You might be a big fan of avocados, but did you know that the oil from this superfood might help you maintain your weight, and promote a healthy heart and skin? The benefits of avocado oil are plentiful.

Turns out, avocado oil is quite the multitasker. Let’s take a closer look at the wonders of avocado oil.

What are the Benefits of Ripe Avocados in a Diet?

Just one avocado contains a host of powerful vitamins and minerals, along with several other important nutrients. So, you can only imagine just how much goodness you’ll find in a splash of concentrated avocado oil.

Here are some of the health benefits that a single, ripe avocado has to offer:

1. Aids Your Digestive System

One standard-sized avocado contains around 13.5g of fiber, including soluble and insoluble fiber.¹ Each of these types of fiber offers unique benefits to your digestive system:

Soluble Fiber:

Absorbs water to form a kind of gel. This gel slows digestion, allowing foods to be processed properly. This also allows sugar to be released more slowly. Soluble fiber can also bind to fatty acids so that excess fat isn’t digested.

Some soluble fiber can even feed your friendly gut bacteria as a prebiotic.

Insoluble Fiber:

Adds bulk to stools. It helps to effectively move waste through the digestive system and sweeps your intestines clean on the way through.^2,3

2. Help to Moisturize and Nourish the Skin

Avocados contain many beneficial vitamins and other substances that can help the appearance of healthy-looking skin, including:

• Potassium – a lack of which can lead to dehydrated, dry skin
• Lecithin – a natural skin-softening emollient
• Omega-3 fatty acids – nourishing fats
• Vitamin E – a major antioxidant that can fight skin damage caused by free radicals⁴

As it turns out, the pigments that give avocado (and avocado oil) its rich color offer major benefits. Avocados are loaded with chlorophyll, lutein, and beta-carotene – all of which are mighty antioxidants in their own right.^5,6

Fatty acids are particularly wonderful for the skin, and avocados are loaded with them. But they’re even more potent when applied to the skin.⁷

3. May Support Your Heart

Avocados love your heart. Here are some of the ways in which avocados and avocado oil may be able to support your heart health. In studies, avocados showed they can:

• Help support healthy cholesterol levels within the normal range
• Help maintain healthy blood sugar levels^8,9
• Both of which positively affect your cardiovascular health.

4. Assist in Weight Maintenance

Many people think that avocados are fattening because they’re high in fat. But nothing could be further from the truth. This is because the monounsaturated fats in avocados support healthy cholesterol levels.

Researchers have found that adding even half a fresh avocado to your daily diet can help you to feel fuller and maintain healthy insulin levels. This may help with weight maintenance.¹⁰

What are the Benefits of Cooking with Extra Virgin Avocado Oil?

Whether you’re sautéing up your favorite ingredients with extra-virgin avocado oil, or using it as a dressing over salad, this oil is a great way to get more of the benefits of avocados into your diet.

Choose a cold-pressed pure avocado oil. Just as with extra-virgin olive oil – which is made from cold-pressed olives – these cold-pressed cooking oils better retain the flavor and color of the original fruit.¹¹

Try switching out your current cooking oil with avocado oil for a nutritious change.

Topical Avocado Oil for the Skin and Hair

Like olive and coconut oil, avocado oil can also be used topically on the skin to great advantage. The skin care benefits of avocado oil are due, once again, to those friendly fatty acids. All of these oils are better than regular vegetable oil, because they contain skin-nourishing antioxidants that vegetable oil does not.

Fatty acids can help boost the appearance of skin and act as a moisturizer.^12,13 Avocado oil is also brimming with vitamin E – which can be amazing for the condition of your hair and scalp.¹⁴

Avocado oil can be used on hair and skin as:

• A way to hydrate dry skin
• A makeup remover (the fats in avocado oil easily dissolve dirt and makeup oils)
• A deeply nourishing treatment for hair follicles and your scalp

You can also use ripe, mashed avocado as a face mask:

*Quick Avocado Face Mask*

Mash ½ a ripe avocado, and mix well with one teaspoon of maple syrup. Apply the mask onto your skin and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

The Benefits of Avocado Oil – a True Superfood

Avocado oil is a great asset in the kitchen and the bathroom. A splash of avocado oil can pep up your food or become your new favorite moisturizer.

Learn More:
Amazing Benefits of Guava Leaves – It’s Not Just The Fruit That’s Awesome!
The Quick Guide to Vegan Eggs
Essential Vegan Staples for Your Kitchen

Sources
1.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171705/nutrients
2.https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/healthcircle/pnc/health-topics/Soluble_Insoluble_Fiber.pdf
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705355/
4.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/avocado-all-the-health-benefits-of-this-superfood/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17177553
6.https://www.intechopen.com/books/carotenoids/the-biochemistry-and-antioxidant-properties-of-carotenoids
7.https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/daily/tips/quick-tips-will-eating-avocado-really-make-my-skin-glow-.htm
8.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/
9.https://news.psu.edu/story/339842/2015/01/07/research/avocado-day-keeps-cardiologist-away
10.https://lluh.org/patients-visitors/health-wellness/live-it/online-health-show/episode-6-avocados-and-almonds
11.https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/what-is-unrefined-extra-virgin-cold-pressed-avocado-oil-april-2010
12.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9233238
13.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133503
14.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3819075