Guacamole. It’s a rich, delicious, beloved dip eaten in many parts of the world.

And best of all, its main ingredient is an amazingly healthful food, perfect for keto zone eating.

Here is a great Keto Zone Guacamole recipe, full of avocados, sure to please during any meal or upcoming Football Bowl Game. Plus, 8 proven health benefits of avocados.

Keto Zone Delicious Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados, peeled & pitted,
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately with keto zone chips, vegetables, on burgers and chicken, or however else you can imagine.

Nutrition Info (~1/4 cup): 51 calories, 4 gm fat, 2 gm net carbs, 2 gm fiber

8 Proven Health Benefits of Avocados

There’s a lot of nutrition in an avocado.  In fact, it’s one of the most potent health-benefitting whole-foods around. If you want to improve your health, eat avocados and consider these 8 Health Benefits.

1.Carotenoids Galore for Eye Health & Reduced Inflammation

You may think are only found in orange/red vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

But, avocados are a great source.

In fact, they contain a spectacular array of carotenoids including

• beta-carotene
• alpha-carotene
• lutein
• neochrome
• neoxanthin
• chrysanthemaxanthin
• beta-cryptoxanthin
• zeaxanthin

What’s more, the fats in avocado actually increase the carotenoid absorption from other vegetables, by as much as 15 times (1)!

What’s this mean to you?

When you mix avocados with other bright vegetables, you get a 1-2 health punch.

Many of these carotenoids directly support eye health and brain health (2).  And, they are highly anti-inflammatory.

2. Healthy Fats

Like other high-fat foods, avocados were once considered too high in calories and fats to be healthy.

In fact, avocados are 85% fat.

However, these fats in are extremely healthy, anti-inflammatory, and they promote healthy blood sugars.

They are perfect for keto zone eating.

3. Potent Anti-inflammatory Components

Avocados offer 3-way anti-inflammatory benefits.

First, avocado’s fats are made of phytosterols. They are key supporters of our inflammatory system.

Specifically, research has shown the anti-inflammatory benefits of avocados’ phytosterols for arthritis.

Next, avocado’s polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs), which are abundant in ocean plants but fairly unique among land plants, are highly anti-inflammatory.

Third, the high amount of oleic acid aides our digestive tract and improves healthy fat absorptions while decreasing inflammation.

4. Fiber

Our favorite carbohydrates, fiber, are abundant in avocados.

In fact, ½ cup provides 5 grams of fiber (and only 1 gram of sugar) (3).

An avocado’s fiber can improve cholesterol, balance blood sugars, and promote digestive health.

5. Lower Weight, BMI, and Cardiovascular Disease

In food intake studies, participants that routinely eat avocados have been documented to have lower weight, lower BMI, and better heart health markers than non-consumers (4).

This is great news for avocado lovers.

6. Cancer prevention

Avocados have been determined to help prevent the occurrence of cancers in the mouth, skin, breast and prostate gland.

Cancer risk factors often include excessive inflammation and oxidative stress.

Avocados likely reduce risk due to their unusual mix of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients.

What’s more, avocados increase programmed cell death cycle (apoptosis) or cancer cells.

7. Glutathione

Glutathione is a super-antioxidant that can be consumed in foods or produced by our cells.   It promotes cellular health, anti-aging, and overall good metabolism and cellular cleansing.

Avocados are a great source of this wonder-nutrient.

8. Vitamin E

Avocados are the best fruit source of vitamin E, an essential vitamin that protects against many diseases and helps maintains overall health.

Specifically, Vitamin E is an antioxidant that supports brain, cardiovascular, and respiratory health.

Pro Tip:

To get the most nutrients out of an avocado, “peel” avocados.  The greatest concentration of carotenoids in avocado occurs in the dark green flesh just beneath the skin.  To peel:

First, cut into the avocado lengthwise, producing two long avocado halves that are still connected in the middle by the seed. Next, take hold of both halves and twist them in opposite directions until they naturally separate.

Then, remove the seed and cut each of the halves lengthwise to produce long quartered sections of the avocado.

Grip the edge of the skin on each quarter and peel it off, just as you would do with a banana skin.

The final result is a peeled avocado that contains most of that dark green outermost flesh so rich in carotenoid antioxidants!

Bottom Line

Avocados and guacamole are delicious, keto zone, and packed with health-benefitting nutrients.