Our Obsession with the Avocado

• Health

5363 0 Hannah
Posted: 13/01/2016 Print

Avocado, the Wonder Fruit

It wouldn’t be much of an overstatement to say avocado has become everyone’s favourite healthy food in recent years. It’s become an Instagram star in its own right! From spreading it on toast to blitzing into a mousse, it brightens up a social media feed and invites a flurry of ‘favourites’ like nothing else. Our Home-made Chocolate Truffles with Chia Seeds are a real treat!

 

We all understand how short the window is for an avocado to be ripe but not brown – oh the daily struggles! Take care when cutting into it as well – some will hold it and karate chop into the stone with a sharp knife, whereas, for me, I prefer to play safe and put it onto a chopping board before cutting into it!

So why are these little fruits a health blogger’s wonder?

Health Benefits of Avocado:

• Good fat – avocado is the only fruit that provides us with an abundance of monounsaturated fat. This type of fat has been known through studies to help lower bad cholesterol for many people.
•  Helps with vision - it contains two carotenoids called lutein and zeaxanthin. They appear to function as antioxidants in the eye and can reduce the development of macular degeneration. It has also been said that including avocados in your diet can help protect eye tissue from sun damage.
•  Increased digestion - half an avocado contains around 6-7 grams of fibre, a relatively high amount for a serving. This natural fibre is vital for digestive health and can prevent constipation. Aside from this, fibre is also fantastic at making you feel fuller for longer.
•  Absorbs other nutrients - the fat content in avocado actually helps in many ways to absorb fat solubles such as vitamin A, K, D and E that are present in other foods you eat.

Weird and Wonderful Uses for Avocado

Pasta sauce

Although there are many ways to use avocado as a food ingredient, pasta sauces may not be the first that comes to mind. Its creamy texture can act as an ideal base ingredient for a sauce.

Add to your smoothie

One of my favourite uses is to add half an avocado to my smoothie for a rich, nutritious creaminess – delicious!

Chocolate mousse

If you’ve never heard of this before, it may appear as bit of an odd ingredient in a chocolate mousse. I’ve tried this recipe out on friends before and no one could guess that avocado was the secret ingredient!

Serves 4-6

150g cashew nuts, soaked for 4 hours

1 avocado

30g Lucy Bee Cacao Powder/Lucy Bee Drinking Chocolate

130ml coconut milk

50g Lucy Bee Coconut Oil

30g agave syrup

Method:

Blitz the cashew nuts in a food processor until they resemble cashew butter.

Add the other ingredients and blitz until smooth. Spoon into shot glasses and put in the fridge to chill for a few hours before serving.

Face mask

Yes – a face mask! As avocado has a wonderful creamy texture, it works well as a homemade face mask. We also love to mix it with Lucy Bee Cacao Powder and a bit of honey. Avocado is packed full of vitamin E, which helps to nourish the skin and, as we mentioned above, it contains many antioxidants, making it an amazing product to pamper your skin with.

Guacamole

Whatever your favourite homemade recipe for guacamole, a little tip for you is to leave the stone in the dish, right up until it’s ready to serve. This stops the avocado from going brown and spoiling the look of your dip before you get to enjoy it!

If you would like any more recipes showing you how to incorporate this wonderful fruit into your diet, please Google ‘Lucy Bee avocado’.

Hannah x

About Lucy Bee Limited 

Lucy Bee is concerned with Fair Trade, ethical and sustainable living, recycling and eating close to nature with additive free products for health.

The views and opinions expressed in videos and articles on the Lucy Bee website/s or social networking sites are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect those of Lucy Bee Limited.

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About Hannah

Hi I’m Hannah, Lucy’s friend, and I run the Lucy Bee Twitter account alongside Lucy. I’ve been a long time lover of coconut oil and have seen how perfect it is to use in my cooking, particularly as someone who is lactose intolerant. If you have any questions, you can reach me on the Lucy Bee Twitter! 

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