The Mighty Avocado

Sure, avocados can be seen gracing the packaging of moisturizers and shampoos. But while those mushy green facials are awfully tempting, this tasty little fruit goes more than just skin deep. And guacamole is just the beginning….

Bravo to the Avocado — What It Is

The avocado has many nutritional benefits, ranging from cholesterol management to a high fiber content^[1]. Here are a few key reasons why avocado is the way to go:

Monounsaturated fat: Yup, that’s the “good” fat. Monosaturated fats can improve cholesterol levels, decrease the risk of heart disease, and help regulate blood sugar.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E packs an antioxidant punch, protecting body tissue from damage by effectively disabling free radicals (groups of unpaired atoms that can lead to cancer or heart disease). It’s also vital to red blood cell formation, another plus.
Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 assists with pyridoxine deficiencies, a tongue twister that’s not only essential in the production of red blood cells, but assists with digestion and promotes skin health (suddenly those moisturizers make much more sense, don’t they?).

Even avocado-based supplements have been found to help alleviate osteoarthritis. Is there anything the avocado can’t do? Well, Wwe wouldn’t necessarily recommend hiring an avocado to do our tax returns— they’re terrible at calculating deductions.

But there can be too much of a good thing. Due to the fruit’s high-fat content (roughly 85% of the avocado’s calories come from fat), most experts recommend no more than two tablespoons of avocado per day— or roughly half of a whole fruit.

Beyond Guac — What It Means To You

The first step of adding avocado to a healthy diet (and perhaps the most daunting one) is knowing which fruit to pick. A good rule of thumb is to buy the fruit when it’s firm, and let it ripen for a few days before eating. To know when the avocado is ready to eat, squeeze it lightly. It should still be somewhat firm, but give the sense that a knife could smoothly cut through it.

Thanks to its versatility, avocado can easily be used on a sandwich, as a dip or salsa, in chilled soup, as a salad, in sushi, with an omelet, or even as a gelato. And don’t forget guacamole. Yummy, yummy guacamole.

Finally, if an avocado is purchased too ripe or forgotten on the kitchen counter, don’t let it go to waste! There are tons of resources online that can help turn an abandoned avocado into a homemade facial scrub and more. Try it. It’s both soothing and edible!

Updated on August, 2011.