Avocados, the SuperFruit! (Avocado)

Member Name: JamieJCO

Product:	Avocado
Date:	16/03/09 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tasty, lots of health benefits.

Disadvantages: Can be costly in some places.

Avocados originate from sprawling green trees in the lush forests of Mexico although they are also grown in tropical climates around the world namely the calm plantations of Florida; which I suppose is an overdramatic introduction to a fairly bland hard green fruit. The innards of an avocado if you've never seen or eaten one before are a very pale green colour (almost white) with a very large brown seed inside, the fruit almost resembles a pear.

Not only does the avocado have a unique (extremely tasty) butter like taste, but there are also a range of health benefits that can be gained by eating them. An interesting fact at this point would be that avocado trees are actually extremely poisonous to most mammals, even the bark having alleged toxic effects. Anyway, you have nothing to worry about on that front so long as you stick to the fruit. The main health advantage that can be gained by eating an "avocado rich diet" is a lowering in blood cholesterol levels, as well as a dramatic drop of the concentration of HDL's (High Density Lipids, they're the bad ones) in the blood up to 17% according to some studies. This makes avocados an idea snack for people who are prone to heart problems or atherosclerosis.

Another huge advantage of the avocado is that they have the highest percentage of fibre when compared to all other fruits. Fibre is essential in the diet to assist the digestive system and therefore it would be a good food to eat if you are prone to ailments such as constipation or simply as part of a healthy diet as fibre helps the absorption of minerals. That brings me neatly onto the next point; avocados are rich in essential minerals. They contain almost a 5th of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C in just 100g, as well as having 60% more potassium (a chemical essential for proper brain and nerve function) than an equivalent portion of banana.

A final advantage of eating avocado is as a substitute to meat products in a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is due to the high fat content as well as a relatively large amount of protein in even the smallest doses. In a standard 100g serving there are approximately 13g of fat as well as 2g of protein. This makes it an excellent supplement, although most likely not a complete solution, to a lack of certain lipids in a diet that doesn't include meat.

In conclusion the avocado is a delicious and generally underrated fruit, most likely due to the lack of familiarity by the general public. This is unfortunate as there are some extremely useful health benefits from the inclusion of avocado in the diet, not to mention that it is an excellent snack!

Summary: A very tasty snack!