Did you know that fresh guacamole, using the recipe below, has 19 nutrients plus dietary
fiber, and only 88 calories for a 1/4 cup serving? Read below how these nutrients
cure diseases and keep you healthy.
Recipe:
1 can garbanzo beans (also called "chick peas"), drained, but save
the liquid
1 avocado, peeled
1 small Vidalia onion (or other sweet, mild onion)
1 jalapeno pepper (or 1/2 for mild - less hot)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime (or 1 Tablespoon lime juice)
1 rounded teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients into a blender. Add only enough of the garbanzo-bean
liquid to allow the mixture to process into a thick, smooth paste. Blend on
high until creamy. Makes seven 1/4 cup servings.
Serve with tortilla chips and iced tea.
The below nutritional breakdown was obtained by entering the above recipe into
a recipe-nutrition calculator at
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
1/4 cup of the above guacamole recipe provides the following:
Calories 88
Total Fat 2.4 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 321.2 mg
Potassium 184.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 14.6 g
Dietary Fiber 3.5 g
Sugars 0.6 g
Protein 3.2 g
Vitamin A 1.5%
Vitamin B-6 14.8%
Vitamin C 13.3%
Vitamin E 0.3%
The above Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily
values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
What do the above nutrients do for us? Below, we will examine each nutrient
individually. The below information was derived from data gathered from
Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia.org, and TheFreeDictionary.com.
Potassium
The potassium in this fresh guacamole recipe is important in allowing muscle
contraction and the sending of all nerve impulses throughout the body. A
potassium deficiency causes muscle weakness, abnormal intestinal function,
brain abnormalities, decreased reflex response and in severe cases respiratory
paralysis, alkalosis (pH imbalance—opposite of acidosis) and impaired heart
function. The potassium in the above guacamole recipe could easily cure this type
of deficiency if eaten often enough.
Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is the nondigestible roughage portion of plant foods. Dietary
fiber helps to reduce appetite, regulate blood sugar levels, and reduces our
risk of heart disease. Further, fiber helps to reduce our risk of metabolic
syndrome, a condition that causes us to stay obese once we get obese.
Additionally, fiber helps to prevent diabetes, facilitates regularity
(alleviates constipation), and reduces our risk of colorectal cancer.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision, cells and cell division, immune
function, embryonic development, reproduction, bone metabolism, haematopoiesis
(body's ability to make blood), skin, and heart. Without proper amounts of
vitamin A, blindness occurs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 250,000-500,000 children in developing
countries each year. Something as simple as adequate amounts of vitamin A from
the above guacamole recipe can provide a natural cure before blindness even
sets in.
Vitamin B-6
This vitamin is necessary for metabolism, the making of blood, and healthy cell
division. B6 deficiency causes seborrhea (skin condition), tongue swelling with
ulcerations, cracking of the skin, red eyes, and mental confusion.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for maintaining the collagen structure beneath skin and
other parts of the body. It helps to transport nutrients into cells, aids in
creating amino acids that aid in hormone production, and aids in the metabolism
of protein. Without adequate amounts of vitamin C, we would experience chronic
weakness and our teeth would fall out (scurvy). Thus, the vitamin C found in
the above guacamole recipe is a natural cure for scurvy.
Vitamin E
Basically, this vitamin protects us from cancer and other maladies. However, an
overdose of this vitamin is not good for one's heart.
Calcium
Calcium is a basic component of bones and teeth, and is essential for the
normal growth and development of most animals and plants. Calcium deficiency
("hypocalcemia") causes life-threatening complications involving the
heart and kidney, not to mention bone density loss. Therefore, calcium (in
proper quantities) can be viewed as a natural cure for bone density disorders.
Copper
Copper is essential for proper movement of muscles, and a deficiency of this
element causes muscular spasticity.
Folate
This component is necessary for the formation of red blood cells, embryonic
development, and metabolism. Inadequate amounts of folate result in anemia.
Iron
Iron is an essential part of our hemoglobin (blood and ability to make blood),
which makes it possible for the red blood cells to carry oxygen and carbon
dioxide throughout the body. Weakness, fatigue, and anemia result in inadequate
amounts of iron.
Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the more abundant element by mass in the human body. It is
essential to all living cells for cell health, and cell replication. Magnesium
is essential for making numerous enzymes function within the body. Enzymes are
vital to the body's ability to absorb and use nutrients. Some common symptoms
of magnesium deficiency are osteoporosis, asthma, and ADHD.
Manganese
According to Wikipedia.org, manganese is an essential trace nutrient, which is
found in all forms of life. Our bodies only contain about 10 milligrams of
manganese, which is stored in the liver and kidneys. Thus, we do not require
large amounts of this nutrient. Manganese is used in many, many different
chemical reactions that occur throughout the human body. Too much manganese is
toxic to us, and can cause motor skill and cognitive disorders, according to
Wikipedia.org.
Niacin
Niacin is required by the body for carbohydrate metabolism. Insufficient
amounts of niacin cause pellagra, a condition characterized by digestive and
nervous system malfunctions, skin eruptions, and mental deterioration.
Pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid is vital for the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates.
Symptoms of deficiency include irritability, fatigue, apathy, neurological
disorders, numbness, paresthesia (skin burning, prickling, itching), muscle
cramps, low blood sugar, sensitivity to insulin, restlessness, malaise, sleep
disturbances, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, adrenal gland malfunction,
and liver failure.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is an essential element for all life. It makes cell creation
possible, and is a component of DNA, RNA, and ATP (a molecule that makes cell
development possible).
Riboflavin
Riboflavin is required by numerous cellular processes, and is essential to
energy metabolism. Additionally, it is critical for the metabolism of fats,
ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Selenium
Selenium is important for cellular function, but toxic in large amounts.
Several studies have shown selenium to reduce the occurrence of skin cancer.
Thiamin
Thiamin is important to many cellular processes throughout the body, and aids
in the body's processing of sugars and amino acids. A thiamin deficiency causes
beriberi, a sometimes fatal condition of the nervous and cardiovascular system.
Zinc Zinc is an vital trace element, essential to all life. Zinc aids in
prostate gland function and reproductive organ growth. An overabundance of zinc
actually reduces iron and copper absorption, and vice-versa. A deficiency of
zinc causes chronic diseases of the liver and kidney, and can also cause sickle
cell disease, malignancies, and other chronic illnesses.
Did you know that fresh guacamole, using the recipe below, has 19 nutrients plus dietary
fiber, and only 88 calories for a 1/4 cup serving? Read below how these nutrients
cure diseases and keep you healthy.