SWALK1955
05-12-2009, 09:21 PM
In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, I hardly ever ate avocados. Those sold in the markets were smooth, thin-skinned varieties grown mostly in Israel. They were watery, not as creamy or nutty-tasting as Haas avocados, the dark, pebbly-skinned variety that we get in California. Plus, it was a time of fat phobia. Any fat was a bad fat, and avocados are rich in fat.
But the fats in avocados, like those in olives and nuts, are for the most part healthy monounsaturated fats - particularly oleic acid, the primary fat in olive oil. "Poor man's butter," they used to call avocados when my father was a child. (Now they would more aptly be described as "rich man's butter.") When I moved to California and once again could lay hands on Haas avocados, I began to eat them just about every day, especially in spring and summer, when they are at their best.
In addition to their high oleic acid content, avocados are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6, as well as folate, copper and potassium (half of a medium avocado has more potassium than a banana). Studies have suggested that the fats in avocados may speed the absorption of carotenoids in other vegetables, another good reason to include them in salads and salsas.
But the fats in avocados, like those in olives and nuts, are for the most part healthy monounsaturated fats - particularly oleic acid, the primary fat in olive oil. "Poor man's butter," they used to call avocados when my father was a child. (Now they would more aptly be described as "rich man's butter.") When I moved to California and once again could lay hands on Haas avocados, I began to eat them just about every day, especially in spring and summer, when they are at their best.
In addition to their high oleic acid content, avocados are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6, as well as folate, copper and potassium (half of a medium avocado has more potassium than a banana). Studies have suggested that the fats in avocados may speed the absorption of carotenoids in other vegetables, another good reason to include them in salads and salsas.