Best combo: Eat avocado with this vegetable for big health perks
What avocado is good to eat with (photo: Freepik)
Avocados and tomatoes are not just tasty foods but also a good combination for health. You can read about the benefits of combining them often in the material below, according to the Verywell Health website.
Why it is important to eat avocado with tomato
According to the National Institutes of Health, tomatoes are rich in carotenoids, especially lycopene and beta-carotene. They act as antioxidants in the body and are associated with heart, skin, and cell health. However, the body cannot absorb these compounds well without fat.
When you eat tomatoes alone, you lose part of their nutritional value. But when you combine them with a healthy fat source, such as avocado, you get all the benefits.
After carotenoids are released from tomatoes during digestion, they need to attach to dietary fat so they can be transported into the intestinal cells.
Other benefits of combining them
In addition to improving carotenoid absorption, this combination has several other benefits:
- Better feeling of fullness — Avocados contain fiber and healthy fats that slow digestion and help you feel full after eating. Tomatoes complement this with their low-calorie content, help hydrate the body, and are rich in fiber.
- Heart health support — Avocados are associated with healthier cholesterol levels and better heart health markers. Tomatoes contain potassium, vitamin C, and plant compounds that help support the heart and blood vessels.
- Overall diet quality — People who eat avocados tend to have a higher overall intake of nutrients and better diet quality.
How to combine them correctly
To combine tomatoes and avocado in one dish, it is recommended to eat:
- Guacamole with chopped tomatoes
- Toast with avocado topped with sliced tomatoes
- Salads containing both ingredients
- Egg sandwich for breakfast with tomatoes and avocado
Preparation of tomatoes also matters. The body absorbs lycopene more easily from cooked tomato products such as sauce, paste, or puree than from raw tomatoes, because cooking helps release lycopene from the vegetable’s structure.
When it may be better to be mindful of avocado intake:
- If you need to monitor calorie intake — due to avocado’s high caloric density
- In chronic kidney disease — because of its potassium content
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This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
