What is the fast avocado toast nutrition diet? From toast toppings to desserts and smoothies, the versatile avocado is often touted as a health food. Registered nutritionist, Jo Lewin, takes us through the nutritional highlights of avocado. The popularity of avocado is down to its rich, creamy texture and mild flavour.
What are the top 5 health benefits of avocado? Avocados are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat and vitamin E, and are a good source of folate. They also supply more soluble fibre than other fruit and contain a number of useful minerals including iron, copper and potassium. However, an interesting study has shown that the fat and fibre content of avocados leads to feelings of satiety which helps regulate appetite.
Some sensitive individuals may experience allergy to avocado. This includes an oral allergy which may be triggered by a cross-reaction to birch pollen. A rarer allergic response may occur if you have a latex allergy – if this is relevant to you refer to their GP for guidance. Avocado, along with fruits including apples, peaches, raspberries and blueberries contain natural chemicals called salicylates.
Some people are sensitive to these compounds and may experience an allergic reaction including skin rash and swelling. If you are concerned about food allergies or have any other concerns, please consult your GP or registered dietitian for guidance. This article was reviewed on 8 February 2021 by Kerry Torrens. Association for Nutrition with a specialism in public health. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information. This website is published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution.
This article is about the tree and fruit. Avocado Hass – single and halved. Americas which is likely native to the highland regions of south-central Mexico to Guatemala. The fruit of domestic varieties has a buttery flesh when ripe. Depending on the variety, avocados have green, brown, purplish, or black skin when ripe, and may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Commercially, the fruits are picked while immature, and ripened after harvesting. Panicles of flowers with deciduous bracts arise from new growth or the axils of leaves.
The species is variable because of selection pressure by humans to produce larger, fleshier fruits with a thinner exocarp. The earliest residents of northern coastal Peru were living in temporary camps in an ancient wetland and eating avocados, along with chilies, mollusks, sharks, birds, and sea lions. The oldest discovery of an avocado pit comes from Coxcatlan Cave, dating from around 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. The native, undomesticated variety is known as a criollo, and is small, with dark black skin, and contains a large seed. It probably coevolved with extinct megafauna.
The avocado tree also has a long history of cultivation in Central and South America, likely beginning as early as 5,000 BC. A water jar shaped like an avocado, dating to AD 900, was discovered in the pre-Incan city of Chan Chan. 1519 in his book, Suma De Geographia Que Trata De Todas Las Partidas Y Provincias Del Mundo. The first written record in English of the use of the word ‘avocado’ was by Hans Sloane, who coined the term, in a 1696 index of Jamaican plants.