Avocado Food Facts
Avocado can be eaten as is, mixed with other fruits, as salad, a shake, baked in breads and even made into a dip. In the Philippines, ripe avocado is often eaten as a snack by scooping from flesh from the skin then mixed with a some sugar and milk or cream. It is simply delicious!
Avocado is a fruit and a tree. It often said to be the most nutritious fruit in the world. Avocado provides more than 25 essential nutrients such as protein, potassium, vitamin E, C, B-vitamins, folic acid, iron, copper, phosphorus and magnesium, just to name a few. Avocado also provides calories for energy and beneficial phytochemicals such as beta-sitosterol, glutathione and lutein.
Overall, avocado is considered a complete food. With vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, calories and fiber with no cholesterol and is sodium free. Avocado is ideal for growing up children, adults and even for babies, especially when blended with other fruits. For athletes, avocado is a nutritious energy booster to rev up the body's strength.
Avocados are available all year round. They should be fresh in appearance and the color should range from green to purple-black. They should feel heavy for their size and be slightly firm. Avoid avocados with soft spots and discolorization. Refrigerate and use within five days after ripening.
- Avocados ripen quickly when placed in a brown paper bag and set in a warm place.
- Avocados have a higher fat content than most other vegetables, but are still a good source of protein.
- Avocados of the Florida type (Trapp Type) are not recommended for persons watching their fat intake. They contain 22.1 percent palmitic acid. The California type (Fuerte Type) has only 9.1 percent palmitic acid.
- California avocados that are picked in November to March have one-third less fat than those picked September and October. They are less mature and have only 2 grams of fat compared to six grams of fat.
- Another method of ripening avocados is to place them in a plastic bag with a piece of banana peel.
- Leaving the pit in a guacamole dip will not keep the dip from turning black. The only area that won't turn black is the area under the pit which protects the dip from oxygen and the color change.
- Avocados will not ripen if placed in the refrigerator.
- To ripen avocados quickly, place them into a wool sock, then set them in a dark place.
- Ripe avocados should be stored in the refrigerator for longer life.
- An avocado is ripe when it gives slightly to the touch.
- The fat in avocados is mostly monounsaturated, which is one of the fats most preferred by the body.
See also:
Beneficial Byte: Avocados
Good Eats: Avocados
Belly Byte: Olivado Avocado Oil
Quick Cooking Tip: Seeding Avocados
