Avocados are big. They’re easy to find, delicious to eat and beneficial to your health. The truth is, however, that avocados are rarely used to their full potential – and further, they often get a bad rap for being high in fat. Let’s dispel the myths and misconceptions once and for all, and get avocados back on your plate (or in your glass)!
Getting to know the avocado will help you understand their true nutritional value, as well as the benefits that ride along. First, while the avocado fruit is higher calorically than its fruit counterparts, it is significantly lower in sugar (something your pancreas will thank you for). Second, avocados contain mostly monounsaturated fatty acids (about 20 grams per avocado), which may help reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering your “bad” LDL cholesterol and raising your “good” HDL cholesterol. Another heart healthy benefit is the 1,000 milligrams of potassium it contains. Potassium is a micronutrient that may help lower blood pressure, which in turn may help reduce your risk for hypertensive-related diseases such as stroke and heart disease. Avocados are also sky high in fiber, with 14 grams for an entire avocado. Fiber helps keep you regular, aids in appetite control and can help protect against certain cancers as well as inflammation. Finally, eating avocados may also help control your weight. A 2013 study found that avocado eaters had a higher diet quality and a lower risk for metabolic syndrome than non-avocado eaters.
So how do you pick the right avocado? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has some great tips! If you want to use the avocado immediately, look and feel for an avocado that gives subtly to a gentle squeeze – this means the avocado is perfectly ripe. If there's no give to it at all, it's not ripe, meaning it may need a couple more days before you can use it. If the avocado maintains your finger imprints when squeezed, it's over-ripe.
So now you know the benefits, and you’ve chosen the perfect avocado. What’s next? Grab a knife and cut into the avocado so the knife follows the longest part, and then drag it completely around until you get back to where you started. Remove the knife and twist the two halves in opposite directions while pulling it apart. Take a spoon, and scoop out the giant seed in the middle. Grab your knife again and slice the avocado while it's still in its skin, but don’t cut through the skin. You can make long slices by cutting length-wise, short slices by cutting width-wise or a checkerboard by doing both. Use your spoon again to scoop out the slices of avocado you just created – just stick the spoon against the inside of the skin, and drag it alongside the bottom until the avocado pieces come out easily.
Now it’s time for the really fun part – the eating portion of your avocado day. The options are limitless!
1. Use it in place of mayonnaise.
Sure, you can find versions of low-fat, olive-oil based mayonnaise options on the market, but can they give you all the benefits an avocado can? Just take a slice of your ripe avocado, mash it up with a fork and spread it onto your bread. You can also replace the mayo with avocado in egg or tuna salad as well.
2. Dress up your salad or veggies with avocado
Because you can alter an avocado’s texture easily, making a dressing is a piece of cake (only healthier). Many dressings based around this fruit require ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, such as cumin, salt and pepper. You can spice it up by adding a little jalapeno; make it creamier by adding plain Greek yogurt, or do both! The possibilities are endless.
3. A frozen treat!
Love ice cream and dessert but looking for something a little healthier? How about Avocado-sicles! This recipe can be prepped in minutes (it does take a long time to freeze, however) and has less fat (use light coconut milk), calories and sugar (use unsweetened shredded coconut) than a traditional frozen bar.
4. Salsamole.
Avocados have the most perfect pit in each of their halves to hold another ingredient. Try putting salsa in the pit and then dipping your tortilla chips in there to get an avocado salsa mix. Or, try this salsamolerecipe for a twist on a traditional favorite. Speaking of filling in the pit, you can use avocados as a “bowl” as well. Simply scoop enough to fit a small portion of tuna or chopped egg.
5. Add it into a smoothie.
Smoothies are all the rage right now, so why not add some avocado cubes to give you an extra beneficial boost? To give your smoothie a sweeter taste with a protein punch, try adding Greek yogurt (with a touch of pure vanilla extract) and unsweetened vanilla almond milk – this will also help create a creamier texture. Check out this delicious smoothie recipe from the Cleveland Clinic.
6. Soup.
The creamy texture and fabulous flavor of avocados make them a great base for a soup. This Cleveland Clinic recipe pairs super healthy asparagus with avocados for a soup that's low in sodium and fat – and sky high in fiber.