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9 Awesome Reasons to Eat Avocados Every Day!
This is the final post in a series about alkaline foods. Check out the posts on the top nutrient-dense foods, 10 ways to optimize your water intake, and how to cook with alkaline herbs.
There isn’t a day that goes by that my 21-month old son Brayden doesn’t eat an avocado.
Does that sound crazy?
Well, think about it this way… How many people do you know who eat a banana every day?
They both are a great source of potassium.
They both go bad relatively quickly if you don’t use them. They both can be eaten on their own or in a variety of dishes.
But the BIG difference is: avocados are ALKALINE and are much better for you than bananas!
- They’re a great source of healthy fat – Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat, which easily creates energy for the body to burn. Remember, there are fats that HEAL and fats that KILL.
- They’re highly alkaline – Avocados and avocado oil are both alkaline, so they make a great substitution for other fats in recipes (for more on that, keep reading).
- They provide dietary fiber – One avocado supplies 28% of your daily-recommended value of fiber.
- They’re high in potassium – An avocado actually has more potassium than a banana!
- They’re a good source of key vitamins and minerals – Avocados are rich in vitamin C, vitamins B-5 and B-6, vitamin E, folate, and magnesium.
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They’re a low-sugar fruit – Although most people think of avocados as vegetables, they’re actually fruit. And their low sugar content makes them a great alternative to most fruits.Bananas, on the other hand, are 25% sugar and THAT is why they are so acidic. Now, I’m not saying don’t eat bananas. In fact, I happen to love bananas, and I do include them in many of the foods and recipes that I eat. But, you need to eat them the right way.
Check out this great article for which I contributed on BYRDIE on howThis “Healthy” Fruit Is the Worst Thing You Can Eat for Breakfast and what you can do with the banana to benefit from its great health properties without the acidifying effects.
- They reduce inflammation – Studies have found that avocados have anti-inflammatory properties.
- They help fight free radicals – Avocados have been shown to help the body absorb antioxidants, which fight free radicals and reduce the risk of cancer.
- They can reduce cholesterol – One study found that a diet rich in avocados led to a decrease in total cholesterol, an increase in ‘good’ cholesterol, and a significant decrease in ‘bad’ cholesterol.
How to Pick Avocados
One of the objections I hear from patients when I tell them that adding avocados is an easy way to start to transition to the alkaline lifestyle is that it’s hard to pick the goods ones at the store and they’re always going bad.
Unless you’re lucky enough to live in a spot where avocado trees can grow in your backyard, you’ve got to know what to look for at the grocery store.
Here are my tips for picking the best ones.
- Feel them for weight – they should feel heavy for their size.
- Make sure they’re free of dents – dents are a sign they’re overly ripe or damaged.
- Skin should be dark green, not totally black if you’re going to eat them within a day or so.
- Opt for greener skin if you want them to last a few days.
- Check the stem – Pulling off the stem gives you a peak at what’s happening inside the avocado. It should be yellow-green or bright green, not brown.
- If they aren’t ripe enough, you can speed the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag along with a banana.
- Most importantly, ALWAYS buy organic, even with the fact that they have a skin. When you cut into the avocado, any pesticides will end up on the part of the fruit that you will eat.
Saving Unused Avocados
My best tip for saving unused avocados is simple: don’t save them! Eat the whole thing.
However, if you want to keep half to use later in the day, the best way to keep it from browning is to keep the side with the pit, squeeze a little lemon or lime juice onto the flesh, and rap it tightly in plastic wrap or in a sealable bag with as little air as possible.
How to Enjoy More Avocado
- I use avocado in lieu of cheese on lots of dishes. Garnish with a few slivers on top of soups, burrito bowls, salads, quinoa bowls, and in wraps.
- Replace fats in baking with avocado by swapping equal amounts to the butter or oil that are called for. You can do the same in salad dressings.
- Use avocado oil instead of olive oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Add avocados to smoothies to get more healthy fat and balance out higher sugar-content fruits like berries and bananas.
- Try these low acid recipes that include avocado:
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