season, when snagging some from her garden can save you quite a few dollars. Yup, this produce has quite a control on us, and it should, because it’s really good for us.

From hair masks to cracker spreads to oils, avocado has permeated many markets. It offers benefits for our insides and our outsides. There are probably many products you currently buy that you could quit purchasing, and just use avocado (either the oil, butter, or food alone) in place of them. It certainly earns the label “Superfood.” Here are the many benefits avocado has to offer.

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Skin moisturizing

Avocado oil is wonderfully moisturizing, and safe to put directly on your skin, so if you’d like to use it alone in place of manufactured creams, it is safe to do so. However, you can also benefit from finding a cream that contains added avocado oil. To demonstrate just how effective it is at treating dry, flaky skin, one study observed participants with chronic plaque psoriasis who used a vitamin B12 cream infused with avocado oil and saw significant, long-term positive results. Just a little bit goes a long way, so consider adding a teaspoon amount directly to dry skin, or mixing it in with your other moisturizer.

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Reducing age spots

If you’re looking to treat hyperpigmentation or discoloration, avocado oil and avocado-containing skin products may come in handy again. The pretty green fruit contains fatty acids, beta carotene, and other compounds that increase the production of collagen, which can, in turn, reduce the appearance of damage like age spots and scars. Because of the same anti-inflammatory effects that help it treat psoriasis, avocado oil can also reduce redness in acne sufferers, which is just one more way it helps with color correction. It can also speed up wound healing, as found by one study, so it can go in your first-aid kit as well as an arsenal of beauty tools.

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Digestion

If you suffer from constipation, gas, or other digestive discomforts, consider adding avocado to your shopping list. Due to its high fat content, you’ll want to eat it in moderation, but this fruit’s high potassium content can help improve digestion. It’s also rich in fiber, which can keep those bowel movements regular and prevent painful constipation, and its low-fructose profile comes with a low chance of gas. One study found that people who eat avocados daily have a high count of healthy gut microbes that help break down fiber and support overall gut health, so they can team up with probiotic supplements to aid your digestive process.

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Hair

There are many oils you can put on your hair if it’s dry, brittle, and breaking. However, avocado oil is special because it’s rich in special fats that penetrate the hair shaft. So while others may just sit on the surface of your hair follicles, potentially making your mane feel greasy but not really hydrating the scalp, avocado oil gets in there. It even helps seal cuticle cells to prevent breakage, making it beneficial to those who are progressively losing hair every time they run a brush over their head or wash their hair (though speak to a doctor to confirm this isn’t related to another issue).

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A better cooking oil

Maybe you’re familiar with vegetable oil, coconut oil, and olive oil, but have you added avocado oil to your list of cooking and dressing oils? It’s quite versatile. Its high levels of monounsaturated fat allow it to be rather heat stable, making it great for cooking in a pan. But it’s also loaded with flavor that really stands out when it’s left cool, making it delicious in salad dressings, drizzled over appetizers, and used as a simple dip for your bread. Keep in mind it is slightly more expensive than olive oil, as it tends to be made in smaller batches.

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Vision

If degenerative vision problems run in your family but you’d like to avoid needing glasses as you age, consider eating more avocados. They contain powerful antioxidants called carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are critical to vision. To give you a sense of how potent avocado is when it comes to lutein, one ounce of this fruit offers 80 micrograms of lutein, while most over-the-counter supplements only offer about 10 micrograms. When you consider the price of glasses or contacts for decades, suddenly the cost of avocados doesn’t seem that bad. Try making a shredded carrot and avocado salad for a vision-boosting side.

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Antioxidant absorption

Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that can boost our immunity, and they help create the gorgeous color you find in foods like carrots and red bell peppers. In order for the body to properly absorb these antioxidants, it needs substantial levels of lipids – biomolecules often found in fats. Ironically, most foods high in carotenoids (like carrots) are very low in fats, so while we may be feeding ourselves carotenoids all day long, we may struggle to absorb them. Avocado contains lipids that help the body better absorb this important antioxidant, so if you are having bright colorful veggies like red bell pepper, pumpkin, or sweet potato, add some avocado.

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Arthritis

An estimated 23 percent of American adults suffer from arthritis, and as a result suffer limits on the activities they can enjoy because of it. For some, this means a lifetime of using NSAIDs to manage the pain, but experts don’t recommend chronic use of these over-the-counter solutions. Fortunately, there may be a dietary solution. One study evaluated patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis, giving one group avocado/soybean oil capsules for a given period of time, and a placebo group no such treatment. It found that the group who took the real capsules needed fewer NSAIDs to manage pain than the placebo group.

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Oral hygiene

Good oral hygiene comes from a combination of what you don’t eat (you know the culprits: candy, acidic foods, coffee…) and what you do eat. Avocado should be on the list of things you do eat, since it contains a protein that can block the specific type of inflammation that causes gum disease. As a soft food, it can also be gentle on those who already suffer any sort of discomfort in the mouth. Avocados also contain helpful probiotic bacteria which can fight bad bacteria in your mouth. There are even several kinds of toothpaste on the market that contain avocado oil.

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Makeup remover

Avocado oil does an excellent job at breaking down dirt and grime on the face, which is why it can also serve as an effective makeup remover. You’ve likely noticed that store-bought makeup remover leaves your skin feeling slightly oily, and that’s because oil has a way of breaking up stubborn particles like those found in mascara and eyeliner. And avocado oil can be much gentler on the skin than the chemicals found in many manufactured eye makeup removers. Just dab a little bit on a cotton ball, as you would with other makeup remover, and rub it gently over your makeup to take it off. Be careful not to get any in your eyes to avoid irritation.