Eat More Avocado

Here’s a secret: avocados are super trendy. Wait, not a secret?

Trendy or not, I’ve been obsessing on avocados for YEARS. Call me a trendsetter. You should eat more avocado. Here’s why.

(Almost) everything you need to know about the health benefits of avocados.

• Avocados are nutrient dense – they offer 20 vitamins and minerals in every serving.
• Avocados are a great source of heart-healthy, monounsaturated fats which reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
• Avocados contain oleic acid – known to reduce chronic inflammation (which in turn reduces your risk from chronic illnesses such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cancer and asthma).
• 1 avocado contains over 20% over your daily dose of Vitamin E – insanely good for skin and hair health.
• Avocados lower cholesterol levels.
• Avocados increase the bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins when eaten with other foods – like spinach, carrots and tomatoes – which means that when you eat a salad with avocado thrown in, your body absorbs more nutrients than it would have otherwise.
• Avocados are loaded with fiber which keeps you fuller longer, helps you consume fewer calories and aids digestion.

Quick Tips

Buying and Storing Avocados

Do avocados have a season? Sure. The growing season in California (which is where most of our domestic avocados come from) is from February to September, with peak output in the summer months. However in 2002 the Haas Avocado Board formed to coordinate year-round access to avocados for all of us avocado-lovers out there (Mexico’s crop is pretty consistent 365 days a year). Thanks globalization.

Look for avocados that are fairly blemish free (blemishes are the likely result of a fall or rough-handling which you don’t want with this delicate fruit). The avocado should give slightly when you push on it – too much give and it’s rotten, to little give and it’s not ripe yet.

Store unripe avocados at room temperature. Once it’s ripe, use it pretty quickly or store it in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process.

Cutting an Avocado

1. Carefully insert a sharp knife into the avocado until you hit the pit/stone.
2. Rotate the avocado slowly around the knife until it is cut in half.
3. Grip both sides and carefully pull apart.
4. Tap the heel of your knife into the pit and twist to remove.
5. If you want to dice the avocado, make slices lengthwise and crosswise, then scoop out the flesh.
6. If you want to slice the avocado, I recommend peeling the skin back, placing the flat side of the avocado down on a cutting board and slicing.
7. If you’re making guacamole (see below for my favorite recipe), simply scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Avocado Tricks

• Avocado not ripe? Flick off the small piece of stem which connected the avocado to the plant in its past life. Air will hasten the ripening process.
• Think your avocado might be to mushy to be good? Take that piece of stem off in the store – if the avocado flesh you it reveals is brown, it’s rotten.
• If you are in a rush to ripen avocados, store them in a brown paper bag with a piece of fruit. The enzymes in the fruit will help to ripen the avocado.
• Slow the oxidation process (browning) by sprinkling with lemon or lime juice and pressing plastic wrap tightly to the flesh.

Guacamole Recipe

I’ve been making and devouring guacamole for as long as I’ve known how to use a knife. Here’s my favorite recipe!

 

Avocado Toast Recipe

There is a super simple recipe for Avocado-Egg toast in my post on 10 Protein Packed Breakfast Toasts. I’m a sucker for this one!