From guacamole to salads to sushi, the delicious, creamy avocado has found its way into many of our favorite dishes. You’ll be happy to learn that, due mainly to its high content of healthy monounsaturated fat, this supremely versatile fruit is a smart choice for your heart and your waistline.
Hailing from northern Mexico, the avocado enjoyed great prestige in ancient Aztec and Incan civilization. It was a staple in the diet of these native cultures, and revered as a food with restorative and vitality-enhancing powers. The Spanish conquistadors appreciated the special qualities of the avocado and carried it with them to North
A m e r i c a and Europe.
In 1672, Dr. Charles Hughes, the physician of King Charles II of England, traveled to the Caribbean island of Jamaica. Encountering the avocado, he described it as “one of the most rare and pleasant fruits of the island. It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits…” You can’t get a better health endorsement than that!
In truth, the avocado we are most familiar with today is not the same variety that Hughes described. The ubiquitous Hass avocado, the most common variety in the U.S., didn’t appear in American cuisine until the late 1920s. That’s when a Californian mail carrier named Rudolph Hass decided he would create – by grafting – the world’s finest avocado. He bought some seeds and got planting, and by 1935 he had the distinct honor of being the first person ever to patent a tree. At the time, Hass’ avocadoes sold for around $1, which is about $15 today.
Nowadays, avocados are a $500 million industry, with about 4.5 lbs. of avocados per capita being consumed per year. Hughes and Hass would be shepping nachas!
Enough history: You probably want to hear more about the avocado’s impressive fatty acid profile. It’s not every day you meet fats this friendly.
Avocados mainly contain a beneficial kind of fat called monounsaturated fatty acid, or MUFA. Olive oil has a similar fat profile. Other foods with high MUFA content include nuts, especially almonds, and peanut butter. MUFAs have been shown in many studies to have beneficial effects with regard to cancer, heart disease, and obesity. In particular, research has focused on the ability of MUFAs to lower triglycerides and harmful forms of cholesterol.
Studies have revealed an inverse relationship between consumption of MUFAs and belly fat - as one goes up, the other goes down. MUFAs actually raise your basal metabolic rate, allowing your body to use energy more efficiently and store less fat. A major aspect of the popular “Mediterranean diet” is a high ratio of MUFAs to less beneficial fats. The Mediterranean diet is a popular eating plan that emphasizes foods and meals traditionally enjoyed in Greece, Spain, and southern Italy. Olive oil is a key component of this plan, and avocado has the potential to be just as beneficial.
Ohio State University researchers conducted a study which showed the phytochemicals (plant nutrients) in avocado slowed down, and even arrested, the growth of cancer cells. Lab tests showed that certain nutrient extracts from avocado essentially killed precancerous cells without affecting healthy tissue.
One reason why it’s important to have good-quality fat at every meal is that many vitamins, such as A, D, and E, are fat-soluble. This means they are better absorbed and used by the body in the presence of fatty acids. The fat content of the avocado maximizes nutrient absorption from your whole meal. In fact, the website healthambition. com describes avocado as “quite the big green multivitamin.”
Another area where avocados shine is their carotenoid profile. Carotenoids are a class of nutrients, actually pigments, in fruits and vegetables that have powerful antioxidant, anticancer, and heart-protective properties. To name but a few carotenoids, avocadoes are a good source of alpha and beta carotene, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin, and neoxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin in particular are associated with eye health and the prevention of macular degeneration.
Again, the fat in the avocado lets these important nutrients get right where they need to be. The highest concentration of carotenoids is found in the dark green part of the fruit, closest to the skin. A good way of cutting avocadoes that maintains carotenoids is the nick-and-peel method. Start by slicing the avocado in half, twisting to separate the halves from the pit. Next, cut the halves in half, making long quarters. Then, use your hands to peel the skin off. If the avocado is ripe, the skin should come right off.
One of the best ways to enjoy avocado is in the form of guacamole (basically, avocado mixed with seasoning), ideally on top of a fresh, juicy hamburger. And herein lies an interesting scientific story: Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, hosted a barbecue for their study volunteers, who were divided into two groups. One group ate burgers topped with guacamole; the other group ate the burgers plain. The volunteers were tested four hours later for levels of interleukin-6, a protein that serves as a marker of inflammation. The no-guac group had a 70 percent increase in interleukin-6, compared with only a 40 percent increase in the group that ate guac. And that’s not all. Subjects were also tested for peripheral arterial blood flow (PAT), a measure of vascular health. The men who ate the plain burger had a 27 percent reduction in blood flow, as opposed to only a 4 percent reduction in the group that had the avocado. This study and others suggest that from a health standpoint, avocado is the perfect accompaniment to meat dishes, not to mention its myriad other uses.
Keep in mind that avocadoes are a bit more temperamental than other fruits and vegetables. If not used almost immediately, they quickly over-ripen. Once peeled, they turn brown within minutes. I am usually willing to take my chances – there’s nothing quite like a fresh avocado – but at the same time, I often buy a prepared product called Wholly Guacamole. It tastes great and stays fresh in the fridge, unopened, for longer than you can store fresh avocados. Packs can even be frozen. Wholly Guacamole comes in convenient snack packs, perfect for one or two servings.
Below are some quick summer recipes that feature avocados. Also, be sure to check out Californiaavocado.com and avocadocentral.com, two great websites devoted entirely to the amazing avocado.
YOGURT GUACAMOLE
This guacamole recipe adapted from californiaavocado.com is the perfect summer twist on the classic guac.
Yogurt and salsa add a nice kick to this creamy dip.
4 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dried dill
1⁄2 T. garlic salt, or 3⁄4 tsp. salt and 3⁄4 tsp. garlic powder
3 T. salsa, mild or hot depending on your taste
1 c. plain or non-dairy yogurt
In a large bowl, mash avocado well. Add remaining ingredients and mix to blend. Remember to make guacamole as close to serving as possible; leftovers brown quickly. Store any extra in a tightly sealed container or covered tightly in plastic wrap. For a lactose-free version of this recipe, use coconut yogurt. (I have seen So Delicious brand in Whole Foods and Seven Mile.)
AVOCADO-CUCUMBER DRESSING
I found this recipe in the current issue of Vegetarian Times. Try it on salads or cooked greens.
1⁄2 large ripe avocado, chopped
1⁄2 c. peeled, seeded, cucumber, chopped
1 T. minced fresh dill, or 1 tsp. dried dill
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. pure maple syrup or honey
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1⁄4 cup water, and blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
COCOA-AVOCADO PUDDING WITH
COCONUT MILK
This dish features avocado in an unconventional way, with delicious results! It is modified from one I found on californiaavocado.com.
11⁄2 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1⁄3 c. pure cocoa powder or carob powder
1⁄3 c. honey or pure maple syrup
1⁄4 c. coconut milk (So Delicious and Trader Joe’s make kosher ones)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
AVOCANA BREAD
Another “outside the box” recipe: a banana bread with avocado! It’s also inspired by one I found on Californiaavocado.com.
1⁄3 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. whole grain flour (wheat, spelt, kamut, or gluten-free blend)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1⁄4 c. coconut, olive, or grapeseed oil
1 c. natural sugar (Sucanat or Florida Crystals)
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas
1⁄2 c. chopped walnuts
1⁄4 c. buttermilk (If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, combine 1⁄4 c. milk – or rice, almond, or coconut milk – with
1 tsp. lemon juice/vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. This will work fine.
Oil a 9x5 loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients: oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a large bowl, lightly mash avocado. Add oil and sugar to the avocado, mixing with an electric mixer or by hand until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add bananas to the avocado mix, mashing well until incorporated. Stir in walnuts and dry ingredients. Mix in buttermilk until just blended. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Bake a little longer for drier bread.â—†
Lauren Mirkin, CNS, LDN, LGPC, is a licensed nutritionist and counselor. She provides nutritional counseling at the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center at Green Spring Station. Contact her at 443-326-7023 or holisticnutritionhelp@gmail.com. Lauren thanks her son Yehoshua, a student at Yeshiva University, for assisting with the research for this article.
