Avocado

Avocados originate from Central and South America, where they have been cultivated since ancient times. In those regions, it is also known as “alligator pear” because its shape and skin resemble this animal. By the way, avocado is a word that comes from the Aztec language and reads – “ahuacatl”.
In the middle of the 17th century, traders brought it to Jamaica, and by the middle of the 19th century, it had spread in the tropical regions of Asia. Today, avocados are grown in most tropical and subtropical countries, and the largest producers are the USA, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Colombia.

COMPOSITION AND EFFECT

• Avocados are rich in vitamins (K, B6, C), folates, copper and nutritious fiber. It is a good source of potassium (there is more of it than in a banana!).
• Avocado has a high fat content (71-88% of the total number of calories), which is about 20 times more than the average for other types of fruit. An average avocado contains 30g of fat, but 20g is healthy, monounsaturated fat, especially oleic acid.
• Oleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid, can help lower bad (LDL) and increase good (HDL) cholesterol.
• Newer research shows that oleic acid protects against breast cancer.
• The potassium in avocados helps regulate blood pressure.
• Not only is avocado a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily oleic, but it is also an important source of the carotenoid lutein. It also contains measurable amounts of other carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene) as well as significant amounts of tocopherol (vitamin E). One of the roles of this combination of fatty acids, carotenoids and tocopherols, as shown by one study, is preventing the growth of prostate cancer cells.
• If you add a few slices of avocado to your salad, you will not only get a rich, creamy taste, but also increase the body’s ability to absorb carotenoids (which are soluble in fats) from vegetables.
• Phytonutrients from avocado have a preventive effect against cancer of the oral cavity by successfully fighting against free radicals.
• Avocado is one of the richest sources of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that has been found to block a number of different carcinogens.

ADVICE PLUS

• Avocado skin and stone are inedible.
• An underripe avocado will ripen if you keep it in a basket or paper bag at room temperature for a few days. As the fruit ripens, the skin will darken. It should not be kept in the refrigerator until it is completely ripe, and when it is, store it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• If you use part of the avocado, sprinkle the remaining amount of fruit with lemon juice so that the “meat” does not turn brown in contact with oxygen.
• Add avocado to tofu salad dressing to give it a nice green color and enhance the flavor.
• Mix chopped avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice and spices and you get traditional guacamole.
• Instead of mayonnaise, put avocado in the sandwich.
• If you mix slices of avocado, fennel, oranges and fresh mint leaves, you will get an exceptionally tasty salad.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE
1 cup of avocado, about 150 g

• 235 calories
• 7.30 g of dietary fiber
• 874.54 mg of potassium
• 11.53 mg of vitamin C
• 0.41 mg of vitamin B1 (pyridoxine)
• 0.38 mg of copper
• 90.37 mcg of folate
• 29.20 mcg of vitamin K

Salad

• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 1 large orange
• 10 red radishes
• juice from one large orange
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar
• 2 spoons of olive oil
• 2 boiled eggs
• Separate the lettuce leaves, wash and dry well. Peel the avocado, discard the stone and cut into cubes or slices. Cut the peeled orange into slices, and cut the radishes into thin rings. Put the salad leaves in a bowl, spread the slices of radish, orange and avocado. Mix olive oil and wine vinegar, add salt, pour over the salad, mix gently and add boiled egg rings.

With tomatoes

• 2 ripe avocados and a little lemon
• 400 g of tomatoes
• 1 chive
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• pepper, salt
• Blend tomatoes, chopped chives, sugar, thyme, salt and pepper in a blender until you get a creamy mass. Strain the sauce and put it in the fridge to cool. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seeds, peel the skin and place on a plate, cutting them into parallel longitudinal strips, but not all the way. With a light movement of your hand, dissolve the avocado slices in a fan, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent them from turning black and serve with tomato sauce.

Baked avocado

• 3 avocados
• 1 chicken white meat
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• a little lemon juice
• 0.5 dl of sweet cream
• grated cheese
• pepper, salt
• Cut the avocado in half and hollow it out. Sprinkle the resulting mass with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add chopped onion and garlic, boiled chicken cut into cubes, sweet cream and mix everything.
  Fill the hollowed avocado, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 15 minutes in a heated oven at 160°C.