NO LONGER A FORBIDDEN FRUIT
Control cholesterol
Lower blood pressure
Prevent birth defects
Maintain bone and immune health
The usual image you apply to fruit—light, low-calorie, and virtually fat-free—doesn’t apply to the avocado. Within the dense, dark green mass of an avocado lurk a lot of calories—360 or more. And it also has the dubious distinction of being one of the few fruits with a measurable fat content, with around 30 grams each. That’s nearly half the daily recommended amount for an average adult.
You wouldn’t think that a food that’s so fattening could be good for you. But that’s the word from dietitians, who say that adding a little avocado to your diet could actually improve your health.
Avocados are great sources of folate and potassium. They also contain high amounts of fiber and monounsaturated fat, both of which are good news for people who are concerned about diabetes or heart health.
People with diabetes have traditionally been told to eat more carbohydrates and cut back on fat. Overall that’s good advice, but it’s not necessarily the best advice for everyone.
Doctors have discovered that when some people who have diabetes eat a lot of carbohydrates, they tend to develop high levels of triglycerides, a type of blood fat that may contribute to heart disease. Surprisingly, when people replace some of those carbohydrates with fat, particularly the kind of fat found in avocados, the dangerous fats in the bloodstream tend to decline.
Avocados are a rich source of monounsaturated fats, particularly a kind called oleic acid. “We’ve found that these monounsaturated fats improve fat levels in the body and help control diabetes,” says Abhimanyu Garg, MD, professor in the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
A study from the Oregon Health and Science University put 11 people with type 2 diabetes on a low-fat, high-carb diet and on a diet high in monounsaturated fat, each for 6 weeks. Subjects’ total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol tended to go down with each diet. Their triglyceride levels, blood sugar control, and insulin sensitivity were about the same with each diet, too.
In an earlier study, scientists in Mexico put 16 women with diabetes on a relatively high-fat diet, with about 40 percent of calories coming from fat. Most of the fat came from avocados. The result was a 20 percent drop in triglycerides. Women on a higher-carbohydrate plan, by contrast, had only a 7 percent drop in triglycerides.
“What’s nice about avocados is that they provide a lot of these monounsaturated fats,” adds Dr. Garg. Someone on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, for example, might be advised to eat 33 grams of monounsaturated fat. “You can get about 20 grams from just one avocado,” he points out.
People who are taking warfarin (Coumadin), a heart medication designed to keep blood from clotting, should go easy on the avocados. Though scientists aren’t sure why, the natural oil in avocado seems to prevent the drug from working, at least in some people.
In one small study, researchers in Israel found that eating between one-half and one avocado could make the drug work less efficiently. While the effects didn’t last long—when people stopped eating avocado, the drug started working better again—this could be dangerous for some people. So if you’re taking warfarin, check with your doctor before adding avocados to your meals.
People with diabetes aren’t the only ones who benefit from eating a little more avocado. The oleic acid in avocados can also help people lower their cholesterol.
In a small study from Mexico, where guacamole is considered almost a food group, researchers compared the effects of two low-fat diets. The diets were the same except that one included avocados. While both lowered levels of dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the avocado diet raised levels of healthful high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol while slightly lowering triglycerides.
Another way in which avocados help lower cholesterol is by adding healthful amounts of fiber to the diet, adds Dr. Garg. Fiber adds bulk to the stool, causing it, and the cholesterol it contains, to be excreted from the body more quickly. One avocado packs more fiber than a bran muffin—10 grams, or 40 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for fiber.
Avocados also pack a big potassium punch. Half an avocado provides 548 milligrams of potassium, 16 percent of the DV for this mineral. That’s more than you’d get in a medium banana or a cup of orange juice.
Studies show that people who eat diets high in potassium-rich foods like avocados have a markedly lower risk of high blood pressure and related diseases like heart attack and stroke.
In addition, some research has shown that oleic acid can reduce markers of inflammation in your body. Inflammation plays an important role in the development of artery-clogging atherosclerosis.
Avocados may be one of the perfect foods when you’re eating for two, particularly when it comes to getting enough folate, a B vitamin that helps prevent life-threatening birth defects of the brain and spine. Many women don’t get enough folate in their diets, but avocados can go a long way toward fixing that. Half an avocado contains 57 micrograms of folate, 14 percent of the DV, or nearly 10 percent of the 600 micrograms that pregnant women need daily.
A lot of people have never picked, prepared, or eaten an avocado. But they’re very easy to work with. Here are a few hints for getting started:
Help them ripen. Like bananas, avocados ripen better off the tree, so they are picked and sold unripe. Once you get them home, leave them on the counter for several days or until the fruit is slightly soft. Or, if you’re in a hurry to use them, place them in a paper bag with an apple or banana to soften. Never place hard avocados in the refrigerator, or they will ripen too slowly.
Make a pit stop. To open an avocado, cut it lengthwise, rotating the knife all the way around the seed. Then twist the halves in opposite directions to separate them. To remove the pit, slip the tip of a spoon underneath, and pry it free. Or poke the tip of a knife into it and twist.
Moms-to-be aren’t the only ones who should be dipping their chips in guacamole, though. Everyone needs folate. It’s an essential nutrient for keeping nerves functioning properly. It may also help fight heart disease by reducing levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that’s harmful to blood vessels if it gets too high.
Avocado tends to turn brown when it’s exposed to air, says Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, a dietitian in Amherst, Massachusetts, and an editor of the Vegetarian Journal, a publication of the Vegetarian Resource Group. This discoloration doesn’t hurt anything—it just looks unattractive. If you’re setting out an avocado dish that you might not eat for a while—like guacamole—mix a little lemon juice with the avocado to preserve its green color.
If you’re concerned about bone health, think avocado. A cup of mashed avocado contains 120 milligrams of phosphorus, which is 12 percent of the DV. This mineral is a major component of your bones and teeth, and having plenty of phosphorus on hand also helps your body produce energy from the foods you eat.
You’ll also find 1.47 milligrams of zinc swimming in the green depths of a cup of mashed avocado. That’s just under 10 percent of the DV. Zinc conducts countless activities in your body. The mineral helps keep your immune system working properly, for example, and plays a role in wound healing.
Zinc also aids in your senses of smell and taste, which are necessary if you want to fully enjoy the recipes throughout this book!
Find fruit from Florida. Even though the monounsaturated fat in avocados is good for your cholesterol, it’s not so good for your waistline. To get the nutrients from avocado without all the fat, shop for Florida avocados. They have about two-thirds the calories and half the fat of Hass avocados grown in California.
Know when to buy them. A good way to find avocados with a little less fat is to buy those harvested between November and March. They may have one-third the fat of those picked in September or October.
Place the jícama on a serving plate.
In a small bowl, mix the orange juice, onions, pepper, and chili powder. Pour about half of the dressing over the jícama, and toss to coat. Spread the jícama out evenly on the plate.
Cut through the avocado lengthwise, then twist gently to separate the halves. Remove the pit and discard it. Peel each half of the avocado, then cut it into thin lengthwise slices. Arrange the slices in spoke fashion on the bed of jícama.
Drizzle with the remaining dressing. With the back of the spoon, spread the dressing gently over the avocado slices to cover thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 121
Total fat: 6.9 g
Saturated fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 9 mg
Dietary fiber: 4 g