How to Eat Avocados (2024)

FAQs

What's the best way to eat avocados? ›

The simplest way to enjoy avocados is by sprinkling them with a pinch of salt and pepper. You can also try other seasonings like paprika, cayenne pepper, balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice.

Phytonutrients in avocados promote better health

Lowering blood pressure (due to high levels of potassium) Lowering cardiovascular inflammation. Prevention of cataracts and protection against UV light damage. Keeping you regular and preventing constipation.

A daily dose of avocado is good for your heart. Research has shown that people who eat avocados every day have higher levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Avocados also may be good for your gut biome. But they're high in calories, so stick to recommended serving sizes.

You can soothe these symptoms with the same over-the-counter products you use for other digestive upsets. Common treatments include over-the-counter anti-nausea (antiemetic) medications and antidiarrheal medications like loperamide (Imodium) or bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol).

Meanwhile, potassium helps by relaxing your muscles and may even help improve symptoms of sleep apnea. Bottom line: Eating avocado before bed could help you fall asleep more quickly, stay asleep all night, and get overall better rest.

The FDA has issued a warning that before eating, you need to wash avocados because the skins can contain some not-so-appetizing bacteria like salmonella and listeria. Even though you aren't eating the avocado skins, experts agree that the bacteria can easily transfer from the skin to the delicious green fruit inside.

Avocados are rotten if they're mushy when squeezed, brown or moldy inside, and have developed rancidity or a sour smell. You may be able to salvage part of the fruit if it's just starting to brown inside and the rest of the fruit looks, smells, and tastes fine.

Your digestion may improve

“Eating [an] avocado every day can benefit our gut health thanks to its dietary fiber content,” Wells says. She explains that a fiber-rich diet can increase the diversity of beneficial bacteria in our gut.

Studies show that women who regularly consume avocados typically have reduced abdominal (belly) fat. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Illinois, women who ingested avocados daily lost deep visceral abdominal fat.

Warfarin (Coumadin) interacts with AVOCADO

Warfarin is used to slow blood clotting. Avocado has been reported to decrease the effects of warfarin. Decreasing the effects of warfarin might increase the risk of clotting.

Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable? ›

Fruit or vegetable? Avocado is a fruit. More specifically, botanists define it as a large berry with a single seed.

Rifkin also says that if someone wants to have a serving of avocado more than twice a week, she says to go for it. “Being that it boasts incredible nutritional value, I believe three times a week or even daily is very reasonable,” she says.

However, some people may develop an avocado allergy after eating it. People may also have an avocado allergy if they react to the protein found in latex food products. Symptoms of avocado allergy may include sneezing, nausea, vomiting, or difficulty breathing. There is no cure for an avocado allergy.

People who are allergic to avocados are often also allergic to bananas due to latex cross-reactivity. Plantains, a type of banana, contain similar proteins and may also cause a reaction.

Avocados – Avocados contain large amounts of magnesium, which acts as a laxative. Additionally, avocados pull water into the digestive tract to help soften your stool. Kiwi – Kiwi fruit stimulates your digestive tract and speeds up intestinal tract time to help relieve constipation quickly.

Add fresh leafy herbs or your favorite herbed sauce: Chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill or parsley are all good with avocado. So is a drizzle of pesto, zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce), or chimichurri.

Avocados are most often eaten raw, chopped up in a salad, spread on toast or made into guacamole. This is because they can very quickly become bitter once heated. Don't be afraid to cook avocados, however, as they are delicious when cooked 'just right. '

The skin of your avocado will easily peel away if it is ripe. However, you do not necessarily need to peel it. You can scoop the creamy green flesh out from the skin with a spoon or avocado scooper, pop it in a bowl, or eat it straight away.