Composition and calorie content of fruit oil. Useful properties, possible contraindications. How to use avocado oil, recipes. Interesting Facts.
Avocado oil is not only a product actively used in cosmetology, but also a cold-pressed food product. It is noteworthy that the pulp of the plant is used as raw material, and not the seeds. Even the ancient Indians considered the fruit a source of health and longevity, but the use of avocado oil on an industrial scale began only in the 90s of the 20th century. A product from Chile is considered to be of high quality. The taste of the substance is delicate with a spicy pleasant aroma. Most reviews for avocado oil are positive. But to truly appreciate the benefits and flavor of avocado oil for food, you need to carefully prepare for the first tasting.
Composition and calorie content of avocado oil
Pictured avocado oil
Today, you can buy avocado oil in large supermarkets and local health food stores. The energy value of the product is very high, and this indicator can fluctuate within 20%, depending on the manufacturer, the basis for production, and the processing technology of the fruit.
The calorie content of avocado oil is on average 900 kcal per 100 g (3766 kJ).
On store shelves, you can find edible avocado oil with a declared calorie content of 130 kcal per 100 g of product. The amount of fat in such a product is reduced with the help of special technologies, as well as the amount of useful elements.
100 g of product is 100 g of high quality fat. Avocado oil contains:
- monounsaturated fat - 76%;
- polyunsaturated - 12%;
- saturated - 12%.
Monounsaturated fats are based on omega-9 fatty acid. And although acid is not irreplaceable, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of its intake from the outside.
Polyunsaturated fats include Omega-3 and Omega-6, which, although present in relatively small quantities, significantly increase the benefits of avocado oil.
There is only 1.6 g of saturated fat in 1 tablespoon of the product, which is four times less than butter and 7 times less than coconut oil. It is this amount of saturated fat that is recommended to be minimized in the diet of those who follow a healthy lifestyle.
Cold-pressed technology also allows you to preserve the maximum amount of valuable elements in the product, which determines the beneficial properties of avocado oil.
The main beneficial substances in the product are:
- Alpha-tocopherol - an active antioxidant belonging to the vitamins of group E. In 1 g of the product, up to 0.07 μg of alpha-tocopherol is present at a daily intake of 10 mg from the entire group E.
- Lutein - a universal molecular structure with a wide spectrum of action on the human body, the key among which is the prevention of natural aging processes.
- Chlorophyll - a substance called green erythrocytes in some sources.
- Beta-sitosterol - a nutrient that is not synthesized by the human body.
The product is unique in its composition, it is not surprising that the price for avocado oil is quite high, because such a combination of elements is no longer found in nature and among synthesized dietary supplements.
The health benefits of avocado oil
The ancient Aztecs knew about the benefits of the fruit, called it "the fruit of immortality", "the elixir of youth." With the help of modern research, it has been possible to prove that there is some truth in such names. The beneficial properties and uses of avocado oil are due to its unique composition.
So, monounsaturated fats block the absorption of bad cholesterol through the walls of the small intestine, and also normalize the amount of good cholesterol in the blood. The balance of substances helps to cleanse the blood vessels, and as a result - normalizes the heart function, reduces the risk of thrombosis. Recent studies also show an increase in insulin sensitivity with a decrease in the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, an increase in monounsaturated fats. That is, it is recommended to buy avocado oil for food for diabetics of the second type or in the initial stage of the development of this disease.
The World Health Organization recommends reducing the intake of saturated fat in the diet to 5% of the total fat. As a rule, such fats are found in animal food, with the exception of the avocado fruit, but in the latter in much smaller doses. Switching to saturated vegetable fats reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 30%.
Alpha-tocopherol and carotenoids are natural antioxidants that prevent free radicals from entering cells, protecting against premature aging. Carotenoids, which include lutein, have slightly expanded antioxidant functions. Carotenoids block the processes of malignant transformation of cells, inhibit premature aging, and stimulate the immune system. And lutein, in particular, reduces the risk of developing age-related cataracts in humans. At the same time, the human body does not produce carotenoids; regular intake from the outside is necessary.
Along with the active action of antioxidant complexes in the body, which do not let free radicals into cells, it is necessary to use chlorophyll. The substance stimulates the protective functions of the body, tones the cell walls, thus at the physical level, leveling the probability of penetration of free radicals. What avocado oil is useful for is its complex composition. The oil contains antioxidants, chlorophyll, and healthy fats.
However, the most valuable health benefit of avocado oil was discovered by scientists in the early 2000s. A published article in the American Journal of Nutrition (published in 2005) provides calculations confirming that avocado oil is very beneficial for food. Used together with vegetables, the oil stimulates the absorption of carotenoids not only from its composition, but also from the composition of vegetables. In this case, only 1-2 tablespoons of oil is enough to stimulate the absorption effect.
Thus, the product will be useful for the following dysfunctions:
- blockage of blood vessels and an increased risk of thrombosis;
- violation of the activity of the cardiovascular system;
- the risk of cell degeneration into malignant forms;
- premature aging.
Buying avocado oil and adding it regularly to your diet is recommended for anyone who cares about health.
Important! In case of illness, the food product can be recommended for consumption, but only as an addition to the existing therapy prescribed by the doctor.
Contraindications and harm of avocado oil
The benefits and harms of avocado oil are very relative concepts. After all, high-quality food can only support a healthy body, but will not replace therapy if necessary. The only harm from avocado oil is possible only in case of individual intolerance to any of the ingredients of the product.
Also, the harm of avocado oil will manifest itself with excessive consumption. If you overdo it with salad dressing, you run the risk of irritating your gastrointestinal tract. Food allergies specifically to this product are extremely rare, especially for residents of our latitudes. But irritation is observed periodically, it happens for those who do not control portions.
