Introduction:
One may have come across many chefs or individuals who prefer or enjoy cooking with avocado oil. Read the article to understand its nutrition, benefits, and why it is not as popular in the culinary or cosmetic world due to its drawbacks and lack of scientific evidence. Gain insights into the myths surrounding avocado oil, allowing one to make informed choices for a healthier lifestyle.
Why Avocado Oil Is Not Popular?
Although avocado oil may not be as popular as other plant-based oils, it is still considered one of the healthier options with various benefits in daily kitchen use. It is another nutrition myth that avocado oil promotes both hair and skin health. Current scientific evidence demonstrates that adding avocado oil to daily skincare or haircare routine is considered to provide a range of health and beauty benefits, but it lacks robust scientific backing. Besides these cosmetic benefits, when used in the kitchen as a cooking oil to replace less healthy or saturated fat oils, it can certainly be health-benefiting. However, the numerous drawbacks of avocado as a cooking oil contribute to its lesser popularity in culinary applications.
What Does the Nutritional Composition of Avocados Include?
As per the nutrition information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for one tablespoon (0.493 ounces) of avocado oil, the content is as follows:
- Carbohydrates: 0 ounce.
- Fiber: 0 ounce.
- Sugars: 0 ounce.
- Protein: 0 ounce.
- Fat: 0.493 ounces.
- Sodium: 0 ounce.
- Total Calories: 124 kilocalories.
Because this oil does not contain any carbohydrates, it is not surprising to learn that the estimated glycemic load of avocado oil is almost zero. Hence, it is a great option for diabetic and prediabetic patients. People can also hope to gain a healthy dose of vitamin C from avocados, but surprisingly not from avocado oil. Similarly, when someone consumes this oil, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, they may not get any other significant vitamins, minerals, nutrients, or dietary fiber. This lack of nutritional components contributes to the lesser popularity of avocado oil, especially in terms of nutrition content.
A common nutrition myth suggests that adding avocado oil to the diet can provide significant dietary fiber. However, in contrast, people are unlikely to get any fiber from consuming the oil as such.
What Are the Cardioprotective Benefits Associated With the Fats Present in Avocado Oil?
One can primarily find three different types of fat in avocado oil. While there are smaller amounts of saturated fat, it remains a healthier option compared to commonly used saturated kitchen fats like butter or animal protein. Nutrition experts consider butter and animal protein less healthy due to the adverse impact of excess saturated fat on cardiovascular health, leading to an increase in LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood.
According to the American Heart Association's recommendation, it is advisable to choose cooking oils with less than 0.141 ounces of saturated fat per tablespoon. Avocado oil falls within this guideline, containing just under two grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. Consuming a tablespoon of avocado oil provides almost 0.070 ounces of polyunsaturated fat. These polyunsaturated fats, also known as PUFAs or cardioprotective fats, help decrease the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. Given that most of the fat in avocado oil is monounsaturated fat, it contributes to heart health.
Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), which make up the majority of avocado oil, are recognized for increasing HDL cholesterol or ‘good cholesterol’ in the blood. Health experts recommend substituting avocado oil for unhealthy or less healthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats, to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests consuming 15 to 20 percent of the caloric intake from monounsaturated fatty acids.
What Is the Potential Risk of Allergies Associated With Avocado Oil?
According to allergy and immunology experts, avocado demonstrates a broad range of cross-reactivity with various other foods. For example, it can serve as a source of food-derived allergens when interacting with dust, pet hair, pollen, and so on. Individuals with allergies to foods like bananas or kiwis may need to undergo testing at their healthcare provider or allergist to determine whether they are also allergic to avocado or avocado oil. This is due to medical research indicating latex cross-reaction with food allergens similar to avocado, such as bananas, kiwi, papaya, tomato, chestnuts, peach, mango, and celery. Avocado allergies are also quite possible and even common in some infants, children, or young adults.
How Is Avocado Oil Utilized in the Kitchen?
Avocado oil typically possesses a neutral taste, although some individuals prefer it for it is slightly buttery or nutty flavor. Oils, especially those high in oleic acid, such as avocado oil, are best stored in a cool, dry place and should not be exposed to direct sunlight. One can easily incorporate avocado oil into salad dressings or food recipes. For example, it is suitable for marinating, preparing dips, or making sauces. The oil is also excellent for grilling, sautéing, or stir-frying vegetables and other foods. One kitchen benefit of avocado oil is it is utility in coating daily-used pans to prevent foods from sticking, particularly for seasoning cast-iron cookware. Avocado oil also boasts a higher flash point compared to other plant-based healthy oils like canola, olive oil, or safflower oil. The smoking point of avocado oil exceeds 500 degree Fahrenheit , making it a convenient choice for high-temperature cooking.
What Should be Considered in Research Regarding Avocado Oil In The Future?
Commercially, one may encounter advertisements for avocado oils emphasizing their high vitamin E content as a skin health booster. However, according to USDA data, this claim is unfounded, as avocado oil lacks vitamin E. Therefore, scientific evidence supporting it is efficacy for skin health requires further investigation.
Avocado oil is also commonly used by both men and women to manage hair frizz and achieve a smoother, voluminous appearance. However, even this benefit necessitates additional scientific investigation, as there is currently no research data supporting the idea that avocado oil can stimulate hair growth or enhance voluminosity.
Conclusion
So, even though one may consider avocado oil as a heart-healthy or cardioprotective fat, the high risk of allergies for many individuals and it is lack of adequate fiber, vitamins, or minerals make it a less popular cooking oil in terms of nutritional benefits. Additionally, scientific research is limited in proving it has health benefits for skin or hair through topical application.
