Avocados are good for the heart and may also help slim the waistline

CONTRARY to popular belief, avocados can be helpful as part of an energy-controlled eating plan for weight loss and are good for your heart.

Researchers have found that the monounsaturated fats in avocado give a quicker feeling of fullness, which means less overeating.

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The monounsaturated fats in avocados will help make the diet more appetising, reducing the temptation to binge on foods high in energy from sugar and bad fats, supporting weight loss efforts.

This is why this year, on World Diabetes Day, 14 November the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats in avocados are being highlighted as the standout nutritional win that can have a spot on a diabetic’s eating plan.

Clearly, it’s a double-whammy win for the humble avocado, which, in portion-controlled amounts, can and should be a healthy addition to the diabetic’s eating plan to manage heart disease risk and help maintain a healthy weight.

World Diabetes Day aims to educate and inform the public on this devastating disease, and how it is completely possible to prevent and even reverse your risk of getting diabetes.

And while diabetics are encouraged to make healthy food choices to control glucose levels, it is equally important to manage other diabetes-related complications like the increased risk of heart disease and being overweight and obese.

With four million people in South Africa living with diabetes, according to recent data from the International Diabetes Federation, our country has the highest proportion of adult diabetics on the African continent.

Diabetes is the sixth most common cause of death in the country and added to this, uncontrolled diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and amputations, a pandemic fuelled by soaring rates of individuals who are overweight and obese.

Avocados for the heart

Did you know that the risk of heart disease is two to four times higher in diabetics compared to non-diabetics? Heart disease is the primary cause of death in diabetics.

In a study on over 120 000 participants followed for 24 years, replacing saturated fats (like coconut oil, fatty cuts of meat, chicken skin, and butter) with the same amount of monounsaturated fats (like avocado, avocado oil, olives, and olive oil) lowered the risk of coronary heart disease by a whopping 15 %.

All the more reason to choose the avocado!

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