With Avocados, High-Fat Is Good
Avocados are kind of a strange fruit--to borrow a title from a Billie Holiday song.
Like tomatoes, they are a fruit that actually looks and behaves like a vegetable. They share the distinction with olives of being the only two fruits and / or vegetables that are naturally high in fat. In fact, avocados get between 71% and 88% of their calories from fat. (Florida avocados are lower in fat.)
Like olives (and olive oil), however, the fat they contain is primarily monounsaturated, so avocados can be an important addition to diabetic meal plans and heart-healthy diets.
Avocados are native to Central America, and today, the only domestic crops come from Florida and California, with California producing almost 90% of them. Florida avocados are larger than the ones grown in California and cost less. Because they contain less fat, they also have fewer calories. The most popular California variety is the Hass avocado, which weighs about half a pound and has a thick, pebbled skin that goes from green to an almost purplish black as the fruit ripens. Each fruit has about 177 calories. Florida avocados are not quite as rich and creamy, their skin is smoother, and they contain about 112 calories each.
Avocados have more potassium than a banana, are very low in sodium, have almost 10% of an adult’s daily requirement for iron, and good quantities of beta carotene, vitamins B-6, C and E, folic acid and copper. They have the consistency of mayonnaise when mashed, but as much fiber as whole wheat bread or corn on the cob. They have no cholesterol, and some heart specialists say that the oil in avocados (very low in saturated fat) may have some special properties for lowering cholesterol, much like olive oil.
To select avocados, look for one that is free of blemishes. A firm avocado is unripe, and a ripe one will yield to gentle pressure. Be sure it is not overly ripe and starting to rot. If you buy unripe avocados and want to use them in something like guacamole (a creamy avocado dip), you can store them in a bowl at room temperature until they are ripe, or to speed up the process, you can try putting them in a paper bag with an apple for two or three days.
For the most part, you should not store avocados in the refrigerator. However, if they are ripe, you can keep them there for four to five days. Longer than that will cause them to discolor and produce unpleasant changes in flavor. When you are ready to use an avocado, cut it lengthwise around the pit. Gently rotate the two halves to separate them. Remove the pit by sliding the tip of a spoon underneath it and lifting it out. You can then easily peel the avocado or simply scoop out the insides. If it is not overly ripe, it can be cut into slices or cubes.
Avocados also make a great dip for raw vegetables, a wonderful topping for a plain old hamburger or as an extra treat on a BLT (hold the bacon).
Guacamole is a very simple treat. Simply mash up some avocados, sprinkle with lemon juice to keep them from turning black, add finely diced onion and tomato, garlic and cilantro if you like, and some salsa. When blended with vinegar or lemon juice, avocados also make an interesting salad dressing that gives you some added nutrients you wouldn’t get by simply using regular salad oil.
Because avocados mash up so easily, they can be used as baby food, and without the garlic and hot sauce, they have a mild, easy-to-handle flavor that kids seem to like.
One interesting way to use avocados in a low-fat diet is to substitute guacamole for mayonnaise. You can save about 75 calories by using a tablespoon of guacamole instead of a tablespoon of regular mayonnaise. Tired of the same old tuna sandwich? Try mixing water-packed tuna (drained), diced celery and diced onion. Add some guacamole, and put the mixture in a toasted pita pocket with some fresh lettuce and maybe a slice of tomato or cucumber.
The “Simply Healthy Low Fat Cookbook” (Rebus, 1995) has a great recipe for a quick Crab Salad With Asparagus and Avocado that looks and tastes really elegant, but takes only 25 minutes to make.
CRAB SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND AVOCADO
3/4 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch sections
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoons light sour cream
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 pound lump crab meat, picked over to remove any cartilage
2 cups slivered, bottled, roasted red peppers
5 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
Half a medium avocado, thinly sliced
1 lemon cut into 8 wedges
Cook the asparagus in a steamer until just cooked through (1 to 2 minutes). Let cool. Meanwhile, combine scallions, yogurt, sour cream, chili sauce, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice and mustard. Stir to blend. Add asparagus, crab and roasted peppers, and toss gently to combine. Dividing evenly, line 4 plates with lettuce. Top with fanned out avocado slices and top the avocado with a mound of crab salad. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings, each of which has 200 calories, 7.2 grams of fat, 155 milligrams vitamin C, 172 milligrams calcium and 4.2 milligrams iron.
*
Dr. Sheldon Margen is professor of public health at UC Berkeley; Dale A. Ogar is managing editor of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. They are the authors of several books, including “The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition.”
