Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Avocado

 

Just learning to peel this fruit will help you eat more of it!

Avocados have grown in popularity since the 1960’s. Still, the older generation

of Americans has no idea what they are. It is a tropical fruit with over 50

different commercial varieties. Most avocados are imported from Mexico but

California and Florida are the second and third highest producing areas,

thus we can buy them year-round in our markets.

Good Fat

We hear the term “good fat” often and it’s kind of an oxymoron, especially

when we use it to refer to processed oils like olive oil and coconut oil. What?

I just heard an audible gasp coming from all fifty states! Yes, those are “good fats” when compared to lard, canola oil, butter, margarine, and corn oil. HOWEVER, they are processed foods and our bodies are not designed to guzzle them like whiskey (uh, I mean Kool Aid).

Avocado is truly a “good fat”. It is a whole food that provides fat along with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients like polyphenols, and flavonoids. The fat in avocados will help boost the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Avocado is a good source of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat found in meat, and eggs. Avocados are the best plant source of oleic acid. Oleic acid has been associated with lowering LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and possibly raising HDL or good cholesterol.

Per our Perfect Creator, avocados offer just the right amount of oleic acid and other fats to be a healthy addition to our diets. Just like other fats, if we eat processed avocado oil, the benefits are negated as it causes weight increase, and inflammation from too much Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids.

Blood Sugar Reduction

Studies are ongoing looking into the effects of a 7-carbon sugar in avocados. It appears to suppress insulin secretion, which may explain why avocado enriched meals result in lower blood sugar.

Satiety and Fullness

Dieters who ate avocados reported more satisfaction and fullness after meals including them. They also lost weight with the addition of avocados to meals. 

Not So Fast!

Studies have shown that avocados reduce blood pressure, weight, diabetes, and lower cholesterol when used in place of other fats. The same is NOT true of diets that simply pile avocado on top of unhealthy foods.

Sooo…

 

What do you do with the bumpy, ugly fruit with tough skin and a giant pit inside? Someday I will have video capability and can add a tiny video to my website and show you how to eat an avocado. Till then…

 

Choose: Haas-the smaller variety with dark green to black skin. May be bumpy or smooth. Hold one in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze. If it gives a little with minimal pressure it is ripe. If it is hard, leave it on the kitchen counter for 1-3 days till it yields to gentle pressure in your palm. Then refrigerate it or use it.

 

There is a giant light green variety that I cannot stand. It has no flavor to me so I cannot recommend that you buy it. Sorry.

 

Cut: Lay the ripe avocado on the cutting board and run a large knife horizontally all the way through the skin till you hit the pit. Holding the knife horizontal to the cutting board and spin the avocado on the blade in a circle. Once you have cut all the way around the pit, take the knife out then twist the two halves apart. Use a spoon and scoop out the flesh. You should be able to remove the whole section in one piece and slice it or dice it as needed.  The pit will be stuck inside one of the halves. Darn it. Sooo, I hold it in one hand and wham it with my chef’s knife till it is stuck then I twist the knife and the pit loosens and comes right out. This is a dangerous process if you are accident-prone. If necessary u can just squeeze that half in your palm and the flesh will ooze out but so will the pit. Oozing flesh is no big deal if you’re gonna mash it for guacamole anyway.

 

Enjoy: You don’t need a recipe to enjoy avocado, just buy one and eat it on a salad or sandwich, diced in a bowl of rice, mashed on a piece of toast, or mashed onto a baked potato. But, here are a few clever and delicious ways to enjoy avocados and reap all the nutritional benefits!

 

For more health tips and recipes visit Kristiwhitley.com!

 

All the best,

K

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


Chipotle Avocado Dressing

www.drfuhrman.com

Serves: 4

Preparation Time:

Ingredients:

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder, or more to taste

 

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and puree until smooth. Add additional water if needed to adjust consistency.

Per Serving:

CALORIES 152; PROTEIN 2g; CARBOHYDRATES 9g; TOTAL FAT 13.1g; SATURATED FAT 1.8g; SODIUM 8mg; FIBER 6g; BETA-CAROTENE 56ug; VITAMIN C 11mg; CALCIUM 17mg; IRON 0.6mg; FOLATE 78ug; MAGNESIUM 27mg; ZINC 0.6mg; SELENIUM 0.6ug


Easy Avocado Dressing

www.drfuhrman.com

Serves: 4

Preparation Time:

 

Ingredients:

2 avocados

1 lime, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced onion

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste

1/4 cup water

 

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add additional water if needed

to adjust consistency.

 

Grilled corn, pepper and avocado salad

Alan Roettinger

Delicious Living

Grilled corn is a classic Mexican street food, served with a sprinkling of hot chile powder and a squeeze of lime juice. This salad expands on that treat with antioxidant-rich fresh vegetables and healthy fats from avocado and flaxseed oil.

Recipe Yield: 8 servings

 
Recipe Ingredient Details:

4 ears white or yellow corn (shucked )

1 red bell pepper (cut into 1/2-inch dice)

1 green bell pepper (cut into 1/2-inch dice )

1 small white onion (cut into 1/2-inch dice )

1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

3/4 cup flaxseed oil

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 cloves garlic (minced or pressed )

2 teaspoon Chimayo chile powder (or ancho, pasilla or guajillo )

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 avocados (cut into 1/2-ince dice )

 

Recipe Instructions: Preheat grill. Place corn on grill and cook, turning as needed to blacken tops of kernels evenly. Remove and wrap in foil until cooled. Cut kernels off cobs into a large bowl. Add peppers, onion, and cilantro; mix well. Whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, chile powder, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Pour about 1/2 cup over vegetables and stir to combine. Add avocado and fold in gently. Serve at once.

 

Recipe Additional Notes:

PER SERVING: 582 cal, 24g fat (10g mono, 11g poly, 3g sat), 0mg chol, 11g protein, 82g carb, 6g fiber, 200mg sodium

Wed, 2012-06-27 16:30

Source URL: http://newhope360.com/recipes/grilled-corn-pepper-and-avocado-salad