The avocado hype is not unjustified. They’re not just a beautiful sight when you cut open that perfectly green berry, (yes, we said berry, technically an avocado is a berry), they’re also beautifully healthy.

The avocado has more potassium than a banana, crazy right? What’s so good about potassium, you may ask? Well, potassium helps stabilize blood sugar, strengthens muscles, boosts your metabolism AND it helps reduce anxiety and stress! We know you’ll need some anxiety and stress relief in the upcoming week, so maybe go buy an avocado or two…

Another exciting benefit of avocados is that they’re one of the only “high-protein” fruits. They can have four grams of protein per berry, which is the highest of any fruit. The protein coming from avocados is also fully available for your body to use. Some of the protein coming from red meats can’t be used by the body, but not the avocado…You can utilize all that good stuff.

As we’re sure many of you know, avocados are a high fat food, but don’t let that scare you. The fat in avocado is monounsaturated, meaning they lower bad cholesterol levels, which may help reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. A second benefit of the fats in avocados is they help your body absorb other nutrients. You can eat all the nutrients you want, but you need to make sure your body is absorbing them. These fruits can help your body absorb the fat soluble vitamins by 2.8 – 15%, according to one study. Also, fats are good! Our body needs some fat to function properly and avocados are a great source.

There are numerous more ways that avocado can help benefit your health, aside from just being absolutely delicious. Since we shared just a few of the benefits of avocado, here a two super simple and super healthy avocado recipes that take five minutes or less to make.

Avocado Toast

For breakfast or lunch, you can never go wrong with avocado toast…All we used for this recipe was half of a ripe avocado, sriracha sauce, and some hummus.

All you’ve got to do is toast your bread, spread some hummus (chickpea protein!), cut up your avocado and squeeze some sriracha on the top! This toast packs serious protein, healthy fats and carbs. It’s perfect to get your day started and fuel your all day study bender!

Avocado Salad

For pre-dinner or an afternoon, this avocado tomato salad is a light, refreshing snack to hold you over until dinner.

For this one, all you have to do is slice up your avocado, tomato, and onion. Layer them, squeeze some lime juice on top and throw some cilantro on top (salt and pepper to taste at the end). It’s a delicious snack to finish off your day.

Well Beaver Nation, we hope you gained some knowledge about the avocado, and have either decided to jump on the bandwagon or stay on it, because the avocado rocks.

Sources:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/08/26/avocado-health-facts-didnt-dont-know_n_3786419.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-benefits-of-avocado

Photography by Holly Giering