I hear a lot of people who say how much they love avocados, but how they only eat avocados sparingly because they’re so high in fat.  I also had a co-worker mention to me how many times she ends up throwing out avocados because once she’s used a ¼ or ½ of one, it goes brown almost instantly, which turns her off.  So in keeping with the salad theme of this week, it seems only fitting that today’s Nutrition Tip Tuesday is all about avocados – why you should have them in every salad, and a couple of quick tips on how to buy them and how to make them last in your fridge!

Why You Should Eat Avocados:

1.       Increased Carotenoid Absorption

Avocado increases the absorption of many carotenoids, the pigments found in colourful veggies like carrots, tomatoes and peppers that you would put in your salads.  Carotenoids are strong antioxidants, so protect the body from free radical damage and help boost the immune system

2.       Healthy Fat Content

While high in fat, it’s a good type of fat (mono-unsaturated) that is anti-inflammatory helping maintain good heart health and helping deal with arthritis.

3.       Insanely High Fiber Content

Regular pooping is SO important in eliminating all the toxins our bodies accumulate.  Fiber is key for keeping the schedule regular, and avocados are an insanely high source of fiber.  1 cup has over 9g of fiber!! (That is almost ¼ of the recommended amount).

4.       Bone Loving Vitamin K Content

Vitamin K is a critical nutrient for good bone health, and 1 cup of avocado contains >38% of your daily recommended intake of Vitamin K.

How to Keep Your Avocado Fresh:

Quite simply, leave the pit in.  I accidentally found out that this works when I added the avocado pits to some guacamole I made.  I did it for aesthetics only, but then the leftovers lasted almost a week in the fridge without going brown! If you’ve ever made guac, you know that it almost instantaneously turns brown.  So there you have it – just leave the pit in and your avocado will stay fresh.

How to Choose Your Avocados in the Store:

Avocados are on EWG’s Clean 15 list, so you can save your money as you don’t need to buy these organic.  By the way, if you want to know how to tell an avocado is ripe, twist the little knob on the end off of the avocado, and if it’s brown, the avocado has gone over.  If it’s green, you’re good to go!

Now all this avocado talk has got me craving some guacamole!  I might just have to do a guac recipe soon! 🙂

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