Bella Adams
The question of the benefits and harms of avocados is of concern to many lovers of this fruit. Now we’ll look at what beneficial properties avocados have, whether there are any possible contraindications to eating them, how best to use avocados in cooking, and how to choose the most delicious avocado fruit.
All about avocados
Avocado is a species of a unique tree species, the Persian American tree, which is an evergreen fruit plant that belongs to the laurel family. Its second name is “alligator pear”.
In appearance, the fruit resembles a green pear. Its flesh is denser and its flavor is specific. In terms of taste, avocados resemble green pumpkin seeds. Although avocados are classified as fruits, the composition of the alligator pear is really similar to a vegetable.
To peel the fruit, you need to cut it in half and remove the pit. The ripe fruit has a soft yellowish flesh and a dark brown pit.
If the fruit is green, it will not be so easy to get the pit, because it will not lag behind the pulp. It is convenient to remove the pit with a teaspoon. Peeling the peel is easier if the fruit is cut into slices.
Ripe fruit peels easily. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to remove not only the pit but also the flesh – then you don’t have to peel the avocado at all.
How to choose and store avocados?
The fruit should be of uniform color – green, dark green, green-brown, or almost black – but always without spots and damage to the skin. But it is difficult to determine ripeness by the color of the pulp. The fact is that avocados come in several varieties, with different flesh – both yellow and light green.
It is better to buy avocados when they are unripe. At home, they will reach the condition, but overripe ones taste rancid due to fat decay. To make avocados ripen at home, put the fruit in a paper bag or wrap it in paper towels, and then put it in a cool, dark place for 2-4 days. Apples or bananas will help speed up the ripening of avocados. Put avocados and bananas or apples in a paper bag, make a few holes in it, and put it in a dark place.
The best avocados that can be bought in stores are Israeli avocados (Oettinger, Haas, Rid, Fuerte, and Pinkerton varieties). Good avocados are brought from South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Spain. Some experts consider small round avocados with bumpy dark skin to be the most delicious.
Avocados darken quite quickly, in which case lemon juice will help you. If you use only half of an avocado, the other half (with the pit) can be stored in the refrigerator for another 1-2 days, sprinkled with lemon juice, and wrapped in plastic wrap.
You can bury the avocado pit in a flower pot, and you will grow a beautiful evergreen tree with a thick trunk, long branches, and very large leaves. For other purposes, the stone is not suitable, it is tasteless and even poisonous.
Composition and health benefits
Avocados have a composition rich in useful microelements, they are also highly vitaminized and beneficial for the body. It contains a lot of oleic acids, which prevent the formation of cholesterol.
The fruit also contains a lot of potassium, even more than a banana! It also contains calcium, magnesium, and sodium. Avocado is also rich in phosphorus.
In addition to the high concentration and variety of minerals, avocados also contain many vitamins: provitamin A, B, C, D, and PP vitamins.
The fruit also contains vitamin E, which inhibits aging and has a rejuvenating effect due to its pronounced antioxidant effect. Avocados also contain various proteins, natural fats, and carbohydrates.
Useful properties of ripe avocados:
- Increase of immunity due to saturation of the body with vitamins, useful microelements, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
- A delicious fruit will help you easily lose weight, as it is low in calories and does not contain any sugar.
- Natural masks made from avocado pulp help to rejuvenate the skin and saturate it with oxygen.
- Eating avocados contributes to the stable course of nervous system processes and improves vision.
- This healthy and nutritious fruit also helps prevent heart attacks.
- People whose diet includes avocados cope with stress more easily and recover faster. They also have a good memory, as avocados have a positive effect on a person’s ability to concentrate.
- The fruit, which is unique in composition, also has a beneficial effect on the human skin. The skin becomes smoother and more delicate.
- Eating avocados can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis.
- Ripe fruits help to normalize the water-salt balance in the body.
- Avocado is useful for people suffering from hypertension, as it can lower blood pressure.
- Alligator pear is even used for constipation!
- Avocado is useful for men because it can increase potency.
It is appropriate to use avocados as a dietary food. After all, it is very rich in nutrients, and it does not contain harmful fats and sugar. If you include fruit in your daily diet, then any dish can be considered dietary, since the calorie content per 100 grams of product is only 208 calories!
Avocados are simply irreplaceable for vegetarians. Its inner flesh can be a natural and very effective substitute for meat and other animal derivatives. The recipes for light salads and sandwiches are simple and tasty.
Avocados during pregnancy
Many doctors say that exotic fruits that are not typical of our climate should be avoided during pregnancy, but recent studies have shown that this position is wrong. The body often tells you what it needs.
Avocados have not been found to contain any substances unsuitable for expectant mothers. On the contrary, the fruit is rich in folic acid (vitamin B9), which prevents the development of diseases of the nervous system in the child.
Vitamins A, B, E, K, and C and minerals contained in avocados are useful for pregnant women, they prevent a lot of possible complications. The fruit strengthens the immune system, helps with colds, and, most importantly for women, effectively fights stretch marks.
There are no contraindications to eating avocados during pregnancy, you just need to make sure that you are not allergic to them, wash them thoroughly, and do not eat them with the peel on them. Doctors recommend that pregnant women eat half a fruit a day.
Harm and contraindications for eating avocados
The determining factor is individual intolerance to the fruit, which is possessed by only a small percentage of people living on the planet. The consumption of fruits should be treated responsibly, as their peel and pits contain a harmful toxin that can harm the body in high concentrations. Mainly, the digestive system can be affected. But the seeds and hard peel of the fruit are almost never used for cooking.
Healing properties of avocado oil
Avocado oil is a thick yellow-green liquid with a mild, pleasant taste, similar to nut butter with a spicy odor. It is obtained by cold pressing. Due to its light aroma with a refined flavor, avocado oil is widely used all over the world.
Healing properties of avocado oil: It is considered an ideal product in the diet of patients with diabetes mellitus; improves the functions of the central and peripheral nervous system, is effective for headaches, insomnia, and neuroses, has wound healing, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties; is considered an excellent cosmetic product (eliminates fine wrinkles, restores the protective functions of the dermis, stimulates metabolic processes, penetrating under the scalp, saturates hair follicles with vitamins and minerals, preventing their dryness and loss.
Avocado oil is an indispensable product for burns, rashes, mycosis, bedsores, and frostbite.
Avocado is a nutritious, healthy, and easily digestible product. We recommend this popular and exotic fruit to those who need a lot of energy during the day. Eat wisely and be healthy!
