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Avocado has won our hearts for a long time - everyone knows about the incredible benefits of this fruit, but often they do not know that avocado can harm the body. Let's figure out what is the trick here?
Avocado benefits
Avocado or American Persea belongs to the genus Perseus of the Laurel family, that is, this fruit is a cousin of cinnamon and bay leaves. Mexico is considered the homeland of avocados, where you can still see the oldest avocado trees on the planet - they are over 400 years old. It is not surprising that this fruit was so valued by the Aztecs, and then by the Spanish conquistadors, thanks to whom the avocado got to Central America and Europe - it really has a lot of benefits. Avocado consists of 73% water, 15% fat, 8,5% carbohydrates (mainly fiber) and 2% protein.
Substances contained in avocado have an anti-inflammatory effect, which is important, for example, in diseases of the joints - arthritis and arthrosis, diseases of the mucous membrane of the stomach and liver.
Almost a third of avocado consists of the most important fatty acids, in particular, oleic, linoleic and palmitic. They protect blood vessels from atherosclerosis. It also contains a lot of fat-soluble vitamins - A, E, K and D, and water-soluble vitamins of group B (among them thiamin, niacin, nicotinic acid, riboflavin, folic acid, etc.) and vitamin C. All of them are very important for our health. I and immunity.
Carotenoids contained in avocados will help preserve vision and reduce the risk of cataracts. Potassium in avocado is necessary for the health of the cardiovascular, nervous and muscular systems. And due to the lack of this trace element, arrhythmia and other heart problems can develop.
Despite the fact that avocado is quite a fatty product, it certainly does not contain cholesterol. Moreover, eating avocados can help lower the level of "bad" cholesterol in the blood and maintain normal blood sugar levels.
The word "avocado" comes from the Aztec word ahuacatl, which supposedly translates as male testicles.
Pity the avocado
In 1998, avocado entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most caloric fruit due to its high fat content: 100 grams of avocado contains 20 grams of fat and about 160 kcal! For comparison, fried chicken and a good piece of meat have the same calorie content. At the same time, avocado is called "forest oil" and it is recommended to replace butter in the diet, the calorie content of which is more than 700 kcal per 100 grams. But, agree, it is unlikely that you will be able to eat a whole pack of butter at one time, but a whole avocado, or even two easily. Remember that avocado is a high-calorie product, not dietary at all. It is especially not recommended to eat fatty avocado together with carbohydrates - so the risk of getting fat deposits on the waist is much higher.
Another important warning: neither the peel nor the stone of an avocado can be eaten - they contain persin - a fungicidal toxin that is deadly to humans and animals.
Unripe avocado, what to do
There are about 400 varieties of avocados. The quality and taste of the fruit do not depend on its size or color. Its softness can tell about the degree of ripeness - a good avocado will be moderately soft, but elastic, which retains its shape after pressing. A hard avocado - unripe, and too soft, overripe - will definitely be black inside. Ideally, the consistency of avocado flesh should resemble butter.
It is best to eat avocado raw: add it to salads, make guacamole from it, or simply mash it with a fork. Avocados are often used instead of butter in sandwiches, but it is still not recommended to eat avocados with a large amount of carbohydrates - then the product turns from useful to anti-diet and promotes fat deposition.
If you did buy a hard avocado, put it in a box with an apple or banana and leave it for a while in a dark place. These fruits release ethylene, a gas that helps avocados ripen faster. If you don't want to wait, grill a hard avocado and eat it with any side dish or salad.
