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AVOCADOS: VERSATILE AND HEALTHFUL
Avocados are very versatile and healthful
In Jamaica, avocados are often eaten
with bread, especially hard dough bread, with bullas (a round
basic firm sweet cake, in which stale bread is often an ingredient),
in vegetable salads, and as a side dish with meals. When eaten
with bread and bulla avocados function as cheese or butter. When
eaten in a salad or as a side dish avocados are treated as a
vegetable. In some other places, avocados are often treated as
fruits and are often used in drinks. Avocados are native to Mexico,
Central America and the Caribbean.
Avocados are healthful: High avocado
intake has been shown to have a beneficial effect on blood serum
cholesterol levels. "Specifically, after a seven day diet
rich in avocados, hypercholesterolemia patients showed a 17%
decrease in total serum cholesterol levels. These subjects also
showed a 22% decrease in both LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride
levels and 11% increase in HDL (good cholesterol) levels."
Moreover, "Approximately 75% of an avocado's calories come
from fat, most of which is monounsaturated fat. Avocados also
have 60% more potassium than bananas. They are rich in B vitamins,
as well as vitamin E and vitamin K. They have the highest fiber
content of any fruit - including 75% insoluble and 25% soluble
fiber." (This information draws heavily on Wikipedia's excellent
article.)
According to Wikipedia, “The avocado
is very popular in vegetarian cuisine, making an excellent substitute
for meats in sandwiches and salads because of its high fat content.
The fruit is not sweet, but fatty, distinctly yet subtly flavored,
and of smooth, almost creamy texture. It is used as the base
for the Mexican dip known as guacamole, as well as a filling
for several kinds of sushi, including California rolls. Avocado
is popular in chicken dishes and as a spread on toast, served
with salt and pepper. In Brazil and Vietnam, avocados are frequently
used for milk-shakes and occasionally added to ice cream and
other desserts. In Brazil, Vietnam. The Philippines and Indonesia,
a dessert drink is made with sugar, milk or water, and pureed
avocado. Chocolate syrup is sometimes added. In Australia it
is commonly served in sandwiches, often with chicken. In Ghana,
it's often eaten alone in sliced bread as a sandwich. . .The
avocado flesh oxidizes and turns brown quickly after exposure
to air. To prevent this, lime or lemon juice can be added to
avocados after they are peeled.”
Try the following recipe: scoop out
the flesh of one or two very well ripened avocados, puree it
in a blender, add sweetened condensed milk to taste, and dilute
as necessary with either water or cows milk. It makes an excellent
shake. Seasonings such as nutmeg and or vanilla may be added
sparingly. And the undiluted mixture can be processed in an ice
cream maker to make an interesting ice cream.
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