Avocados a Healthy Fruit

Avocados are often mistaken for a vegetable, but no it is a fruit and the reproductive part of the plant.Avocados have a very rich buttery flavor and a smooth texture that make it a complementary addo9n for vegetables, meat, and pasta salads. When mashed and seasoned avocados may also be served as a dip as quacamole, or even as a sandwich spread. Even with it's versatility and nutritional vaue the avocado should be used sparingly. It contains approximatly 200 calories in a 4 ounce serving and has more fat and calories than any other fruit. Most of the fat in avocados is monounsturated fat it does not tend to elevate blood cholesterol levels, unlike the saturated oil that comes from palms and other tropical plants.

The avocado contributes a number of nutrients when served with a low fat meal or snacks, Four ounces or about half of a medium sized fruit gives you 500mg of potassium and more than one third of the recommended nutients of folate; it also gives you 10 percent or more from iron, magnesium and vitamins A, C, E and Bsix.

Avocados should be served raw, they tend to have a bitter taste when cooked. They can be added to hot dishes that have already been cooked, like tossed with a spicy pasta sauce or sliced on top of cooked chicken breasts.

Avocados have more protein than any other fruit, approximately 2gf in a 4 ounce serving. They are native to Central America and Mexico and they remain their leading producers. Unlike most fruits they only begin to ripen once cut from the tree. The mature fruit can be left on the tree for about 6 months without spoiling. Once they are picked a green avocado will ripen in a few days.