Hass Avocado Food Stock Photos

Avocado Food Stock Photos
Courtesy AeronauticPictures.com

Yum, Avocados. I love a fresh, ripe avocado. Don't you? There are many ways to enjoy an avocado, but for me, and many other folks, Guacamole is the avocado food of choice.

Fun fact: See the familiar "mole" in Guacamole? Well, you may recognize Mole as Spanish for sauce. The word Guacamole is derived from a word in Aztec that translates, more or less, to avocado sauce. According to Wikipedia, at least.

But don't stop with Guacamole when you think avocado.

I love to spread avocado on fresh whole wheat bread along with a slice (or two) of good mozzarella cheese and ripe heirloom tomato for a hearty, healthy and delicious sandwich.

Avocado Nutrition Facts

People use avocados all kinds of crazy ways, including in elegant mixed drinks. However, it is common (and yummy sounding to me) in Asia to use the savory avocado in milkshakes and ice cream and other sweet deserts.

Slices of raw avocado are also popular in salads, incorporated in sushi and as a substitute for meats in some vegetarian recipes.

Hass Avocado Food Stock Photos
Courtesy AeronauticPictures.com

While I encourage you to enjoy avocados, please do keep an eye on their nutritional facts. While the flesh is full of good things that can help with your cholesterol (see your own doctor for advice) and keep your coat shiny, they are pretty high in calories so watch those numbers.

The amount of calories, even though it is from a pretty healthy source, per avocado, is 250. Take a good look at the avocado nutritional facts graphic. There are five (5) servings per avocado! And fifty (50) calories per serving.

More Hass Avocado Facts*:

• Hass Avocados were patented on August 27, 1935, by Rudolph Hass, U.S. Plant Patent No. 139. They are one of the most common types of avocado and they are grown in California, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand and The Dominican Republic.
• To identify a Hass Avocado look for an oval shape, a bumpy, pebbled textured skin and dark green to purple-black color when ripe.

• Avocados offer nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 6% folate, 8% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene.
• Avocados may act as a "nutrient booster" by helping to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
• Avocados are a good way to get more lutein in the diet. An ounce of avocado contains 81 micrograms of lutein. Lutein has been shown to be concentrated in the Macula of the eye, and research suggests that it may help maintain healthy eyesight as we age.

*According to the Hass Avocado Board, an industry trade group.

So do enjoy avocados but do so keeping all the facts in mind.

Enjoy this Guacamole Recipe Video: