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Spread Some Avocado in 2014!

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on January 10, 2014

Written by Jennifer Martin, Dietetic Student at University of Illinois at Chicago

Getting tired of the same old sandwiches for lunch every day? Why don’t you try adding avocado? Ripe avocado easily spreads onto bread, and it’s a great nutritional alternative to mayo. Lucy’s mom makes her sandwiches with avocado slices and cream cheese, and she loves it! Try it on almost any sandwich.

Nutritional Benefits

Don’t let avocados scare you because of their fat content. They contain beneficial monounsaturated fats and are loaded with nutrients including oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat associated with lowering bad cholesterol), lutein (related to beta carotene and good for eye health), folate (good for heart health), and vitamin E and glutathione (anti-oxidants that protect against cancer and other diseases).

How to Eat Them

There are plenty of ways to eat an avocado! If you’re not making guacamole or spreading it on toast, you can mix it into your tuna salad (instead of using mayo), blend it into a smoothie, add slices to any salad or wrap, cover slices in panko crumbs and bake in the oven for avocado “fries”, mix them in with your chili, or more. If you just want a snack, eat it plain with a spoon (I see people do this all the time).

One more thing: If you don’t eat all of your avocado or guacamole in one day and want to prevent it from browning, you may have heard that storing the pit in the avocado will work. This actually is NOT an effective measure. Instead of using the pit, try sprinkling some lemon juice and then covering with plastic wrap in the fridge. The acidity will slow the browning process. Just be sure to finish your avocado in the next day or so!