What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Avocados for a Week?

Meaghan Cameron has over 15 years of experience writing and editing for American newspapers, with a career that began atReader's DigestShe also contributes expertise to many popular sites such asFood Network, Outside Television and Eat This, Not That!Below is her sharing onThe HealthyAfter eating avocado continuously for 1 week:

Benefits of avocado

Avocados are known for their high content of good fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce bad cholesterol and belly fat — two risk factors for heart disease and other conditions.

One avocado contains 240 calories, 24 grams of fat (30 percent of the recommended daily intake), 12 grams of carbohydrates, and 9 grams of fiber. Avocados also contain many vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, E, K1, B6, B9, potassium, and copper.

A 30-year study of 110,000 people published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that those who ate avocados had a 16% lower risk of heart disease. “These findings are particularly noteworthy because avocado consumption has increased dramatically in the United States over the past 20 years,” said lead author Dr. Lorena S. Pacheco, an American.

Feeling very full

If you want to eat an avocado a day, it is best to divide it into 2-3 servings because it is so high in energy. I usually eat half for breakfast with scrambled eggs or spread on toast. For lunch, I have an avocado salad or bread with avocado.

I still felt very full, though. This is consistent with research showing that people eat less other fats after eating avocados. This is a good habit, since most of the fat in many foods is unhealthy saturated fat.

Health coach Katis Bressack wasn’t surprised to hear that I was so full from avocados. “Avocados are full of healthy fats that keep us full for longer,” she says. “The combination of protein, healthy fats, and fiber is great for helping to maintain blood sugar levels and keeping you feeling fuller for longer.” So some days my lunch is pushed back to later, after 2 p.m.

Research published in journalNutrientsconfirmed the above fact. Accordingly, people who eat one or half an avocado at a meal will feel full longer. Avocados increase the amount of the hormone PYY, which when reduced will make people feel hungry.

Visibly smoother skin

Looking in the mirror after the third day of my avocado experiment, my skin was noticeably brighter and smoother. I found research from the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Human Nutrition and the David Geffen School of Medicine that shows eating avocados improves skin elasticity and firmness.

In that study, 39 women either ate one avocado every day for eight weeks or did not eat the fruit. Those who ate the avocados had significant increases in skin elasticity and firmness.

“This study shows that if you want your skin to look youthful and vibrant, you need to improve your diet, not just by applying it topically,” said Dr. Zhaoping Li, Head of the Department of Clinical Nutrition at the University of California. “When you take care of your whole body with a proper diet, your skin will reflect that.”