Rich and Creamy: The Avocado

Introduction:

The avocado is known also as the alligator pear, because of its shape and the thick, leather-like appearance of its skin. The avocado is a very versatile fruit in that it can be added to everything from salads, to dips and salsas.  There is a common misconception that you shouldn’t eat avocados because of their high fat content. The fat oils in avocados are nature made, unsaturated and unhydrogenerated. In fact, it has been found that the oil of an avocado is one of the most valuable of the unsaturated fatty acids. Of the 30 grams of fat typically found in an average size avocado, 20 of those grams are health promoting monosaturated fats, especially oleic acid. So don’t fear, they are good for you, and yummy too!

Nutritional Info:

• Avocados contain oleic acid, a monosaturated fat that may help to lower cholesterol.
• Avocados are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure.  They are actually higher in potassium than a medium sized banana. One avocado contains 24% of your daily value (DV) of potassium.
• This fruit is jammed packed with nutrients! Avocados are a good source of vitamin K (36% DV), dietary fiber (29% DV), vitamin B6 (20% DV), vitamin C (19% DV) and copper (19% DV).
• One cup of avocado has 23% of your DV for folate, a nutrient important for heart health.
• Avocados are sodium and cholesterol free.
• The avocado, pound for pound, has more energy than unprocessed meat. (aren’t you glad you’re going raw?!)

How To Select the Perfect Avocado:

So you are at the supermarket and you see a crate full of alligator pears. They all pretty much look the same, how do you know which one to choose. We hope the info in this section will have you selecting avocados like a pro! A ripe, ready to eat, avocado is slightly soft but should have no dark sunken spots or cracks. So pick up the avocado that catches your eye, hold it in the palm of your hands and use your fingers to gently press around it to get a feel for its softness. Then also give it a look over to check for dark spots and cracks.

Firm avocados will ripen in a paper bag or in your kitchen fruit basket at room temperature. If you are planning to eat the avocado later, you should consider buying them firm. As the fruit ripens (varies between 2-3 days), the skin will start to turn darker. Place your ripe avocado in the fridge.

How Do I Get Inside?

No worries, if you’re new to avocados and haven’t experienced them past guacamole, this section is for you. Here’s how to get to the wholesome goodness that’s inside the avocado:

• First, cut the ripe avocado lengthwise around the seed. Rotate the halves to separate.
• Remove the seed by sliding the tip of a spoon gently underneath and lifting it out.
• You can peel the fruit by placing the cut side down and removing the skin with a knife or your fingers starting at the narrow end. Or, you can simply scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon.
• Sprinkle the avocado chunks with lemon or lime juice to preserve and prevent discoloration

Resources:

The Nutritional Value of the Avocado: http://www.avocadosource.com
Avocados: Hand Grown in California: http://www.avocado.org
The World’s Healthiest Foods – Avocados: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

By rawfoodnation Tags: avocado, copper, folate, oleic acid, potassium, vitamin b6, vitamin c, vitamin k
Posted in Raw Foods | 1 Comment »

One Response to “Rich and Creamy: The Avocado”

1. Summer Salad: Spinach Power House « Raw Food Nation says:

   May 9, 2010 at 10:41 am

   [...] avocado and remove it from its skin (If you’re not sure how to do this, read our article on Avocados). Slice your avocado into small chunks and toss them into your [...]