Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Avocado: # 1 Best Fruit You Should Eat Each Day
It seems that there are three schools of thought when it comes to
avocados; people either love them, have no idea what they are or are
scared of them. People who are afraid of avocados don’t really know what
to do with them and those that don’t know what to do with them have
never learned how to enjoy this highly delicious and nutritious fruit.
If you are afraid of avocados, we hope that this information helps
you understand a little more about this number one best fruit you should
eat each day.
Avocados, known also as alligator pears, are the fruit of the Persea americana,
a large evergreen tree. Depending on variety, they can weigh anywhere
from 8 ounces to 3 pounds and are much more like a berry than a fruit.
While eaten as a vegetable, alligator pears are, unlike any other
vegetables; they contain enough healthy fat to pass as a meat
substitute. Similar to coconuts, avocados are sometimes snubbed because
of their high fat content.
The Value of Healthy Fat
One cup of avocado cubed contains about 240 calories and 22 grams of
fat. But, don’t let this fat fact scare you. The fat found in avocados
is comprised of oleic acid and is extremely healthy monounsaturated fat, the same kind found in olive oil.
According to the American Heart Association,monounsaturated fat can lower cholesterol and plays a role in keeping
hair and skin healthy. Research done indicates that avocado fat reduces
inflammation within the body and is especially useful for people
suffering from arthritis.
The digestive tract also benefits from healthy fat and transportation
of fat soluble nutrients depends on it. There is also solid evidence to
support the fact that avocados reduce heart disease.
Other Nutritional Benefits
Healthy fat is not the only thing going for avocados. They contain
twice as much potassium as bananas and a healthy amount of magnesium
thought to play a vital role in blood pressure regulation.
Some research indicates that avocados even protect against certain
cancers because of their high antioxidant content. Avocados are rich in
vitamins K, C and E, and contain three times more of the antioxidant
glutathione, than any other fruit.
The fiber in avocados helps to regulate blood sugar and a recent
study suggests that the sugar in this fruit actually helps to prevent
blood sugar levels from dropping.
While more research is still being done on the health promoting
benefits of avocados, what has been documented shows that everyone can
benefit from including this fruit in their diet.
A Few Facts
- Avocados are like a cross in taste and texture of a banana and an olive.
- Native to Central and South America, they are also grown in states like Florida and California.
- The Florida avocado has less fat content and a more watery texture than the California variety.
- Avocados are picked from the tree before they have ripened – similar to how bananas are picked.
- An unripe avocado has bright green skin and no give at all when you pick it up and press lightly.
- An overripe avocado has dark skin and loads of give – if you squeeze too hard it will bust.
- The best avocado is the one that is somewhere between ripe and overripe
- Of course, if you are not going to eat your avocado right away, choose one that is unripe and let it sit for a few days to ripen.
Using Avocados
To cut an avocado, hold the fruit lengthwise in one hand and a sharp
knife in the other. Cut the it into two halves to expose the pit. Use a
spoon to scoop out the pit. Slice the flesh into pieces, be careful not
to break the skin. Once you have made sections, scoop out the flesh
using a spoon.
So many people associate avocados with guacamole, but there are many
other things that you can do with this creamy fruit. Try blending it to
make your own salad dressing, spreading it on sandwiches, using it in
fresh salads, adding it to your smoothies for a delicious rich taste or
even mixing it with salsa. The possibilities are endless.
Article sources:
http://www.thesweetbeet.com/avocados/
http://www.avocadocentral.com/how-to/how-to-pick-how-to-buy-avocados
http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/07/10-amazing-things-to-do-with-avocados.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5
Source: thealternativedaily
Thanks to: http://aworldchaos.wordpress.com
