MATT SLOEILLUSTRATOR, PRINT MAKER, CHARACTER DESIGN

AND MURALS

The avocado is a rather unique type of fruit. Most fruit consists primarily of carbohydrate, while avocado is high in healthy fats. Numerous studies show that it has powerful beneficial effects on health. Here are 12 health benefits of avocado, that are supported by scientific research.

One study looked at the dietary habits and health of people who eat avocados.They analyzed data from 17,567 participants in the NHANES survey in the U.S. Avocado consumers were found to be much healthier than people who didn’t eat avocados. They had a much higher nutrient intake and were half as likely to have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that are a major risk factor for heart disease and diabetes (25).

People who ate avocados regularly also weighed less, had a lower BMI and significantly less belly fat. They also had more HDL (the “good”) cho-lesterol. However… correlation does not imply causation and there is no guarantee that the avocados caused these people to be in better health.Therefore I don’t think this particular study carries much weight.

When it comes to nutrients, the total amount of them is not the only thing that matters. We also need to be able to absorb them… move them from the digestive tract and into the body, where they can be used. Some nutrients are “fat soluble,” meaning that they need to be cobined with fat in order to be utilized. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K… along with antioxidants like carotenoids.One study showed that adding avocado or avocado oil to either salad or salsa can increase antioxidant absorption by 2.6 to 15-fold (26). So… not only is avocado highly nutritious, it can dramatically increase the nutrient value of other plant foods that you are eating.This is an excellent reason to always include a healthy fat source when you eat veggies. Without it, a lot of the beneficial plant nutrients will go to waste.

There is limited evidence that avocado may be beneficial in preventing cancer. One study showed that it may help reduce side effects of chemo-therapy in human lymphocytes (31).

Avocado extract has also been shown to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells (32). However, keep in mind that these studies were done in isolated cells and don’t really prove anything about what happens in a living, breathing human.

There is some evidence that avocados are a weight loss friendly food.

In one study, people were split into groups. One group was in-structed to eat a meal that contained avocado, the other a similar

meal without avocado. Then they were asked a series of questions relat-ed to hunger and satiety. The people eating the avocado felt 23% more satisfied and had a 28% lower desire to eat over the next 5 hours (35).If this holds true in the long-term, then including avocados in your diet could help you naturally eat fewer calories and have an easier time sticking to a healthy diet. Avocados are also high in fiber, and very low in carbs, two attributes that should also help promote weight loss, at least in the context of a healthy, real food based diet.

Not only are avocados healthy, they’re also incredibly delicious and go with all sorts of foods. You can add them to salads and various sorts of recipes, or you can simply scoop them out with a spoon and eat them plain. They have a creamy, rich, fatty texture and blend well with vari-

ous other ingredients.A notable mention is guacamole, which is arguably the most famous

use of avocados. It includes avocado along with ingredients like salt, garlic, lime and a few others depending on the recipe. An

avocado often takes some time to ripen and it should feel slight-ly soft when ripe. The nutrients in avocado can oxidize soon

after fleshing it, but if you add lemon juice then that shouldn’t happen as quickly.If you’re serious about adding avocado to your diet, then I highly recommend that you watch this video about how to pick, prepare and eat avocados.At the end of the day, avocados are an awesome food. They’re loaded with nutrients, many of which are lacking in the modern diet.They are weight loss friendly, heart healthy and… last but not least, taste incredible.

What more could you ask for in a food?

Kris Gunnars, illustration by Matt Sloe

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Almost all my major characteristics suggest I would choose a meat-free lifestyle. I’m a single woman. Unmarried adults and females are way more likely to become vegetarians, according to a recent Gallop poll. I’m also liberal. I’m an animal-lover and fairly interested in being healthy. But I will never forsake one of my greatest joys in life: meat, especially the red kind.

Here are six reasons, some personal, all logical, why I refuse to stop eating animals.

1. I want the good kind of iron.

Iron helps your body produce two essential proteins: hemo-globin and myoglobin. Hemoblogin delivers oxygen to your cells, and the myoglobin in muscle cells accepts and uses it.

Yes, vegetables contain iron — but not the good kind. Con-suming plants gives your body nonheme iron, a version less easily absorbed by the body. Also, spinach, considered one of the most iron-rich leafy greens, doesn’t have as much as many believe. But we grew to love it after a German chemist made a typo back in the day. Heme iron, the better type, only comes from life forms with hemoglobin, such as red meat, pork, poultry, and fish.

According to the World Health Organization, over 30% of the globe suffers from iron deficiency, which leads to fatigue, decreased immune function, and overall crankiness. Women need even more iron in their diets because of menstruation.

A healthy, iron-rich diet includes: lean beef, oysters, clams, and turkey, according to the National Institute of Health. Who am I to argue with the experts? I shall enjoy seafood, steaks, and Thanksgiving dinner without guilt henceforth. Not that I ever felt guilty before.

There’s something primal and wholly satisfying about tearing meat from bone with your fingers and teeth. (If you use a knife and fork to eat ribs, we can’t be friends.) Laughing with your dinner partners, you wipe saucy residue from you lips and cheeks. It’s a delicious bonding experi-ence. I will never give that up.

3. Vitamin B12 only comes from animals.

Another essential part of your diet can’t come from non-ani-mal sources: vitamin B12. This nutrient keeps your body free of anemia, keeps nerve and blood cells functioning well, and also helps make genetic material. Again, women need more of it. And B12 deficiency is scary. It can mimic Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

Beef liver and clams are the best sources of vitamin B12, NIH cites again. Almost all multi-vitamins contain B12, as well. But recent research suggests vitamins might be useless.

