Avocado oil is one of the healthiest and most delicious oils, and can be used for cooking, bread dipping, or drizzling over fresh fruits and vegetables. As extra-virgin olive oil has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in recent decades, avocado oil has been gaining market share as well. The smooth, nutty, buttery flavor of avocado oil also makes a great change of pace from more traditional oils. Nutritionally, avocado oil is 100% fat –but it’s the healthy kind of fat that lowers LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol. Avocado oil contains mostly super-healthy monounsaturated fat in the form of oleic acid. For health reasons, many people are choosing healthier plant-based oils over the more traditional butter and lard. Current nutritional guidelines suggest that 30% of the caloric content of a healthy diet should be obtained from healthy unsaturated fats such as avocado oil. Saturated fats are unhealthy and what […]

There is a misperception about avocados, and that is that they will make you fat. The confusion stems from the quite high fat content of avocado. A whole medium-sized avocado contains approximately 24 g of total fat, a whopping 30% of the recommended daily allowance. Most fruits contain little fat, but the avocado is packed with it. Historically, prior to the 1990s, nutritionists advised that foods high in fat should be avoided. Because of fat’s high caloric content per gram, it was believed that a diet high in fat caused weight gain. At that time, little differentiation was given to the different type of fats, what we now refer to as “good” and “bad” fats. About 30 years ago, however, research began to show that some types of fats are actually beneficial to general health and weight maintenance. Today, health experts tout the avocado’s fantastic nutritional content, despite it’s heavy […]

The health benefits and nutrition of avocado are well-documented. Avocados are an esteemed member on the list of super foods. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, and a terrific source of the healthiest type of fat called mono-nucleic acid. What most folks don’t know, however, is that a potent avocado extract is also available as a nutritional supplement. What is avocado extract? Avocado extract is simply a reduced version of the fruit itself, or of the avocado seed. It comes in several forms such as liquid, powder, pills, and capsules. Similar to vitamin pill, but concentrated with the nutrients of avocado. Most avocado extract purchased today is of the avocado seed and not of the fruit itself. Most people prefer to eat a delicious avocado rather than get its nutrients from a supplement. Obviously, it is always better to get nutrition directly from whole foods. So extract of the […]

Can you eat an avocado seed?  Many people believe the avocado pit is toxic and if you eat it you’ll get sick.  That is a myth, and the truth is that avocado seeds are edible and highly nutritious, although slightly bitter tasting.  The myth may be related to the fact that avocado flesh and many parts of the avocado tree, such as the bark and leaves, are toxic to some animals including cats, dogs, horses, and especially birds. Is it true that avocado pits contain cyanide? Avocado seed contains amygdalin which is broken down into only trace amounts of cyanide during digestion. The amount of cyanide is not nearly enough to be dangerous to humans. It is perfectly safe for people to eat avocado seeds, though not so for many animals. It is not cyanide that causes problems for these animals, though, but a toxic fatty acid called persin. Preparing an avocado seed for consumption […]

What is the proper climate to grow an avocado tree, and are there any restrictions as to their growing conditions?  What kind of soil do they prefer, and what are the optimal conditions as far as watering and sunlight? Avocado trees are native to South and Central America and thrive in tropical environments, but can also do well in subtropical climates.  In the United States, they may be grown in the southern region of the country from central and southern California across to Texas and North Carolina and can survive low temperatures in the range of 40 to 45°F. Soil conditions for Avocado Trees An avocado tree is very finicky about its soil conditions.  It is prone to root rot, and therefore must be planted in soil that is well-drained as it cannot tolerate root saturation for more than 48 hours.  They are also sensitive to salt toxicity so the […]

Avocado is now recognized as a “super fruit” because it is packed with vitamins and minerals and supplies many health benefits. But these health accolades were not always associated with the avocado. In fact, the tremendous health benefits of the avocado really started to be recognized only about two decades ago and have been gaining steam ever since. But aren’t avocados high in fat? In the past, nutritionists were reluctant to trumpet the avocado because of its high fat content. It is true that avocados are relatively high in fat. A medium-size avocado has approximately 25 g of fat, which is around the same amount of fat in a quarter pound cheeseburger. The difference is that the fat in the avocado is almost completely unsaturated fat whereas the fat in the cheeseburger is saturated. The health benefits of unsaturated fat has not always been well understood and for a long […]