Travel Pro Super Foods #8: Avocados in Ecuador!

Hey there my Steemit friends. When ever I go to Ecuador or Central and South America in general I always eat a lot of avocados. After all in this part of the world they grow on trees! Literally and everywhere. When I was living for a short while in the town of Vilcabamba Ecuador my neighbor had an avocado tree.

His avocado tree was huge, and had some of the best avocados I ever had in my life. In fact he had so many avocados he couldn't even give them all away and many perfect avocados would fall to the ground and go to waste. When ever I ran out of them he would give me a huge bag of avocados. Let's just put it this way, I was eating a lot of guacamole that year and it cost me basically nothing!

During the years of food propaganda in the Unitized States about how all fats are bad for you; many people shied away from eating avocados as they contain more fat content than just about any other fruit there is; but it's full of good and healthy fat! Not synthetic trans-fat; note the word synthetic, processed, made by man, not by nature. Hence it's bad for you...no wonder.

What makes avocados so good for you?

Well, for starters they are full of vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin E. It also contains small amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, and Niacin. So incorporating avocado into your diet is almost like having a multivitamin! They are incredibly nutritious.

About 77% of the calories in avocados are from monounsaturated fat; a very healthy fat. Specifically to avocados their kind of monounsaturated fat is comprised of oleic acid. This is an incredible heart healthy fat, it actually cleans the arteries, reduces inflammation, is anti-cancer, and anti bacterial; aiding in the balance of good gut flora and helping those suffering from the common intestinal candida over growth.

Avocados are high in fiber aiding in good digestion and regularity. They lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels and are great for the cardio vascular system. Studies have shown that people who regularly eat avocados are generally healthier and weigh less than those who do not. One trick to make them last longer once you've cut into your avocado is to squeeze a little lemon or lime on it to slow the oxidation process and store it in the fridge.

Something else that is very special about this fruit, is that the fat in the avocados allows for your body to absorb other nutrients from other plant based foods more effectively. Avocados are also loaded with antioxidants, specifically those which protect the health of your eyes. Due to it's anti-inflammatory characteristics, it helps people suffering from arthritis, asthma, brain fog, and just about any inflammation related illness.

So don't ever let anyone tell you avocados are not good for you because they are high in fat. They are one of the healthiest foods in the world! For all these reasons and surely more; avocados are definitely a Travel Pro Super Food! Until next time -Dan "World Travel Pro!"

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With over 11 years of travel experience I answer travel and international lifestyle questions. Leave a question in the comments and I may make a Steemit post just for you!