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Ah, Avocado. How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

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I love avocados! And they love me. Check out my Top Ten List on avocado love.

  1. I love that your decadence tastes sinfully delicious, yet it’s the “healthiest” of fats.
  2. I love that you make my skin beautiful. The antioxidants in avocados help to get rid of toxins that promote premature aging and wrinkling of the skin. A lot of the toxins on your facial skin are the residue of makeup. Applying 1 mashed avocado as a facial mask and leaving it on for about 20 minutes before rinsing will help to remove these toxins and soften the skin. I promise, in the end, you will not look like the Wicked Witch of the West.
  3. I love to use you as a spread on my Ezekiel bread toast with a sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt, and red pepper flakes.
  4. I love that you make my hair shiny.  One avocado mashed and mixed together with 1 egg and your favorite essential oil is great for conditioning your hair. The healthy oils in the avocado help to moisturize and soften dry and brittle hair, and the vitamin E helps to restore a natural shine to your hair. To obtain these benefits simply massage the avocado and egg mixture into your hair and scalp and leave in for about 20 minutes. Then wash and condition with your favorite shampoo and conditioner.
  5. I love to use you in my salads.  Any kind of salad.
  6. I love to use you on my sandwiches in place of mayonnaise.
  7. I love that you complete me.  Avocados provide all 18 essential amino acids necessary for the body to form a complete protein. Unlike the protein in steak, which is difficult for most people to digest, avocado protein is readily absorbed by the body, because avocados also contain fiber. If you are trying to cut down on animal sources of protein in your diet, or if you are a vegetarian or vegan seeking more protein, avocados are a great nutritional ally to include not merely as an occasional treat, but as a regular part of your diet. Highest protein content of any fruit (yes, it’s a fruit).
  8. I love to use you in my smoothies to add some creamy richness.
  9. I love to scramble you in my egg white omelet.
  10. I love that you help me with my ABCs.  While avocados have a high caloric count (one avocado is 320 calories), the various nutrients and “healthy” fats make it a must-eat. They are an alphabet of vitamins. One avocado provides your body with vitamins A, C, E, K and B6, along with an enormous amount of potassium and “healthy” fat. Perhaps the biggest health benefit of avocados is that by adding avocado to certain foods, you can improve your absorption of nutrients. This means that when you combine other fat burning foods with avocado, you can improve your nutrient absorption up to 400%!

Oh, yes, I truly do love you.

Avocado Salsa

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I love avocado. It’s full of healthy fats and makes a great hair mask too! I especially love it in this recipe, Avocado Salsa.  Super simple to whip up on a hot day when cooking in a kitchen seems stifling. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

I’d love to hear about any tweaks you make.

Avocado SalsaAvocado Salsa

Ingredients:
1 medium avocado cut in small chunks
1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of half a 1 lime (or more to taste)
½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1-2 tsp chipotle or chili pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, blending liquid well while ingredients remain chunky.

Serving suggestion: Serve as a side to grilled fish or chicken!

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The Skinny on Fats

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Have fats gotten a bad wrap? Some have and we can stop being afraid of healthy fats. It’s hurting our health! We now have compelling evidence that low-fat diets rarely work and that eating the right kind of fat is not only good for your heart but may also help you lose weight. This is good news, but hold up before gorging on fats…

Not All Fats Are Created Equal

Heavily processed, hydrogenated “trans” fats used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. They can compromise the cardiovascular system, immune system, and contribute to behavior problems. They can also lead to weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, and liver strain.

That said, our bodies need fat for insulation, vitamin and mineral absorption, and to protect our organs. High-quality fats can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair, and nails, and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly.

Where to Find Healthy Fats

  • Avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 rich organic eggs.
  • Whole nuts and seeds, and their butters like almond butter or tahini
  • Look for the highest-quality organic oils when shopping. Words to look for: organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin, and unrefined. Avoid expeller-pressed, refined, and solvent extracted.

How to Use Healthy Fats

  • For cooking at high temperatures (stir frying and baking), try butter, ghee (clarified butter), or coconut oil – (If you haven’t tried ghee – do it! It is full of flavor.)
  • When sautéing foods, try organic extra virgin olive oil.
  • Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut, and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings.

Try this delicious, easy recipe:

Avocado Dip – Prep Time: 3 min /healthy fatsMakes 1 cup

1 large peeled and pitted avocado
2/3 cup plain yogurt, goat yogurt, coconut yogurt, or almond yogurt
1 diced tomato
a squirt of lemon or lime juice
dash or two of cayenne pepper
sea salt and black pepper

  • Mash avocado with a fork until very smooth.
  • Add yogurt, tomato, cayenne.
  • Blend until smooth. This may be done in a food processor, in a blender, or with a fork.
  • Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste.
  • Serve chilled with mixed raw vegetables.

Tip: Best made a maximum of 1 hour before serving.

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