At first glance this green fruit looks like a pear or an apple, and it has won the hearts of many fitness bloggers and fans of a healthy lifestyle. Today we regularly find avocado as part of healthy dishes in restaurants, bistros and organic shops. What makes this fruit so special, and why is it worth adding avocado to your diet? In this article you will learn everything about avocado and how to use it to make a healthy snack or a quick fitness dinner.
Table of contents
What is avocado and why add it to your diet?
Avocado is a tropical fruit, most often imported to the Czech Republic from Mexico, the southern United States or Africa. It is the fruit of the avocado tree, whose Czech name (hruškovec přelahodný, literally “most delicious pear tree”) already describes the elliptical to pear-like shape of the avocado. A ripe fruit can be up to 20 cm long and weigh around 1.5 kg. Under the leathery skin of the avocado lies creamy flesh that tastes very much like butter, with a fairly large stone inside. Someone who has never tasted avocado would probably see nothing special or unusual about this fruit.
This seemingly ordinary fruit, however, hides a real treasure for our health. If we look at the nutritional composition of avocado, we find that it is an important source of minerals and vitamins, which is why it can be placed in the category of so-called superfoods.
It has become popular mainly thanks to its high content of easily digestible plant fats, antioxidants and fibre, which supports healthy digestion and helps with weight loss. Thanks mainly to its B vitamins, avocado has a firm place in the diets of vegetarians and vegans, where it is often used as an additional source of protein.
The beneficial effects of avocado will also be appreciated by people facing excessive mental strain or stress. Eating avocado daily helps stabilise the work of the nervous system and maintain mental balance. It may help prevent anxiety and depression.
Thanks to its iron content, it supports healthy blood formation and acts as prevention against cancer, cataracts and metabolic syndrome. Eating avocado regularly also helps lower blood pressure and keep the cardiovascular system working properly.
Vitamins and minerals found in avocado:
- vitamin A
- B vitamins (B1, B2, B6)
- vitamin C
- vitamin E
- iron
- calcium
- phosphorus
- potassium
How to choose the right avocado
In supermarkets you will usually find two avocado varieties: Hass and Fuerte. The Hass avocado is about the size of a tennis ball, has firmer skin and is usually slightly more expensive. Its Florida twin is a little more elongated, has thinner skin and is comparatively cheaper.
If you plan to eat the avocado on the evening of the day you bring it home, the first option is clearly better, because Hass avocados are sold already ripe, so you cannot go wrong when choosing one.
If you are thinking of buying avocados to keep in stock, it is better to choose the Fuerte variety. You then need to follow the storage rules so that your avocados do not rot or go mouldy.
As avocado is a tropical fruit, it must be stored at room temperature in a pantry or another dark room out of direct sunlight. If you want an unripe shop-bought avocado to ripen at home, wrap it in newspaper or a paper bag and leave it 3 to 5 days to ripen. If you are in a hurry and need the avocado to ripen faster, you can store it together with a banana, which speeds up ripening thanks to the ethylene it contains.
To test whether an avocado is ripe, simply press it with your finger in one spot and see whether a dent forms on the surface. If the flesh gives way inwards under the pressure, you can be sure the avocado is ripe and ready to use.
How to peel and cut an avocado
The easiest way to cut an avocado is to slice it lengthways and carefully separate the two halves. The stone will stay in one of them; cut into it with a knife and twist it out without squashing the soft flesh inside.
Now just use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the “boats” and cut the avocado into small cubes or slices, which you can use to top a salad or arrange on toast.
Many people make the mistake of peeling avocado skin the way they would an orange or a mandarin. Unlike ordinary fruit, however, avocado does not need peeling.
What to do with it, how to eat avocado
Avocado can be used in the kitchen in many ways. You will most often find it in healthy salads, spreads, smoothies and desserts. Let’s look at a few ways to add avocado to a healthy diet.
1. Avocado toast
With a ripe avocado you can make an easy and nutritious breakfast of toast topped with avocado and egg, rocket and sliced cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1 avocado
- 2 slices of wholemeal toast
- 2 eggs
- coconut butter
- rocket
- cherry tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
Melt a teaspoon of coconut oil in a hot frying pan. Fry the eggs for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how you like your yolk. Season the fried eggs with salt and pepper and place them on the toasted bread with the avocado and the other ingredients.
By the way, avocado toast is the favourite dish of the famous Victoria’s Secret model Romee Strijd, who eats it not only as a snack but also as a lighter lunch. You can watch Romee enjoying cooking with her husband in the video below.
2. Avocado spread
Another interesting way to add avocado to your diet is with a variety of spreads. You can make wholemeal toast or rye bread with avocado spread quickly and easily in 15 minutes!
Avocado spread with cottage cheese
Ingredients:
- 1/2 avocado
- 150 g cottage cheese
- 2 eggs
- chives
- salt
- pepper
Hard-boil the eggs for 8 to 10 minutes. Mix the cottage cheese with finely chopped chives and seasonal herbs. Halve the boiled eggs and carefully remove the yolks. Mash the yolks with a fork and add them, together with the avocado, to the other ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill the egg whites with the mixture and serve with rye bread or a fresh baguette.
Guacamole avocado dip
Ingredients:
- avocado
- 4 small tomatoes
- chilli peppers
- 1/2 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- seasonal herbs
- lemon juice
This famous avocado spread with tomatoes, onion, chilli peppers and fresh herbs will especially appeal to lovers of Mexican cuisine. Chop all the ingredients and mix them in a bowl or with a hand blender. Finally, season with salt, pepper and a drop of lemon juice.
You can use it as a dip for tortillas or as a salsa for dipping nachos while watching your favourite Netflix series.
3. Pasta with avocado
Ingredients:
- avocado
- baby spinach
- pine nuts
- basil
- garlic
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
You can make a quick fitness dinner from avocado pesto, pasta and prawns. Blend the baby spinach leaves, avocado, garlic, nuts, basil and oil in a blender. First fry the prawns in a pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Then add pasta cooked al dente with a little stock and let everything simmer over a low heat for a few minutes. Finally, stir in the pesto and sprinkle with grated cheese.
4. Avocado smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 banana
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- a handful of almonds
- rocket
- 1/2 l water
For a sweet way to enjoy avocado, try a healthy green smoothie that will boost your immunity.
Soak the almonds for 6 to 8 hours. Pour water over the chopped fruit, rocket and nuts and blend in a home blender. You can adjust the amount of water depending on how thick you like your smoothie. This green drink full of minerals and vitamins makes a quick healthy breakfast and a great start to the day.
5. Baked avocado with egg
Ingredients:
- avocado
- 2 eggs
- cheddar cheese
- Alpine salt
- pepper
A great alternative for an evening meal is a dinner of baked avocado with egg.
Remove the stone from a ripe avocado and use a spoon to scoop out a little flesh to make a hollow, then crack an egg into it. Sprinkle the avocado boats and eggs with Alpine salt, pepper and grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 °C. Before serving, garnish the avocado with finely chopped herbs.
Bon Appétit!
