Avocado is a fruit commonly eaten as a vegetable, but nutritionally categorized as a fat. A serving of a fifth of an avocado contains 4.5 g of fat, of which 3 g are monounsaturated. Monounsaturated fats are the same healthy fats found in olive oil, almonds and peanut butter. In addition, the same serving of avocado contains 2 g of fiber and is a great source of vitamin E, potassium and B-vitamins like folic acid. Include avocado in your diet to increase your intake of healthy fats and consume it raw to prevent oxidizing its precious antioxidants.
Raw Avocado
Most recipes recommend eating avocado in its raw state. Raw avocado is easy to digest. Moreover, eating your avocado raw is a good way to prevent destroying some of the important nutrients it provides, such as vitamin E and other phenolic compounds that can be affected by heat and cooking. Using raw avocados also speeds up their preparation and makes it easier for you to use them more often in any of your favorite meals.
Cooked Avocado
Heating or cooking your avocado could result in a loss of its heat-sensitive antioxidants. Raw avocado also contains enzymes that help facilitate its digestion, which are destroyed and denatured if cooked. Moreover, the taste of avocado changes when it is heated and most people do not enjoy the flavor of cooked avocado as much as raw avocado.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a good oil to use in your kitchen to get more of the heart-healthy fats and phytonutrients of avocado. Although avocado oil has a high smoking point, which means that it can be heated at relatively high temperatures without affecting the stability of its fat, use avocado oil in its raw state. Cold-pressed avocado oil provides the same heat-sensitive nutrients found in raw avocado and you lose some of the benefits of this oil when you heat it or use it for cooking.
Using Raw Avocado
Eat avocado and avocado oil in the raw, unheated state to get the most of the nutritional benefits they have to offer. For example, add chunks of raw avocado to garnish your salad, serving of steak or tortilla. Mash raw avocado to obtain guacamole and dip your vegetables or chicken in the raw avocado dip. You can also use avocado oil to prepare a vinaigrette, mixed with equal parts of vinegar, or make your own homemade mayonnaise with avocado oil to drizzle over your salad or sauteed vegetables or use as a spread.
Member Comments