Avocados performed well during the pandemic and proved that they are “pandemic proof”.
This lockdown period has been obviously weird. By every measure, 2020 has been a very challenging year so far, but avocados survived it. It’s now December and we are still waiting for the coronavirus vaccine in order to survive this pandemic. While everything is believed to be changed during this year, avocado is emerging relatively unscathed. Since the arrival of the pandemic, people are now turning into health-conscious consumers and therefore are eating avocados like never before.
According to Xavier Equihua, chief executive officer of the World Avocado Organisation, “There was a brief drop in the demand at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, but now European and US consumption of avocados are hitting record highs.” It is also stated that this pandemic wants people to eat healthy and therefore, healthy eating habits is definitely going to be a new luxury post-pandemic.
There was a lot of uncertainty with the pandemic, but avocados proved that they are “pandemic proof”. Avocados are immensely versatile when it comes to taste, flavour, and health benefits. The fruit has now become a star when it comes to healthy comfort food. Avocados are now not just a millennials thing but are also preferred by Generation Z also.
America is crazy about avocados, and therefore America is one of the biggest consumers of avocados. According to experts, Chinese consumers are also very attracted to this green fruit because of the health benefits it provides. But for now, China thinks of avocados as a smoothie and baby-food ingredient. But it is believed that as different countries continue to gain access and familiarise themselves with the fruit, its consumption will continue to grow.
Avocados are performing well during pandemic:
After price and production volume fluctuations at the beginning of the COVID-19, the international avocado market made a recovery during the year 2020. Mexico is the largest producer of avocados worldwide, with 75 percent of the total avocados exported to the US. During the starting phases of the pandemic and challenges such as labour shortage and logistics, problems were reported and reduction in the production of avocados was also seen.
But majority of these challenges were resolved steadily and the demand for the fruit has accelerated as more consumers started eating at home. Because of the pandemic, avocados are no longer just a component of guacamole for parties, but their use has been broadened to salads, burritos, and of course, with no doubt, the avocado toast.
According to the estimations and import data, Europe’s consumption of avocados will jump to 12 percent this year, while US demand will increase by seven percent. As per the reports, the value of global avocado imports grew the fastest among the main fruits over the past decade.
Amazing effects of eating avocados regularly:
1. Avocados can help in weight loss:
Since avocados are high in fibre and healthy monounsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, they are highly satisfying. According to a study, overweight adults who add half of an avocado to their lunch meal have reported increased meal satisfaction of 26 percent and a decreased desire to eat by 40 percent in the three-hour period following the meal compared to the people who didn’t have avocados with lunch.
2. Avocados can help you lower your blood pressure:
You probably know that potassium regulates fluid in the body, and it can help reduce the blood-pressure raising effects of dietary sodium. Avocados are very high in potassium and contain more potassium than bananas. Because of this potassium richness, this green fruit is helpful in lowering the blood pressure of the body.
3. Avocado protects your heart and lowers ‘bad cholesterol’:
Avocados are not only healthy, but they’re also incredibly delicious and go with many types of food. Today is an avocado-toast generation and therefore many researchers have linked eating one avocado daily to lower levels of LDL, the so-called “bad cholesterol”.
4. Avocado can prevent type 2 diabetes:
Avocados are particularly effective at preventing type 2 diabetes. A fat molecule found only in avocados could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by reducing insulin resistance. This unique property of avocado can help people overcome type 2 diabetes.