A method for checking whether an avocado is ripe - without destroying it/nude_nutritionist
Avocado is known for its wonderful taste, but also for its anti-inflammatory properties, the healthy fat it contains and its contribution to heart health. Researchers from a recent study recommended including one avocado a day in the menu, because it may help improve the quality of the overall diet, thus helping to maintain weight.
The researchers from Penn State University's Department of Nutritional Sciences examined how a food-based intervention that includes one avocado daily can help address poor diet quality—a risk factor associated with many diseases.
"Avocado is a nutrient-dense food, containing a lot of fiber and other important nutrients. We wanted to see if regular consumption of this food would lead to an increase in diet quality. Previous observational research indicates that avocado consumers have a higher diet quality of daily menu. So, we developed the This study is to determine if there is a causal relationship between avocado consumption and overall diet quality," said Kristina Petersen, who led the study.
Cutting an avocado with a knife/ShutterStock
The experiment involved 1,008 participants with abdominal obesity who were divided into two groups. One group maintained their normal diet and limited avocado consumption, while the other group incorporated one avocado per day into their diet for 26 weeks.
Through telephone interviews before the study and at several points throughout the trial period, the researchers assessed the participants' dietary intake in the previous 24 hours. Using a healthy eating index, the experts checked how well these participants adhered to the dietary guidelines that were used as a measure of the overall quality of the diet.
The researchers noted that those participants who ate avocados daily met the dietary guidelines better. Poor overall diet quality has been linked to risk for conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.
"By improving people's adherence to dietary guidelines, we can help reduce their risk of developing these chronic conditions and extend healthy life expectancy. In studies like this, we are able to determine food-based ways to improve diet quality, but behavioral strategies are also needed to help people adhere to the dietary guidelines and reduce the risk of chronic diseases," Petersen said.
Although the improvement in diet quality was not a surprising finding, the researchers were also able to understand how the participants could achieve this. "We determined that the participants used avocados as a substitute for some foods with a higher amount of refined grains and sodium. In our study, we classified avocados as a vegetable and we did see an increase in vegetable consumption attributed to avocado consumption, but the participants also used avocados to replace some more unhealthy options," Petersen added.
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