Many years ago when I was a young girl, I had a craze for eating avocados. Back then I was the only one who ate avocados in my family.

Many a time I gave my mother a hard time getting me avocados so that I could make some juice out of it, which I preferred to drink in the evening than eating dinner.

Then one day in 1995, I visited Rwanda for the first time, and was awed at how much avocados were in plenty everywhere.

For the period of one month that I was here, I savoured the avocados day in day out until time came for me and my siblings to go back home.

I remember the first thing I told my mother when I got back is that there are avocado trees everywhere in Rwanda, so if we moved to Rwanda she won’t have to spend so much money on buying me the avocados; she was very amused and laughed it off.

Years later when my family decided to move back to Rwanda, I brought them and went back to school immediately; I was very surprised when I came back months later for my holidays when I found every single member of my family eating avocados in every meal.

Among many reasons that my family were terrified to eating avocados is because they thought this fruit contained a lot of fat, and they all feared to gain weight.

It is not my family alone; I find people around fear to eat avocados citing that they will gain weight, because avocado is a fatty fruit. What people don’t know is that avocados are packed with 20 vitamins and minerals, and with carotenoids such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein. 85 percent of their caloric count comes from good fat.

Eating one avocado a day supplies the body with essential fatty acids needed for cellular absorption.

Avocados have a list of things that can help somebody live a healthy life. Avocados have been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer. Research has shown that certain compounds in avocados are able to seek out pre-cancerous and cancerous oral cancer cells and destroy them without harming healthy cells.

Avocado, like olive oil, is high in oleic acid, which has been shown to prevent breast cancer in numerous studies. Avocados have more of the carotenoid lutein than any other commonly consumed fruit.

Lutein protects against macular degeneration and cataracts, two disabling age-related eye diseases.
Avocados are also high in beta-sitosterol, a compound that has been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

In one study, according to the internet 45 volunteers experienced an average drop in cholesterol of 17% after eating avocados for only one week.

One cup of avocado has 23% of the recommended daily value of folate. Studies show that people who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower incidence of heart disease than those who don't.

The vitamin E, monounsaturated fats, and glutathione in avocado are also great for your heart.  The high levels of folate in avocado are also protective against strokes. People who eat diets rich in folate have a much lower risk of stroke than those who don't.  

Avocados are said to be an excellent source of glutathione, an important antioxidant that researchers say is important in preventing aging, cancer, and heart disease.
Avocado contains vitamins A, C, E and K, which helps a great deal to improve overall skin health and give a soft look and instant glow.

Avocado is an efficient multi-purpose beauty essential that nurtures your skin without the chemical additives which are found in over-the-counter beauty products.
Avocado is rich in protein and polyunsaturated fat, and is packed with plenty of minerals and vitamins.

It is an ideal natural ingredient for hair rejuvenation as it is enriched with essential fats which are fabulous for moisturizing.

Avocado makes the hair softer and more elastic and also makes it less prone to breakage.

Next time you visit the market, please don’t pass avocado by, it is a healthy fruit which has many benefits for you both inside and out.

kayitesius@yahoo.com