Six Reasons We're Avocado Fans

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Six Reasons We're Avocado Fans

Avocados have more fans than Lady Gaga but, unlike that flamboyant rock star, this fruit's claim to fame is subtlety. (Yup, it's a fruit.) The avocado's mild, creamy taste is famous for blending famously with everything: fruits, veggies, salsa, soups. Some people even sip cold orange-avocado smoothies. We YOU Docs put the buttery bits in everything from pasta to sandwiches (it replaces mayo). And don't even get us started on its health virtues. Here are just six reasons why we heart avocados ... mashed, blended, diced or sliced: 1. They're full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, which increases your healthy HDL cholesterol and lowers your triglycerides. Only olives have more. 2. Their good fats are full of omega-3s, which are world-class do-gooders when it comes to your arteries, brain, skin, sex life and more. 3. They have more potassium than bananas, which helps keep your blood pressure in check, and a ton of magnesium, too, which every cell in your body needs to work well. 4. They make good foods taste even better and, like a great teammate (the way LeBron used to be), make them better for you. Add, say, 1/2 cup sliced avocado to your spinach salad, and your body will absorb five times more lutein. 5. They contain compounds that may slow the growth (or even kill off) some precancerous and malignant cells. 6. They turn up your levels of leptin, the feel-full hormone, which turns down your appetite, so that bowl of guacamole may not disappear. The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of "YOU: On a Diet." Want more? See "The Dr. Oz Show" on TV (check local listings). To submit questions, go to www.RealAge.com.