Avocado, also known as Persea americana, is a bright green fruit native to Central America and classified into flowering plants. It is not just only eaten raw but also used in salads to smoothies and even brownies. It is an unusual fruit as it is rich in nutritive fats and is often used to produce oil.
After sun-ripening, avocados are sorted, washed, and then passed through an oil separation process to extract oil. While avocado oil is mostly known for its usage in cooking, it also provides many other benefits. In this article, you’ll get to know more about avocado oil, its benefits, and its applications.
Nutritional Facts
Have you ever heard of oily fruits? It surely sounds strange, but wait, avocado is one of them as it is uniquely high in healthy fats and oils. Avocado oil is rich in:
- Unsaturated fatty acids
- Oleic acid
- Vitamin E
One tablespoon of avocado oil contains 14 grams of fat with no sugar, carbohydrate, or protein. It provides 130 calories of energy.
Benefits of Avocado Oil
Avocado oil possesses such useful substances that are a lot advantageous for our bodies.
- Improves Heart Health: Several animal studies have shown that avocado oil actually reduces bad cholesterol in the body and is most effective in increasing HDL, the good cholesterol. These properties help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- Rich in Healthy Fats: Avocado oil is rich in oleic acid. Oleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid which is believed to be a healthy fat that benefits your brain, mood, skin, and heart along with involvement in reducing inflammation.
- A Natural Antioxidant: Avocado oil contains lutein, a carotenoid important for vision. This lutein functions as an antioxidant to protect the eyes.
- Natural Remedy for Arthritis: Arthritis is the inflammatory condition of joints. Several research studies have proven the anti-inflammatory properties of avocado and soybean oil extracts.
- Good for Skin: A study found that topical creams containing avocado oil and vitamin B12 helped treat psoriasis after 12 weeks of treatment. Avocado oil also enhances wound healing process.
Applications of Avocado Oil
Most of the people are unaware of its application, but it is widely used as:
- A cooking oil
- A facial moisturizer
- An ingredient in topical creams and lotions
- A homemade facemask
The Bottom Line
Avocado oil is the best natural substance that is used in many ways. It not only serves cooking purposes but also acts as skin-healing agent.
