Did you know that this nutrition-dense fruit is rich in many vitamins and minerals such as B-Vitamins, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, potassium and copper?
You may be surprised that the avocado pear, loosely termed Avo is a fruit. This is true as the avo is categorised as a berry, as it contains a harder covering as compared to its smoother flesh and it has a seed in the centre.
The Origin
Native to Mexico and Central America, the Avo scientifically known as Persea Americana is a fatty produce of the avocado tree.
There are many different types different in shape, size and colour.
Although mostly pear shaped, avos can have a close to round shape as well. Varying also in their shade of green, from a light pale green to an almost black when it is fully ripened.
Nutritional value
| Minerals in a raw avo/100g | Breakdown |
| Calories | 160 |
| Water | 73% |
| Protein | 2g |
| Carbs | 8.5g |
| Sugar | 0.7g |
| Fibre | 6.7g |
| Fat | 14.7g
Saturated 2.13g Monounsaturated 9.8 g Polyunsaturated 1.82 g Omega 3 0.11g Omega 6 1.69 g |
The Avo contains mostly the “good fats” the unsaturated fats. Which means you can go ahead and add it to you salad, have it as a dip or just simply spread it on your whole wheat bread!
Other Benefits
The fats in Avocado are majority oleic acid, this monounsaturated fatty acid is also the major component of olive oil and it is believed to be responsible for its health beneficial effects. Oleic acid in avocado has been linked to reduced inflammation and has shown to have beneficial effects on genes linked to cancer. Avocados are also resistant to heat-induced oxidation making avocado a healthy and safe choice for cooking!