I love taking a barely soft avocado and cutting through the dark green, almost black, rough-textured skin all the way to and around the seed, then separating the halves to expose the creamy yellowish-green flesh! Yum! I love to scoop the flesh out into a bowl and make fresh guacamole, or smear it on a slice of dense, whole grain bread with a little salt and lime juice to eat just like that or on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise (even vegan mayonnaise).
Avocados, which are also called alligator pears because of their pear-shape and the alligator-skin appearance of their rough-textured skin (California (Haas) avocados), are actually a fruit. Avocados have many health benefits.
Avocados, considered by many to be a superfood, are a good source of potassium, magnesium, and folate, and also have vitamins A (carotenoids), E, and K. Folate makes avocados a top brain-healthy food (1), helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The high potassium content in avocados helps reduce your blood pressure. The carotenoid leutein, an antioxidant, protects your eyes from oxidation that can cause poor vision, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Avocados are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which fills you up, aids your body in absorbing nutrients, cleans your intestinal system out, and keeps you regular. The fat in avocados are monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats, which boost heart health and help lower blood pressure. Beta-sitosterol, a phytonutrient in avocado fat, has been clinically proven to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels while raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels. And avocados are rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, plant phytonutrients that reduce inflammation.
I enjoyed half an avocado with lunch today! Hopefully you've enjoyed some avocado too!
Resources
- http://www.naturalnews.com/040067_avocado_cancer_prevention_superfood.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado