Avocado

A Super Food
A Super Food

What is an Avocado and Why is it a Super Food?

An avocado is a pear-shaped fruit that grows on the avocado tree. It’s
iconic for its dark green shell (similar appearance to alligator skin) that
surrounds the fruit. Inside the outer shell you’ll find creamy light green
pulp that surrounds a single large seed. With its roots originating from
Central America, avocados are known as a super food because they
are some of the most nutrient-dense foods available, being one of the
richest fruits in fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium.
These nutrients come from its monounsaturated fat making it one of
the healthiest fat’s a person can consume!
Phytochemicals, A Super Food’s Super Power!
Phytochemicals are chemicals found in plants that give them their
color, flavor and odor. These phytochemicals are like the super
powers for a super food as they help control and contribute to the
chemical processes within our bodies and the promotion of better
health. Avocados provide various phytochemicals such as
carotenoids (xanthophylls, lutein, β-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin)
phenolics and phytosterols. Carotenoids in avocados provide a
numerous amount of benefits for our bodies such as reduced
oxidative stress, protection against early atherosclerosis and an increase of overall carotenoids in
our bodies. Phenolics in avocados reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and provide the highest
lipophilic antioxidant capacity in fruits. Lastly Phytosterols are known to promote stronger intestinal
cholesterol blocking activity. Also, avocados are the richest source of phytosterols among all fruits
and research has shown some potential health benefits in foods with phytosterols as they potentially
contribute to strengthening overall cardiovascular health.
How to Properly Select the Ideal Avocado
• Get a feel for the avocado, ripe avocados will be
soft to the touch make sure to pick it up and get a
feel.
• Keep an eye out, when an avocado is ripe, they
appear to be almost entirely black.
• Sniff out the ideal avocado, avocados that are ripe
will have a stronger smell than the less ideal unripe
avocados.
• Think big picture, now that we’ve discussed how to
pick out the ideal avocado for the day of, a good way
to think about the bigger picture is to choose a variety
of ripeness levels when selecting avocados. This way
you’ll be able to have the ideal avocado every day of
the week until your next trip to the store!

Proper Storage Tips for Avocados

• Don’t store unripe avocados in the refrigerator, this
will cause the avocado to unproperly ripen.
• Store avocados is a paper bag that is out of direct
sunlight for ideal ripening.
• Avoid cutting the avocado until you are ready to eat.
• Add a little bit of lemon or lime to avoid browning.
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap before sticking it into the
fridge to better preserve the avocado.

Holy Guacamole! An Avocado Luxury

Guacamole is a delicious dip made from avocados that are
generally associated with Mexican food. Guacamole
originates from the Aztec culture and guacamole dates
back as late as the 1500s! Most commonly guacamole is
used as a dip for chips or a topping for foods. Typical
ingredients include…

• Avocados
• Salt
• Lime juice
• Diced tomatoes
• Onions
• Cilantro