Superfood: 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 skin deep. But guacamole is just the beginning...

Bravo to the Avocado — Why It's Super

Photo by Caitlin Covington  

The avocado has many nutritional benefits, ranging from cholesterol management and high fiber content to alleviating arthritis and potentially lessening the side effects of chemotherapy [1] [2]. Here are a few key reasons avocado is the way to go:

• Monounsaturated fat: Yup, that's the “good” fat. Monounsaturated fats can improve cholesterol levels, decrease the risk of heart disease, and can benefit brain activity and locomotion [3] [4] [5].
• Vitamin E: Vitamin E packs an antioxidant punch, protecting body tissue from damage by disabling free radicals (groups of unpaired atoms in the body that can lead to cancer or heart disease) [6]. It's also vital to red blood cell formation — another plus, since these cells are responsible for circulating oxygen and getting rid of waste.
• Vitamin B6: Among other awesome functions, Vitamin B6 (also known as pyridoxine) assists with the body's formation of glycogen (back-up fuel that's stored  in the liver and muscles) and promotes skin health (suddenly those moisturizers make more sense...) [7] [8].
• Carotenoids: When eaten together, avocados may increase the body's absorption of carotenoids from other healthy foods like fruits and vegetables [9]. Carotenoids are high in Vitamin A and have been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, and eye degeneration [10].

Beyond Guac — Your Action Plan

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 with enough give 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, in a salad, in sushi, with an omelet, or even as a gelato. Or just scoop it right out of its skin! And even though we know that avocado can be so much more, don't forget the guacamole (yummy, yummy guacamole).
Just keep in mind that 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 consuming no more than roughly half of a whole fruit per day. Not into eating them at all? If an avocado is purchased too ripe or forgotten on the kitchen counter, don't let it go to waste! It's easy to turn an abandoned avocado into a homemade face mask or hair treatment.