Super Food - Avocado

Avocado, full of taste and nutrition, is a foreign fruit that looks like a pear. Its outer skin is green, brown, purple, or black and looks tough and rough like the skin of a crocodile, which is why it is also known abroad as "Alligator Pears." The yellow-green pulp of the ripe fruit has a mild, creamy taste and is also soft and delicious like butter, which is why it is also known as "Butter Fruit." Botanically, the avocado is a fruit of the berry species, inside which there is a large round seed called a pit or stone.

Avocado is originally a fruit from south-central Mexico, but due to its taste, nutritional, and medicinal properties, it is not only liked all over the world but is also widely used commercially in salads, smoothies, dips, burritos, guacamole, chutneys, juices, and sauces, as well as in baby food and beauty products. Rich in about 20 types of vitamins and minerals, this fruit is counted among the few popular fruits in the world and is also included in superfoods. In our country, the cultivation of this fruit has only recently begun in some southern states, which is why this fruit is available at a very high price per piece. First, it's a foreign fruit! On top of that, it's expensive! And along with this, being unaware of its use, taste, and properties, people in our country consume it very little. But if a delicious, excellent, and beneficial fruit provides countless benefits to the body, then occasional consumption of expensive fruits is much better than eating expensive medicines. As far as knowing the use and benefits of this fruit is concerned, this article will provide you with all kinds of information related to avocado.

Avocado, a delicious fruit Avocado is an evergreen fruit that grows on trees. Its taste is mild, slightly sweet-sour, and soft like butter. Its fruits are picked and sold raw when they are large in size. Fresh fruits are hard as a stone. When the fruit yields to gentle pressure, it is considered ripe. This fruit ripens on its own at normal temperature in two to four days. No chemicals are required to ripen them. Due to its creamy taste and ease of swallowing and digesting, this fruit is very popular among small children and the elderly abroad. Therefore, while many delicious dishes are prepared from it domestically, many types of foods and baby foods made from avocado are also available commercially.

Avocado, full of nutrients Avocado is a fruit rich in about 20 types of vitamins and minerals, in which the amount of sugar is very low, but the amount of fiber and energy is abundant. This fruit is also rich in Vitamin-A, Vitamin-E, Vitamin-C, Vitamin-B-5 and B-6, Potassium, Folate, as well as Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Phosphorus, Copper, and antioxidants. Therefore, being capable of providing all kinds of health benefits by controlling the deficiency of all kinds of vitamins and minerals in the body, this fruit has not only been included in superfoods but has also been given the status of a complete food in itself. Since the carbs found in each fruit are mostly fibrous, it is also called a low-carb friendly plant food.

Benefits of Avocado

1. Being extremely fibrous, it is beneficial in many problems related to the digestive system, such as indigestion, loss of appetite, and constipation. In addition, its rich fiber content is also helpful in weight loss.
2. Avocado contains high amounts of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and anti-inflammatory elements, along with mono-unsaturated fatty acids, which not only provide nutrients and strength to the bones but also prevent swelling, pain, and stiffness in the body's joints due to arthritis.
3. For people whose cholesterol level is quite high or who have any heart-related problems, the consumption of avocado is very beneficial because it has a low amount of saturated fat and no cholesterol or sodium, which does not increase bad cholesterol.
4. Potassium is a nutrient for the body that is not easily obtained from food. Potassium is obtained by eating ripe bananas, but avocado has a much higher amount of potassium than bananas, which not only helps in controlling blood pressure but also reduces the risk of heart attack and kidney failure.
5. Avocados not only help in increasing the absorption of antioxidants from other foods but are also rich in antioxidants themselves. Carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin are such antioxidants found in avocados that are beneficial for eye health and also help in protecting them from many eye-related diseases.
6. Being rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C, avocado is very useful for the beauty of skin and hair. Therefore, today, avocado-rich face creams, shampoos, hair oils, soaps, and conditioners are available in abundance in the market, which commercially claim to cure every problem related to skin and hair. But by including it in the daily diet, the skin and hair also get ample nutrition, and all kinds of disorders related to them are also cured.

How to use Avocado

Avocado is not only beneficial for health but, being full of taste and nutrition, it can be included in the daily diet in many delicious ways. Besides including them in your daily salad, you can also eat its pulp directly by scooping it out with a spoon. Its soft, creamy, rich fatty texture and mild taste easily mix with other foods, so many delicious dishes can be easily made from it. Avocado smoothie, dip, sandwich topping, burritos, and guacamole are some of the delicious dishes that can be made from it. Besides this, being easy to swallow and digestible, it is also very good for small children of 5 to 6 months. Sliced pieces of its ripe fruit can be easily given to children to eat. Besides this, they can also be given mashed or as a puree. Let's learn how to make the delicious Mexican dishes Burritos and Guacamole from Avocado.

How to make Guacamole

Ingredients

• Ripe avocados - 2
• Finely chopped tomato - 1
• Finely chopped onion - 1
• Finely chopped green chili - 2
• Finely chopped garlic - 2-3 cloves
• Finely chopped coriander
• Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons
• Black pepper and salt - to taste

Method Cut the ripe avocado in half, remove its seed, and scoop out its pulp with a spoon. Mash it well with a fork in a glass bowl until smooth. Mix all the chopped ingredients well with the pulp. You can increase or decrease the amount of salt, lemon, and black pepper according to your taste. This dish, which is very simple to make but extremely healthy and delicious in terms of nutrition, can be served with tortilla chips or nachos, or eaten by spreading it on bread or sandwiches.

How to make Burritos

Ingredients

• Mexican tortilla, pita bread, or homemade flour and all-purpose flour roti - 3 to 4
• Onion, thinly sliced lengthwise – 1 large
• Tomato, finely chopped - 1 large
• Fried rice - 1 large bowl
• Red beans (rajma), refried or canned – 1 bowl
• Bell peppers (shimla mirch), green, red, yellow, thinly sliced lengthwise
• Lettuce leaves - 1 bunch
• Avocado, sliced lengthwise - 2 or Guacamole
• Finely chopped coriander
• Salsa sauce
• Sour cream
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method Take a tortilla, pita bread, or roti and spread salsa sauce on it. Add a tablespoon of fried rice and a tablespoon of red beans. Lightly sauté the onion, bell peppers, tomato, lettuce leaves, etc., in butter or olive oil and add them. Top it with plain sliced avocado or guacamole. Add sour cream on top, sprinkle salt and black pepper to taste, add coriander, wrap it from both sides, roll it, cut it in the middle, and serve.