The Amazing Avocado
Find out why I think the avocado is amazing, from it’s healthy benefits to it’s versatile use in recipes…the avocado is one green healthy machine! (and yummy!)
My introduction to the avocado
I must admit, in my younger years, an avocado was a foreign food that I had only seen served in Mexican restaurants in the form of guacamole. It didn’t look too appetizing in it’s chunky dull green form, slopped in a bowl for dipping. Ignorant about it’s nutritional values and taste, different from the foods grown from our gardens or trees where I grew up (in my home state of North Carolina.) Somewhere along the line, I tried guacamole and boom! …I was hooked. The buttery texture and smooth taste, mixed with a twist of lime was heaven on a chip! (For my delicious guacamole recipe, click HERE.)
For my delicious Guacamole recipe click HERE.
It wouldn’t be much longer after that, avocados started to become more common in the grocery stores. Recipes started appearing in food magazines, on tv food channels, and very quickly avocados were all the rage. Not only are they praised for their versatile use in food dishes, but for their nutritional values as well. more and more restaurants added avocados to there dishes, such as sandwiches, breakfast toast and salads.
Why are avocados considered a superfood?
Even though the avocado is high in fat, avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fats, which are important for heart health. So don’t go freaking out when you see the nutritional fat content of the avocado, not all fats are created equal. Saturated fats are the ones to avoid and cause inflammation a build-up of toxins and free radials, which in turn can lead to health issues. Avocados contain more Oleate, a monosaturated fat, (also found in nuts) which help protect against saturated fats harmful effects. (source) The best way to boost absorption of the monounsaturated fats is to partner your avocados with a green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and cilantro, to name a few. Over the years, I’ve found that beginning my day with a healthy fat, such as avocados are very sustaining throughout the morning. It’s an energy source to fuel your day and keep your blood sugars stabilized, to avoid dips and unhealthy cravings.
They are also packed with other important nutrients such as lutein, potassium, vitamin E, and healthy carbohydrates.
Here is the nutritional breakdown of 1 cup raw avocado: (source)
Calories 240
Carbohydrates 12.8g
Fat 22g
Saturated Fat 3.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 14.7g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.7g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 210 IU
Vitamin C 15mg
Vitamin E 3.1mg
Vitamin K 31.5mcg
Folate 122mcg
Calcium 18mg
Magnesium 43.5mg
Potassium 727mg
Where are avocados grown?
Avocados are native to tropical and subtropical climates in Central and South America. In the United States, they are grown in a few states with a similar climate, such as Florida, California. A horticulturist out of Florida is recorded as being the first to plant a producing avocado tree is 1833. California’s first avocado tree was plated in 1856. There are lots of varieties available at different seasons of the year. Mexico is the winner of the top producer of avocados, producing approximately 1.73 billion pounds annually, WOW! (source) …and about 1.9 billion avocados are exported into the US every year. (HOLY GUACAMOLE!!)😲🥑
How to choose an avocado
There is nothing worse than looking forward to making the perfect guacamole or avocado toast and cutting your avocado open, only to find black spots or it’s very hard and not the smooth, buttery texture you want. No matter the variety of the avocado, the selection process is the same. You will want to choose avocados with unblemished skins, free from soft spots or bruises. They are ripe and ready to eat when the flesh yields slightly when squeezed with fingers. What can you do to hasten the ripening if you end up in a grocery store with only hard-as-rock avocados? (Which has happened to me on several occasions.) Grab a banana to go along with your avocados, and put them together in a brown paper sack. Bananas release the hydrocarbon, ethylene gas, which will speed up the ripening process.
How to select and store an avocado
How you store your avocados is important for properly enjoying them at their peak ripeness. You will want to store your uncut and unripe avocados at room temperature until ripened. After they are ripe, you can store them in the fridge for up to a week. However, if you cut into an avocado, oxygen is it’s worst enemy. My trick to lengthen the life of guacamole is to add chopped onions and lots of lime or lemon juice. The chopped onion emits sulphur dioxide, which is an inhibitor of polyphenol oxidase and is widely used to control enzyme-caused browning, and the acid from the citrus keeps it green. (source) After my guacamole is made, I push down plastic wrap on top of the guacamole, seal and refrigerate.(see photo below) If you cut an avocado and only use half, keep the seed in the unused half, and seal cut side down in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Use within 1-2 days.
A few interesting facts about avocados:
Some areas of the world call it an alligator pear, which I can definitely see the comparisons with the color and texture of the avocado’s skin, along with the pear shape.
Wait, what? An avocado is not a vegetable?!? Most people are surprised to learn that even though it’s not sweet at all, an avocado is actually considered to be a fruit, to be more exact, a berry.
An avocado has more potassium than a banana.
The original Aztec name for the avocado is ahuacatl. The word “guacamole” is a derivation of the Aztec word ahuacamolli, which translates loosely to “avocado soup” or “avocado sauce.” (source)
Avocados are in the same family as cinnamon. Crazy, right? (source)
Ways to use avocados
Avocados are very versatile and can be eaten as is, raw or used in many recipes. You can use avocados in savory or sweet dishes. Dips, breakfast foods, sandwiches, soups, salads and tacos are very common ways to include the avocado. However, it’s been proven to be a nice added addition to many desserts such as ice creams and even in baked goods, which you can sometimes use as a butter substitute.
