It is dark and firm on the outside but golden and as soft as butter on the inside. It works in both sweet and savoury dishes, and athletes love it because it contains plenty of healthy fats. On top of that, it is one of the healthiest foods in the world. We are, of course, talking about the avocado. But everything has a downside. For example, avocados and the environment go together about as well as buttercream and a diet. In this article, we look at both the benefits of this wholesome fruit and its impact on the environment.
💡Tip: Not sure how to prepare an avocado? Get inspired by one of our five recipes for fitness dinners.
Table of contents
The wholesome avocado
Although you might think the avocado is a vegetable, it is actually a fruit. It grows on the avocado tree (Persea americana), and when ripe it usually weighs between 100 and 1,000 grams and measures 7 to 20 centimetres. Its skin is dark green to almost black, and its flesh is pale yellow to golden.
In the middle of the avocado there is also a hard stone. In most cases it is not eaten. Some people swear by it, however, as it is said to be full of nutrients. Eating it does require more thorough preparation in the kitchen.
The Czech Republic mainly imports these three avocado varieties: Fuerte, Green Skin and Hass. Hass is generally the most widely grown variety.
Where avocados come from
The avocado tree originally comes from Mexico, which is still the world’s largest exporter of avocados today. To grow, it needs a specific subtropical climate that is warm but also humid. Central America and parts of South America were ideal for this. Apart from Mexico, it was traditionally grown in places such as Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Jamaica and the Caribbean islands. Today it is also grown in some countries around the Mediterranean, in South-East Asia and in Africa.
A nutritional treasure
It is not for nothing that the avocado is said to be one of the healthiest foods you can find. It contains plenty of vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats. That is one reason why avocados are so often recommended to people on a diet and to endurance athletes.
When ripe, the fruit of the avocado tree contains up to 30% oil. This is what gives the avocado its creamy, easily spreadable texture. No wonder it was nicknamed poor man’s butter in the Americas. According to the Kalorické tabulky website, fats make up 62% of its nutritional value. Of this, however, only 14% are saturated fatty acids. The rest are unsaturated fatty acids, which are good for the body.
It also contains plenty of proteins and essential amino acids and is rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium and potassium. Nor should we forget protein and vitamins A, E and B6.
Thanks to its composition, it is recommended during menstruation, for example. It is said to ease period pain. It also helps with the production of red blood cells.
💡Tip: Did you know that eye twitching is often caused by a lack of magnesium? Find out more in our other article.
Use in cosmetics
The nourishing composition of avocados is also widely used in cosmetics. Avocado oil is mainly used in products for the face, hair and skin, which it nourishes and hydrates.
It suits both dry facial skin and body skin, which it hydrates, and oily skin, which it cleanses. Sensitive skin is no exception, especially around the eyes.
💡Tip: Do you struggle with acne? Read about how to treat it.
Avocados and the environment, a luxury that isn’t worth it?
You probably wouldn’t expect something so small, tasty and harmless to cause human, animal and environmental casualties. Avocado growing is a huge business, and it has its dark side too. We will now take a look at it.
The avocado market has been booming in recent years. Not only is consumption growing, but, logically, prices are rising too. In 2017, for example, global avocado consumption rose by 29%. According to the Agricultural Outlook 2021–2030 report, the avocado is expected to become the second most traded tropical fruit by 2030, right after bananas.
Given how many avocados Mexico exports, local drug cartels have seized on this business opportunity. It is a billion-dollar business, and competition between the cartels is far from peaceful. In Uruapan alone, the so-called “avocado capital”, almost 300 people were killed in 2018!
Tensions in Mexico have been rising in recent years. This can be seen in the growing number of criminal organisations, of which there were around 250 in 2018. Drugs are of course still their main trade, but avocados have become part of their regular product range.
Avocados are very thirsty
Another problem is the growing itself. The avocado tree uses a huge amount of water. On top of that, growers use a lot of pesticides and fertilisers, which pollute both surface water and groundwater.
According to The Guardian, it is estimated that growing about one kilogram of avocados takes roughly 2,000 litres of water! This water is taken illegally from local streams and rivers, which are then left without enough water for everything else.
Cutting down forests for avocados
A common way to make room for new avocado plantations is cutting down and shrinking forests. But if you think this is simply replacing one plant with another, you are mistaken. While a natural forest needs neither watering nor fertilising, an avocado plantation is not so simple.
Cutting down forests naturally also threatens the animals that live in them, as it takes away their natural habitat and home. In Kenya, for example, an avocado plantation threatens the lives of elephants, which have nowhere to find food. In Asia, meanwhile, orangutans are endangered by forest burning.
Among other things, cutting down and burning forests for farming also affects us humans. After all, trees are the lungs of the planet, and we can hardly breathe without them.
💡Tip: Do you know when Earth Day is celebrated? Find out in our other article.
Where to get good-quality avocados?
So the question is, is it all worth it? And can it be done better? While you will have to answer the first question yourself, we can give you a few tips on the second. If you love avocados so much that you can’t imagine giving them up, choose one of the following options.
Go on holiday for avocados
As we described above, avocados are imported from various countries, including those around the Mediterranean. There, you can buy local fruit from small producers at local markets, in great quality and at a fair price. These markets often offer free tastings, so you can check the quality and ripeness of the produce. Just watch out for tourist traps in the form of overpriced stalls. Have a look around first and check what nearby sellers charge for the same produce.
In the list below, you will find some destinations in Europe where you can go for avocados:
- Italy: Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria
- Spain: Andalusia, the Canary Islands
- Portugal: the Algarve, Madeira
- Greece: Crete
- Cyprus
- Malta
Shop where quality comes before quantity
Clearly, if you want quality, your first stop usually won’t be the supermarket. Try health food shops or specialist shops that import organic food instead. Bear in mind, though, that you will pay extra for quality.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that as a shopper it is hard to tell how a particular avocado was grown, whether it was really grown organically, or how workers on the plantation are treated.
How to grow your own avocado
The last tip is more of a long-term project. You can grow your own avocado right at home in your living room. All you need to do is plant the stone of an avocado you have already eaten.
First, though, you need to let it sprout. Pierce the stone with cocktail sticks on three sides, then rest it, bottom side down, on a glass of water so that only the bottom touches the water. Then plant the sprouted stone in compost and leave it to grow in a warm, humid place.
You can find more detailed instructions in the following video:
💡Tip: Also read about what car sharing is and how it saves money and helps the environment.
