LilySlim Exercise days tickers

Jul 24, 2013

Avocado and Hypertension

Source


When I was a kid, my mom would prepare sliced avocados swimming in milk for dessert. I also love avocado smoothies. I have always eaten it that way and wouldn't dream of eating it as is. But there's always a first time and yesterday, I dared to eat one without anything on it. While my office mates were dipping it in white sugar, I find myself savoring the creaminess and the natural sweetness.  I am enjoying it as it is. It's this change in mindset really that made me enjoy real foods without all those extra things. Eating real foods did that to me. My palate has adjusted and is not craving too much for the usual artificial tastes.  So I guess that dissolves my plan to do food and restaurant reviews as I would probably fail miserably in that department.

Avocado is one of those fruits that are beneficial for people who suffer from hypertension, like me.  There is that magic essential mineral that I always look for: potassium.  It is even a better source of potassium than the good old banana.  As we know, potassium balances out sodium, even flushing out the excess according to this site.  On the sides, potassium is also credited for the anti-aging effects as it is a known muscle relaxant.  Ever wonder why they make avocado masks?  But I like eating fruits rather than putting them on my face hehehe.  On a side note, potassium is also beneficial for runners and other athletes for good heart function and to stave off those muscle cramps.  

Another great thing about avocados is that it contains monounsaturated fats.  These are the good fats responsible for balancing out our cholesterol levels by promoting the HDL (good cholesterol) and controlling the LDL (bad cholesterol).  I remember having to take Atorvastatin for two months because my lipid profile shows I am a tad below the minimum HDL level and my LDL has simply gone overboard.  What I think about when I eat avocados now is that I am packing a lot of HDL's and that makes me enjoy the food even better.  Of course, for weight watchers, take note that since it has high amount of fats, although the good ones, it is also packed with calories.  A whole avocado is around 250 calories, as this site says.  Still, that is still way lower than the calories contained in a cupcake.

Well, here I am with a bunch of avocados and I'm planning to have one for breakfast right now. I am not really so worried about the calories that I have to burn off later.  I think I can still outrun those calories.

For more information on avocados, I found these great links you might like to check out:




30 comments:

  1. I have always loved avocados. Pinaglihian ko pa ata with my first child. Nagpahanap ako nung time na it is not in season.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kawawang hubby hehehe...madami ko avocado now kasi yun isa officemate ko na may mga puno sa Laguna ata, nag harvest. Ang mura lang binebenta. Five medium sized avocados for 40 pesos... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love to eat avocado with sugar. I think I have to ask hubby to get some for me hehehe...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love avocado with milk. Yummy. Un parang nakakasuya na taste pero you keep on eating pa din, hehe... I read also it's high in glutathione :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes sis that's true...and a good source of antioxidant and fibers as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Naglilihi ka pa ba sis? Lol! At least you got a pretty good excuse kay hubby mo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My Mom used to do that too! Avocados with milk and a little sugar. Now I make smoothies with them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love avocados and milk! I'm still trying to get used to the taste of the fruit alone hehe. The info about hypertension is great! *recommends to father* Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. here in baguio, 1 kilo is 40 pesos sa palengke. somebody gave me avocados as big as a small papaya. (hubby thought it was actually papaya when he was cooking tinola. pagtingin nya, deym.avocado pala hehe)

    ReplyDelete
  10. its time to eat avocados! hello good cholesterol! please fight the bad ones!

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1 kg nga yun sis yung 5 pieces na nabili ko...pero am thinking it's more than a kilo eh pero yun sabi hehehe. So buy lang ako hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Avocado shake is really yummy! I haven're tried eating the whole fruit as is. It's not mapakla ba?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, it has to be ripe so it won't taste bitter. It's actually a little sweet, but you try it. We have different taste preferences kasi.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love avocado and it is currently in season so yay!! It is odd that in other culture avocado is mixed with veggies. I like to tell them it is good with milk then I tasted it in guacamole, I understood. sarap din!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes, guacamole seems like a yummy alternative to enjoying avocado...in Avocado Central (the site I mentioned above) they have tons of recipes and I think I might try the spicy guacamole. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love avocados!!! ♥


    Now, good memories are flashing back! Back in the days I was a little girl, my mom would always make "lamaw'. It's a dessert that contains condensed milk, papaya, avocado and biscuits! Yum!!!


    Good know about the benefits of Avocado! <3

    ReplyDelete
  17. oh, i so love avocado, too, i eat it as is or with milk. it's also one of the first solid foods i introduced to my baby, plain and mixed with breastmilk, he likes it both. yay! i recently blogged about how to choose the right avocado kasi we sometimes have a hard time choosing the right one, minsan malapit na mabulok huhu. sayang lang, mahal pa naman.

    ReplyDelete
  18. We had sliced avocados with milk and sugar too when we were younger. My brother also concocts something else with it and when eaten with plain crackers, it tastes so good! I haven't tried eating it plain though. How sweet can it be or depende sa ripeness nya?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh I love avocado too! We used to have an avocado tree at home, so I always had it freshly picked from the tree. I miss those times. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I so love avocado milkshake.. we use to serve the kids avocados a lot when they were little.. should look at more varied recipes for using this fruit at home :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm a big fan of avocado milkshake. recently I've tried this guacamole dip.. OMG! it is so good...:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I like mashed avocados with sugar and some ice.. Cool! I think it's the season of avocados na.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. avocado is one of my favorite fruits. i prefer mine as a smoothie :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. nope hindi naman.. trip lang because of your post.. hehehe

    ReplyDelete
  25. Maria Teresa GuanlaoJuly 31, 2013 at 9:25 PM

    Honestly sis, this fruit is one of those that I don't eat, yay! I don't know, I just don't like it, but alam mo sis, I haven't tasted it yet, ngek! Maybe if I try eating it, I will like it too. This is one of my problems why I am stuck with few fruits, I never try other fruits, oh my!

    ReplyDelete
  26. i also love avocado! lalo na pag smoothie yummmeh

    ReplyDelete
  27. big, big fan of avocado too!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love avocado, too, especially when it's made into jalapeño. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love avocado too. I want it with condensed milk and ice cubes.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I want avocados tuloy. Hehe. :) I had one recently, I added milk and sugar just the way my lola prepared when I was young.

    ReplyDelete

ShareThis