One food that triples your heart protection

Whether you believe high cholesterol contributes to heart disease or not, it’s best to keep your numbers low. It’s also quite beneficial to keep your fiber consumption high to reduce your risk of heart disease. And while we’re on the subject — controlling your weight is a given for protecting your heart.

Good news is — there is one fruit that can help you do all that and more…

Research has revealed that consuming one to one and half avocados a day significantly reduces total cholesterol (TC), “bad” low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) — without impacting “good” high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) — when they are substituted for sources of saturated fat.

“Fresh avocado, as part of a balanced diet, and as a cholesterol-free substitute for solid fats, can help be part of the solution for maintaining normal cholesterol levels,” says Nikki Ford, PhD, Director of Nutrition, Hass Avocado Board. “Beyond their naturally good fats, avocados are also a delicious way to boost fiber (8 percent of DV) and fruit intakes, both of which are under consumed in American diets.”

Avocados can also help boost satiety so you feel fuller longer and possibly eat less.

Eating a half of an avocado with a meal, according to a study of people trying to bring their weight down, can help you feel like you’ve eaten enough and avoid the temptation to stuff yourself with sweets.

The Loma Linda researchers found that folks who eat half of a fresh avocado with their lunch experience a 40 percent decrease in the desire to keep eating after the meal. And the effect persisted five hours later (to a diminished degree). The people in the study also reported feeling 26 percent more satisfied.

But what’s that you’ve heard about avocados causing weight gain? Hogwash. Results from the National Health and Nutrition examination survey has shown that eating an avocado every day does not make people gain weight and is associated with better diet quality, nutrient intake and lower risk of metabolic syndrome.