Many people think that because of their rich green color that avocados are vegetables. But did you know that they are actually fruits? Love One Today states, “Avocados are fruits and are technically considered a single-seeded berry.”
Avocados are a favorite for many people, especially those of us trying to be healthy! You’ve probably heard that avocados are good for you, but do you actually know why? Do you understand all the nutrients that are found in avocados and what they can do for your health? Lucky for you, we are here to explain everything you need to know.
Nutrients from avocados.
Healthline informs us that avocados have many abundant nutrients including, Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin E. They also contain, “small amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc, phosphorous, and vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin).”
In addition to all these amazing vitamins and minerals, avocados contain good fats that are excellent for your heart! According to California Avocado, avocados are also low in calories, and naturally free of sodium, sugar, and cholesterol. They are a great source of potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.
Health benefits from avocados.
Since avocados have so many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, they obviously have great health benefits! These benefits include:
- Promotes healthy blood pressure: both the potassium and the fiber can help balance out blood pressure.
- Reduces inflammation: oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fatty acid helps reduce inflammation in the body.
- Good for your heart: the presence of beta-sitosterol can help to maintain a good level of cholesterol which promotes a healthy heart.
- Better vision: lutein and zeaxanthin are two phytochemicals that can be found in avocados. These help to protect your eyes and minimize damage. These can reduce your risk of macular degeneration.
- Osteoporosis prevention, certain cancer prevention, healthy pregnancy, reduces depression, improves digestion, and more!
There are countless benefits you could receive from consuming avocados regularly!
Getting avocados.
Now that you know you need avocados for various reasons, let’s talk about how to buy an avocado you will enjoy! No one wants to eat an avocado that’s rock hard, and no one wants to eat an avocado that’s complete mush with black spots. So how can you know exactly when to eat an avocado?
My Domaine shares great steps to make sure you are getting the best avocados!
- Take a look at the color. The most common type of avocados found in stores are Hass avocados. My Domaine explains, “If you’re buying Hass avocados, the skin may turn almost black as the fruit becomes ripe.” You should check the color and make sure it’s not too bright green, but not turning too dark either. Once you find the perfect color, check it to make sure there aren’t any bruises and bad spots!
- Inspect the naval. Sometimes, just checking the color isn’t enough. Checking the naval of the avocado can help ensure that you are getting a ripe avocado. My Domaine states, “Gently place your thumb on the ‘belly button’ of the fruits (where it has been separated from the stem). If you can flick the naval off easily, the avocado is ripe and ready to eat.” If you naval seems to stay in there, not wanting to move, it is not quite ripe yet so you will want to wait a little while longer before eating that one. If the naval comes out but you think it might be too ripe, you are going to want to proceed to the next step!
- Feel the pressure. It seems like most people squeeze avocados to check for ripeness, but they are probably doing it wrong or don’t know what to look for! My Domaine explains to, “Place the avocado in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze the outside skin. . .Squeeze with your full palm rather than your fingertips to avoid bruising.” This is important because you can really get a feel for the fruit inside! If the fruit still seems hard, it is not ripe yet. If it is too mushy and doesn’t hold its shape, it is too ripe. If it has a little give and doesn’t seem too hard or too mushy, it is ripe!
Preparing avocados.
Okay so now you know what avocados can do for you and how to pick one out, but now how do you cut it open?
The hardest part for many people is figuring out how to get the pit out of the avocado so they can use it. Prevention shared an awesome infographic of an easy way to do this!
From here you can slice or mash the avocado depending on how you want to eat it (we’ll give you some ideas in the next section).
Eating an avocado.
Now for the best part, eating the perfectly ripe avocado and getting as many health benefits as you can! Here are some ideas on how to eat them:
- Simply seasoned: One of the most simple ways to eat an avocado is to sprinkle salt and pepper and your favorite seasoning or drizzle on it.
- With eggs: The combination of the creamy avocado and fluffy eggs make for a delicious breakfast.
- On toast: One of the most popular/trendy ways to eat avocado is on toast! Replacing butter with avocado and adding your favorite seasonings or drizzle is tasty.
- As a topping: Sliced or mashed avocados are a great topping for things like sandwiches, burgers, tacos, and more.
- In smoothies: Combining avocados with a variety of fruits or vegetables will give you an amazing, creamy drink.
- And anything else you can think of!
That is everything you need to know about avocados! Now you know exactly how healthy avocados are, how to pick the perfect avocado, and how to eat them!
Sources:
https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/a20515820/everything-about-avocados/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270406#benefits
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-ways-to-eat-avocados
Recent Comments