I grew up in the province where fruit-bearing trees are everywhere and the most awaited tree every summer was my grandmother’s evergreen avocado. It is called evergreen because its skin doesn’t turn out dark like the usual avocado fruit. We liked to mash its soft-buttery flesh with condensed milk. However, we were not allowed to eat avocado everyday because according to my grandmother it is high in cholesterol. But that was a myth. Avocado, also known as “alligator pear” because of its rough leather-like skin, is rich in nutrients.
Next to olive oil, Avocado is the second fruit with the highest content (20%) of “oleic acid”, a monounsaturated fatty acid that may help lower (LDL) cholesterol. This amounts to almost twenty times that of any other fruit. The monounsaturated fat is known to help the basal metabolic rate and reduce over-eating.
Avocado is a good source of potassium. Its potassium content is three time that of a banana. Potassium is a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help guard against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke.
Avocado is the best fruit source of vitamin E. Vitamin E may protect against the development of cancers by enhancing immune function.
Avocado also contains Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Copper and Dietary fiber.
But if you are sensitive or have allergies to latex, avoid eating or touching avocados both in cooked or raw form as it contains an enzyme called chitinase that can cause an allergic reaction.