Greetings to all! Here is to a very happy August.
Here we are and it is already August. Time flies so fast, it is easy for me to get busy with life, such as anxiously waiting the arrival of my fifth grand baby. I love each and every one of my grandsons to eternity and back, but this little one is a girl and she is so special. I have spent time reflecting all my blessings in life, and in order to enjoy life and living, it is important to take time out for ourselves so that we can care for others.
One of the ways I want to share in this article, is the importance of good clean eating. It is challenging to find time to prep, cook, and make our food tasty so it does not feel like it is a diet, and nor does it feel restrictive. How I came about this is I have been craving tomatoes and avocados. I also decided as a weapon to fight the COVID “10” because it felt I had gained 10 lbs which is not good for anyone. It was time to switch things up, and go back to making better dietary choices, such as changing to plant-based fats, whole grains, and also to take advantage of summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables.
My solution was to use avocados as my source of dietary fat, and use fresh tomatoes and lean turkey in my sandwiches. It is absolutely delicious with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. These are also good with sliced cucumber and a small drizzle of olive oil..
My success led me to research the health benefits of avocados and tomatoes… I already knew that this is considered as a “good” fat, and it helps with weight maintenance. Eating avocados help to reduce the risks of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It is also rich in nutrients
One fifth of an avocado has 64 calories, about 6 grams of fat, 3.4 grams of carbohydrates, less than a gram of sugar and about 3 grams of fiber ..
Avocados are a good source of Vitamins C, E, K, and B6 just to name a few.
Consumption of avocados are good for your heart ,and your vision.
Did you know that vitamin K is important for maintaining healthy bones? Eating a diet that has adequate Vitamin K can support bone health by increasing calcium absorption and reducing urinary excretion of calcium. This is good to know.
During the course of my research, I discovered the benefits of tomatoes. The lycopene found in tomatoes is the rock star ingredient which helps to reduce bad cholesterol levels, and increases the good cholesterol levels while promoting heart health at the same time. The daily intake of lycopene can provide similar benefits as taking statins in patients with elevated cholesterol. Lycopene is fat solvable, which makes perfect sense to combine it with avocados so it is better absorbed by the body. Tomatoes can help with improving vision, and the retinas of your eyes rely on vitamin A, and low levels of the vitamin can, in time, cause blindness.
This article barely skimmed the surface of the many benefits of tomatoes and avocados alone but I hope it makes you curious to learn more.
Start Learning More
- Tomatoes 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits by Adda Bjarnadottir, MS RDN (Ice) for Health Line
- Why is avocado good for you? by Megan Ware, RDN, L.D. and medically reviewed by Natalie Olsen, R.D., L.D. for Medical News Today
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Nancy Cho-Auvil is the author of From the Heart column for Wellness Works NW. Nancy is also a contributing author of Mixed Korean: Our Stories. Native to the Pacific Northwest, Nancy lives in Cowlitz County with her life partner and their cat, Keekers. Nancy enjoys working out with Karen G Clemenson. She also enjoys knitting. Check out Nancy’s personal blog at CrazyCozyChick.Blogspot.com. You can also find Nancy on Facebook. Nancy is a mom, a grandmother and a heart attack survivor so we know what she writes comes straight From the Heart…
