Avocado: Important Facts, Health Benefits, and Recipes

The avocado is a fruit from the flowering plant family called Lauraceae with a pit in the center and green and yellow flesh. The peel is green or dark purple depending on the variety.

Yes! Avocados are a great source of fiber and monounsaturated fats, are low in carbohydrates, and are a good plant-based addition to a meal.

1. Avocados are high in fiber 
2. Avocados are a good source of monounsaturated fats which are good for heart health
3. Avocados are high in potassium
4. The fat in avocados helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin A, D, E, and K
5. Avocados may help lower cholesterol
6. Avocados help eye health
7. Avocados may be good for the brain, improving cognition and may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease
8. Avocados may help strengthen bones
9. Avocados may help maintain blood sugar levels

• The original avocados were from Mexico, in South Central Mexico

• People began domesticating avocado trees 5000 years ago

• Avocados began being grown in the United States in 1833 in California and Florida

• Avocado is a derivative of the Spanish word aguacate, which comes from the Aztec word ahuacatl.

• Mexican - guacamole, ceviche, topping for tacos
• Columbia - avocado soup
• Indonesia - avocado and sweetened condensed milk
• Philippines - avocado ice cream
• Brazil - avocado cream dessert and ceviche
• Spain - seafood salad 
• Ethiopia - fruit beverage with avocado and papaya
• American sushi - California rolls

Keep unripe and ripe avocados in a bowl on the kitchen counter. If they are ripe, but you aren’t going to use them right away, store them in the refrigerator. If you need to ripen an avocado, place it in a paper bag on the kitchen counter.

• Hass (most commonly eaten in US)
• Bacon
• Fuerte
• Cocktail
• Gwen
• Lula
• Pinkerton
• Reed
• Zutano

Avocados are regarded as safe to eat unless you’ve experienced an allergic reaction.