Nutritional Advice
Cindy Allison is our resident nutritionist. For more information on Cindy, please Click Here.
Avocados for Health
By Cindy Allison
Are you looking for an easy to prepare, available year round, delicious food with more than 25 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid? Avocado is the food and you probably have some in your pantry right now. But wait, should I be concerned about the fat in avocados? No! The majority of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, the kind our bodies need to be healthy. Let’s put this in perspective by comparing avocados to other common foods:
| Fresh Avocados | Butter, Salted | Sour Cream | Cheddar Cheese | Mayonaisse, with Salt | |
| Portion (1 ounce) | 2 Tbsp. or 2-3 Thin Slices | 2 Tbsp. | 2 Tbsp. | 1 Slice | 2 Tbsp. |
| Calories | 50 | 204 | 60 | 114 | 109 |
| Total Fat (g) | 4.6 | 23 | 6 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Sat Fat (g) | 0.6 | 14.6 | 3.7 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 | 61 | 13 | 30 | 7 |
| Sodium (mg) | 2 | 164 | 15 | 176 | 199 |
*Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18 (2005)
Nutritional values are for the item listed only, not as consumed with other foods or ingredients.
The chart above shows how other common food choices are very high in fat, with significant amounts of unhealthy, saturated fats. Avocados are an excellent and healthy food choice. Children especially benefit from increased healthy fat in their diets. Their growing bodies and limited ability to eat adequate amounts of food require their food choices to be as high in nutrients as possible.
So lets get beyond guacamole to exactly how versatile this fruit is. (Yes, it is a fruit and not a vegetable). Avocados are available year round because they do not ripen until they are removed from the tree. This means that avocado growers control the amount of avocados in the market at any time. This keeps the price pretty consistent. The best price for avocados is to purchase multi packs, look for firm fruit with no blemishes. They will ripen kept at room temperature (either in a paper bag or just on the kitchen counter – the bag will be faster) this process can take anywhere from 2 days up. Check them daily; once they are still firm but yield to gentle pressure they are ripe. They should not feel soft or mushy! These will be overripe and probably brown/black inside and not very tasty. Once they are ready, serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to one week. I purchase avocados each week, so we always have ripe fruit on hand in our refrigerator.
Avocados are great because they are soft and easily mashed making them good for children of all ages. Infants can have smashed avocados added to their foods; toddlers can be given cubes of avocados to eat. Older children can try smashed avocados on sandwiches instead of high-fat mayonnaise. Just smash avocado on the bread, add additional toppings (turkey, bacon, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, hummus etc) and enjoy! Avocados are a wonderful choice for your vegetarian children as well! It is also a delicious addition to chili, soups, and salads. Try this for a quick and delicious side dish: fresh cut corn off the cob (cooked first) or frozen corn (thawed and drained), add cubes of avocado and red onion (if desired) with a little fresh basil or fresh herb of your choice, lightly season with salt and pepper with a little white wine vinegar added (to balance the sweetness of the corn). A little olive oil can also be added if desired, but is not necessary.
I hope that you will see avocados for the nutritional powerhouse that they are and incorporate them into your weekly food choices. Everyone will benefit! Enjoy! For more information and recipes visit www.avocado.org.