Avocado
Persea americana
Avocados are my favorite. They are rich in flavor, fun to pick off the tree (obviously) and extremely nutritious.
I love adding avocado to just about anything.
When I'm not stuffing myself with guacamole at Gracias Madre, I add a few slices to my breakfast. This adds a wonderful soft flavor & gives you a long-lasting feeling of comfort.
Avocado nutriton, etc.
Avocados are great. They are native to Central and South America and have been cultivated since 8,000 B.C.E. There are dozens of varieties of avocados, with the Haas variety being the most popular in California. In fact, over 95% of all avocados consumed in the US are grown in California.
These little guys are extremely concentrated with nutrients and carotenoids. Such carotenoids are alpha-carotene & lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and violaxanthin. Avocados are also extremely rich in healthy (and unusual) fats. There is strong research that suggests that the consumption of avocado fat can decrease inflammation and help aid our digestive tract through the formation of transport molecules that help increase the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (otherwise only found in ocean plants) also provide anti-inflammatory benefits.
There has also been extensive research that suggests that there is a direct relationship between avocado consumption and anti-cancer benefits- specifically cancers of the skin, mouth and prostate gland. In healthy cells, avocado helps improve inflammatory & oxidative stress levels. However, in cancer cells, avocado helps to increase oxidative stress and shift the cancer cells into a cell death cycle (apoptosis). In essence, avocado consumption lessens cancer cell numbers, while simultaneously encouraging the creation of non-cancerous cells.
And the best part is that Santa Barbara is teeming with avocado trees, thus making them easily available all year!
Much of this research comes from Whole Foods. For more information, please see this link.
Avocados are my favorite. They are rich in flavor, fun to pick off the tree (obviously) and extremely nutritious.
I love adding avocado to just about anything.
When I'm not stuffing myself with guacamole at Gracias Madre, I add a few slices to my breakfast. This adds a wonderful soft flavor & gives you a long-lasting feeling of comfort.
Avocado nutriton, etc.
Avocados are great. They are native to Central and South America and have been cultivated since 8,000 B.C.E. There are dozens of varieties of avocados, with the Haas variety being the most popular in California. In fact, over 95% of all avocados consumed in the US are grown in California.
These little guys are extremely concentrated with nutrients and carotenoids. Such carotenoids are alpha-carotene & lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and violaxanthin. Avocados are also extremely rich in healthy (and unusual) fats. There is strong research that suggests that the consumption of avocado fat can decrease inflammation and help aid our digestive tract through the formation of transport molecules that help increase the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. Avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (otherwise only found in ocean plants) also provide anti-inflammatory benefits.
There has also been extensive research that suggests that there is a direct relationship between avocado consumption and anti-cancer benefits- specifically cancers of the skin, mouth and prostate gland. In healthy cells, avocado helps improve inflammatory & oxidative stress levels. However, in cancer cells, avocado helps to increase oxidative stress and shift the cancer cells into a cell death cycle (apoptosis). In essence, avocado consumption lessens cancer cell numbers, while simultaneously encouraging the creation of non-cancerous cells.
And the best part is that Santa Barbara is teeming with avocado trees, thus making them easily available all year!
Much of this research comes from Whole Foods. For more information, please see this link.
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