They may be funny looking, but wow, this amazing fruit is worth it’s weight in goodness!
Living in Southern California, I’m lucky enough to have avocado trees right in my backyard. Avocado trees are plentiful in So Cal. Thanks to the warm sunny climate and rich soil, 95 percent of the USA’s avocado crops are grown right here in sunny Southern California.
I love the taste, but I also love that avocados provide necessary good fats needed by every cell in your body. As a matter of fact, did you know that over 60% of your brain is made of fat!?!
Now, this isn’t the same fat found in a greasy cheeseburger. Over 75% of the fat in an avocado is unsaturated. Monounsaturated fat can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL, the healthy cholesterol in your body.
Maintaining healthy cholesterol is great, but so is healthy plump skin, which is also supported by eating healthy fats. Avocados act as nutrient boosters! It also aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, helping you get the most nutrition from your food and supplements, especially vitamins A, D, K and E. Eating good fat also slows down the breakdown of carbs into sugar, helping to keep blood sugar levels stable.
A medium avocado contains almost 20 vitamins including 9 grams of fiber, 132 mcg of folate, 762 mg of potassium and 4 mg of vitamin E and only has, approximately, 240 calories.
Avocados are so versatile, they can be used for so much more than guacamole! You can even replace butter in baked goods recipes with avocado. (It won’t make your cookies green!) Try it as a healthy vegan alternative next time you bake chocolate chip cookies, brownies, muffins, carrot cake and more.
When an avocado is ready to eat, it will be slightly soft. If you are buying several at a time, for use over a week or so, you may want to select very firm fruits and ripen them at home.
To Ripen:
Place the avocado in a brown paper bag with, either, an apple, a banana or a kiwi for 2-5 days. Store the bag at room temperature. When the avocado is ripe, it will feel slightly soft when you apply pressure.
How To Cut:
- Place the avocado on a cutting board. Cut length wise around the seed. Cutting into the avocado until you feel the knife hit the seed, then rotate the avocado with one hand while holding the knife with the other.
- Turn the avocado by a quarter turn and then cut in half, length wise, again.
- Rotate the avocado halves in your hands and separate the quarters.
- Peel the fruit by sliding your thumb under the skin and peeling it back.
Store Your Fruit:
Cut avocados turn brown very quickly, if left unprotected. This is natural oxidation.
After cutting your fruit, sprinkle with a little lemon or lime juice or with white vinegar. Wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Ripe uncut fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If you’re new to avocado, I hope you’ll try it soon! Start simply, you may really enjoy avocado slices on whole grain toast or in salad.
