One item that I never have to promote is the avocado. They are mighty good eats alone, and great as guacamole. My brother even puts slices of avocado on his turkey burgers. At any rate, people buy them because avocados just taste great. So, why am I writing about avocados if people love them, everyone knows what they are, and I have no problems selling them? I am writing about avocados because I'm bothered by the common notion that they are full of fat and bad for you to eat. What a bad rap!
The truth is, avocados have nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Avocados are sodium-free, cholesterol-free and have only five grams of fat per serving, most which is monounsaturated fat (that's the "good" cholesterol-lowering fat). An article from The World's Healthiest Foods (whfoods.com) states, "In one study of people with moderately high cholesterol levels, individuals who ate a diet high in avocados showed clear health improvements. After seven days on the diet that included avocados, they had significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, along with an 11% increase in health promoting HDL cholesterol."
If you are interested, more information regarding the super health benefits of avocados (including information in weight loss/maintenance, heart disease, and nutrient profiles) can be viewed at http://www.avocado.org/healthy-living/nutrition. For everyone else, you can trust me that they are darn good for you!
In lieu of a predictable recipe for guacamole, I'll leave you with a few interesting facts you may not have known about the wonderful avocado:
Brazilians add avocados to ice cream.
California avocados grow all year-round.
Avocados are also known as the Alligator Pear.
Avocado is a corruption of the Spanish word aguacate, which is in turn a corruption of the Aztec word ahuacatl, meaning testicle (I'm totally not kidding, by the way).
Avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable.
In one year, a single California avocado tree can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven 26,000 miles.
One item that I never have to promote is the avocado. They are mighty good eats alone, and great as guacamole. My brother even puts slices of avocado on his turkey burgers. At any rate, people buy them because avocados just taste great. So, why am I writing about avocados if people love them, everyone knows what they are, and I have no problems selling them? I am writing about avocados because I'm bothered by the common notion that they are full of fat and bad for you to eat. What a bad rap!