An Avocado A Day

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Avocado A Day Team! They started an awesome blog full of great information that is definitely worth checking out and following on a regular basis. Read more about why they and avocados are amazing!

Jamie, Christine, Kate and Nadia are four of my classmates at CCNM and soon-to-be RSNC interns! They started An Avocado A Day with the following in mind:

“What started out as a fun idea among friends is now materializing into what we hope to be an entertaining and informative blog space. We are four Naturopathic Medical students who are eager to share great health strategies, which we come across everyday. We thought we might as well share the wealth of great ideas. Our posts will be a mix of health tips, hot topics, personal interests and everything else in between!”

Click here to visit their website/blog and to read more about the team! Contact the Avocado a Day Team by email at anavocadoaday@gmail.com.

So why avocados?!

Avocados are one of our favorite fruits – they are a powerhouse of nutrients and goodness. Why should you consider adding avocado to your daily dose of food medicine? It’s got more potassium than many other fruits and vegetables (important for heart health), are high in essential fatty acids, contain 17 vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C and E and all B vitamins (except B12, which is found in animal products). AND – they have the largest amount of protein of any fruit!

And while avocados may get a bad name for their ‘high fat’ content – it’s actually healthy fat that we all need in our diets! Consider these three facts:

1. Avocados are high in phytosterols (beta-sitosterol, campesterol, stigmasterol) – these are the goodies that are gaining popularity and have recently been featured in yogurts and margarine. They are anti-inflammatory and help lower bad cholesterol, while keeping good cholesterol high.

2. Avocados have lots of polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs to make it easy). They also provide the beneficial anti-inflammatory effect we all need!

3. Avocados are high in oleic acid. This is the primary fat in olive oil, which helps our digestion function optimally to absorb fat-soluble nutrients like carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, K and D). It’s also a monounsaturated fatty acids, which is also important for heart health and helps to lower bad cholesterol.

So – next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a few of these guys! Let them ripen next to other fruit, and then place in the refrigerator once the skin has become a darker green and the fruit has become soft, but not mushy. Check back soon for some delicious recipes!

Reference: WHFoods: Avocados. http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=5&tname=foodspice