4. Eating meat made us smarter.Initially, our early ancestors ate

mostly fruits, nuts, and roots — a diet lacking in calories.

So Australopithecus habilis (also known

as homo habilis) had to down a

lot of high-fiber foods, which

are difficult

to digest, in order to get enough energy. And most of the energy went back into their abnormally large guts.

Back then, the brain was like Cinderella, the stomach’s unloved step-sister doing all the work and only getting table scraps. When humans discovered meat, the gut shrank, allowing more energy to travel to the brain, increasing its size and making humans more intelligent.

Without meat, we may never have created iPhones, “Break-ing Bad,” or socks — all crucial to modern society.

5. I don’t want to feel left out on holidays.

I usually don’t let other people’s expectations or opinions shape my behavior, but too many holidays revolve pretty heavily on meat. My family devours an enormous turkey on Thanksgiving, and everyone under the age of 40, not worried about their blood turning into a solid, fights over the crisp, smoky skin.

No one has ever challenged anyone to a fork-duel for Tofur-key.

Then, there’s the Fourth Of July. If you’re a serious vegetar-ian, don’t you have to ask the grill-master to scrub the bars before throwing on your veggie dog and garden burger? I al-ways feel awkward asking my host to do any extra work. Who wants to be that guest? Plus, I’m convinced veggie dogs don’t plump and char as beautifully as Hebrew Nationals.

I even associate childhood birthdays more with prime rib than cake.

Without meat in my life, these fond memories wouldn’t exist.

6. You can still be an ethical meat-eater.

I love animals. But I’m not willing to sacrifice my happiness for theirs. I understand the meat industry notoriously mis-treats their livestock, but as a consumer, I make conscious choices to lessen my negative effect on the animal communi-ty.

I buy free-range eggs and chicken, and grass-fed beef. Some-times my bank account hates me, but I do it for my body and the environment.

Also, some evidence shows that vegetarians kill more animals than meat-eaters. Steven Davis, a researcher in the animal science department at Oregon State University, found that tractors, making space for more fields of kale and whole grains, kill tons of rabbits, mice, and other field-dwelling cutie pies.

2. Ribs.

Speaking of iron, let’s talk about red meat. Many omnivores cite bacon as the reason for their meat-consumption. Bacon is indeed a panacea for all of life’s problems, but the right veggie bacon doesn’t taste awful. Vegetarians can argua-bly have a similar experience eating the healthier version. There’s one cut of meat without a vegetarian equivalent though: ribs.

Christina Sterbenz, illustration by Matt Sloe

Pummel Gig Poster

Elk Gang Character design and Cassette cover layout

Portrait created as part of Charactermart exhibition

Portrait created as part of Charactermart exhibition

Matt  Sloe,  (b.  1985,  UK)  Currently  lives  &  works  in  Cambridge  

manyformatt@gmail.com    http://manyformatt.com/  

07504414398    Education:    

Telford  college  HNC  in  Illustration,  2012     Paris  college  of  art,  Jan  –  May  2014       University  Edinburgh,  Edinburgh  college  of  art,  BA  (Hons),  2015    Exhibitions:     2015  Edinburgh:  Charactermart  at  The  Biscuit  Factory     2015  Edinburgh:  Machina  espresso     2015  Glasgow:  Artisan  Roast     2015  Edinburgh:  Institut  Français  d’Ecosse     2015  Edinburgh:  EDS  Gallery   2015  Edinburgh:  Degree  Show  

2015  Edinburgh:  Creative  Exchange  (Edinburgh  College  Alumni)    2014  Edinburgh:  Meadows  Festival  2014  Melbourne/LA:  Loop  de  Loop  2014  Paris:  FLUX  NOUVEAU,  Le  Pave  d’Orsay,  rue  de  Lille/Rue  du  Bac.    2013  Edinburgh:  Little  Ox;  Stewart’s  Melville  College;  Hula  Bar;  I  heart  Cafe,  Boda  Bar  and  the  Outhouse  (with  The  Too  Much  Fun  Club).  2012  &  2013:  Boda  Bar  &  the  Outhouse  (with  The  Too  Much  Fun  Club)    

Teaching:     2014  Portobello  High  school,  creative  learning  week      Curatorial  projects:  

2010;  2011;  2012;  2013;  2014;  2015  Festival  décor  and  stage  dressing,  Kelburn  Garden  Party.  

 Performance  Illustration:  

Festivals  e.g.  Kelburn  Garden  Party;  Eden  Festival;  Knockengorroch  World  Ceilidh;  Insider  Festival,  Kaleidoscope    Club  Nights  at  venues  including  The  caves;  Bongo  club,;  The  Mash  House  Henrys  Cellar  Bar;    Music  Videos  for  Black  Diamond  Express;  One  Tzu;  Dizraeli    

 Events:  

Canongate  books  40th  Anniversary,  The  jam  house  Launch  of  the  Too  Much  Funk  Club,  Paradise  Palms  Sketch  the  rhyme,  Kelburn  Garden  Party,  Studio  24,  Paradise  palms  The  Launch  of  Edinburgh  Art  shop  Meadows  Festival,  Live  Drawing    

Murals  &  Décor:  Kelburn  Garden  Party;  The  Outhouse;  In  Deep;  Studio  24;  Teviot  Underground  Bar;  Canon  Gate  books`    

Commisions:  Southampton  University,  Charactermart  ,  SilverTongue,  Union  of  Genius,  

  Pummel,  ElkGang,  Piute,  Super  Adventure  Club,  Mouldy  Lovers,  Outhouse      

SKETCHBOOK WORK