In order not to harm an absolutely safe product, it is important to monitor what and in what doses you eat.
Features of the use of avocado oil in cooking
It's not uncommon for cooks to get asked how to use avocado oil. The answer is simple to the point of banality - just like oil from domestic crops. You can use avocado oil for frying, or it can be consumed raw.
To maximize the benefits of the food consumed, it is still recommended to give preference to a raw food diet. The vitamins in avocado oil will not survive after being cooked.
When thermal processing with any type of oil, it is necessary to know what the smoke point is. This term refers to the temperature at which fats begin to oxidize. This indicator will depend on the refining, the type of ingredients used for the pomace, and the production technology. If the product contains a lot of fatty acids, then it should not be heated, as the oil will start to smoke early.
The best avocado oil contains a small percentage of such acids (up to 0.5%), so it can be safely heat treated, given that some of the beneficial properties will disappear. The smoke point of the product will be 250-270? С. And although vegetable oil after processing will lose many of its properties, it will remain many times more useful than coconut or butter.
Avocado Oil Recipes
If you are ready to buy edible avocado oil and use it in your culinary experiments, then first we recommend simple dishes based on it:
- Pumpkin soup with butter … Heat 2 tablespoons in a frying pan. avocado oil and fry 1 finely chopped onion sprinkled with half a teaspoon of turmeric. Roasting is carried out until the onion is transparent (no more than 1 minute with constant stirring). At the same time, in a saucepan with water at room temperature, heat and bring to a boil 250 g of grated pumpkin, 2 cups of lentils, 3 cups of grated carrots. Salt and pepper the soup. When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and boil for another 15 minutes. We fill the soup with frying oil and onions and boil until the lentils begin to crumble. The finished soup is ground in a blender and served with lemon wedges on a separate saucer. If desired, guests can squeeze lemon juice into the soup.
- Chicken legs in wine … For the marinade, add 2 lemons, sage (1 tablespoon), a head of garlic, salt and pepper to taste in 50 ml of oil, finely chopped into rings. Leave 3 chicken legs in the marinade for at least 1 hour. To make the meat soaked better, we separate the drumstick and hams. Fry the marinated meat in a pan, and then put it in a saucepan or baking container, fill it with a glass of white wine. Put the chicken in an oven preheated to 200 ° C, without covering it with a lid. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180 ° C, add 2.5 cups of warm water and, covering with a lid, bake for another 30 minutes. Then bake for another 10 minutes without a lid, so that the chicken is covered with a golden crust.
- Shrimps with vegetables … Peel 750 g of shrimp and boil in boiling broth. 1 bell pepper, 2 tomatoes, wash a clove of garlic and cut into small cubes, add to the finished shrimp. Pour the shrimp with 6 tablespoons of avocado oil and the juice of 6 limes, salt, pepper and let it brew for three hours. Fry one small onion and 3 finely chopped carrots in fruit oil at low temperature. Then add shrimp and vegetables to the pan. The dish is served both hot and cold.
- "Greek" salad with avocado oil … The dish, which is well known to many housewives, is suggested to be seasoned not with olive oil, but with a mixture of lemon juice and avocado oil. For dressing 50 g of lettuce, 50 g of arugula, one cucumber and one tomato, olives, 100 g of feta cheese, you need to take the juice of half a lemon and 2 tbsp. oils.
- Vegetable salad … We wash and cut into large cubes 5 tomatoes, two cucumbers. Add radish and onion cut into slices to the vegetables. Sprinkle the salad with 1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper. For dressing, avocado oil and juice from half a lemon are used. Vegetable salad is served in portions; before serving, we decorate the dish with finely grated or diced hard cheese (up to 100 g).
Avocado oil is widely used for food in Mediterranean cuisine, but appreciating its taste, you can adapt well-known homemade European recipes.
Note! The taste of avocado oil is delicate and light, despite the fact that it is the purest fat, so the drops of liquid are used to decorate hot dishes. For example, pumpkin puree soup in each plate is decorated separately with a sprinkle of paprika and drops of oil, which in this case will decorate the dish, but will not greatly affect its taste.
Interesting facts about avocado oil
Archaeological excavations have shown that the fruit was used for food already 10 thousand years ago, and in 500 BC. the first attempts were made to cultivate the plant. But avocados did not get to Europe until the 16th century, after the Spaniards began the expansion of Latin America. Even then, oil squeezing was undertaken.
In different countries, the fruit is called differently: American Perseus - in the USA, alligator pear in Great Britain, “poor man's cow” - in India. The Indians themselves gave the name to the fruit for the similarity with male genitals. Avocado in simplified transcription means "testicle tree".
The first fruits were small - up to 4 cm in length, of which 2 cm was occupied by a bone, but the breeders managed to breed large-fruited varieties that are in no way inferior to the ancestor tree. It is breeding varieties, in which the mass of pulp reaches 200-400 g, are used to squeeze oil.
In the 90s, the fruit was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most nutritious in the world. So, in avocado oil there is more vitamin E than in other types of oils, and in terms of the value of fats, the product is not inferior to fish, therefore it is recommended for use by vegans.
The liquid should be chosen according to its color and preparation technology. The most beneficial in terms of properties is considered to be cold-pressed avocado oil. It has a rich color with a light yellow-green note. But avocado oil of pure yellow color most likely contains additives, it is not recommended to eat it.
Watch the video about avocado oil:
Avocado oil is not a newfangled fetish for healthy eating apologists, but a truly healthy fruit, the value of which has been proven by fruit research. In addition to the fact that avocado oil has great benefits for the body, it has practically no contraindications. To appreciate the exquisite taste of the product, you need to choose a quality oil and prepare a simple dish. And over time, you can replace the less useful butter with fruit oil.
