Everything You Could Possibly Want to Know About Avocados!

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Misty L. Trepke

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Avocado -- the fruit that would make butter and meat obsolete

by David Klein, dave

From Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 11

http://www.livingnutrition.com

 

If you love fatty, creamy, hearty foods and want to avoid the

cholesterol and toxicity of meat and dairy, anchor your diet with

avocado!

 

Avocado is more than just a tasty treat to be enjoyed in

guacamole--it makes a hearty satisfying meal when eaten alone, in

salads, and in other dishes. Most people who transition from a

standard American diet to a vegan diet with avocado, nuts and seeds

don't miss the animal foods because raw vegan plant fat is so

satisfying as well as more nutritious than cooked fatty animal foods!

In hundreds of thousands of cases, people who've adopted a vegan diet

of predominantly raw foods with minimal or no cooked starches as part

of a healthful lifestyle (including regular exercise and adequate

sleep), have lost excess weight, overcome illness, gained new

vitality, and avoided the killer diseases which now plague

our meat, bread, dairy, and junk-food eating society. The fresh

vitamins, active enzymes, organic minerals, soluble fiber, high water

content, and easily digested fats and proteins in avocados and other

fruit and plant foods can help transform any sluggish, overweight

meat eater into a slimmer and more dynamic person. Some of the

leanest people I know eat the most avocados! Cooked foods such as

bread, pasta, meat, dairy and junk foods are the villains that can

keep an avocado eater from losing excess fat.

 

If your goal is to reduce your consumption or transition completely

off of meat and dairy, avocado may be the perfect way to satisfy your

natural cravings for creamy nourishment. Dr. William Esser writes in

his Dictionary of Natural Foods:

 

" The avocado is one of the most valuable foods which nature has given

man. For those concerned about eliminating meat from their diet, this

offers not merely a 'substitute,' but a food which is much superior

in value for human maintenance. It is rich in protein and fat and

comparatively higher than any other fruits in these elements. The fat

is more digestible than animal fats. "

 

Avocado is also known as the " alligator pear " because of the rough

skin on some varieties. In the 17th and 18th centuries the fruit was

also commonly known as " butter pear. " In tropical Central America,

avocado trees have been growing wild for thousands of years,

providing natives with a rich food. The Aztecs called the tree

Ahuacatl. Marauding Spanish armies changed this to abocado or

avocado, the now common English name.

 

According to the Little Green Avocado Book, there is strong evidence

that avocado trees flourished 50 million years ago in what is now

California, and avocados might have provided food for dinosaurs.

 

Today's avocados are derived from three natural species. The Mexican

type (semi-tropical) produces small fruits, 6 to 10 ounces having

glossy purple, paper-thin skin when ripe. The Guatemalan type

(subtropical) yields medium pear-shaped fruits which are first green,

turning purple-black or coppery-purple when ripe, with a typically

tough shell.

 

The West Indian type (tropical) produces enormous, smooth, round,

glossy green fruits as up to 2 pounds in weight. In the United

States, 95 percent of the commercially grown avocados come from

California, with small percentages coming from Florida, Louisiana,

Texas and Hawaii. The California Rare Fruit Growers Fruit Facts,

Volume One, reports that avocados grow well in valley and coastal

California, as far north as Cape Mendocino and Red Bluff. Hybrid

forms of all types are grown.

 

Avocado growing is relatively new in the United States. They are

available year round. The harvest time depends on the variety. The

Hass, the best known commercial variety, is a hybrid of the Mexican

and the Guatemalan types and is picked from January into fall

depending on where it is grown.

 

The Little Green Avocado Book also reports that avocado trees are

large evergreens of the laurel family, and there are about 400

commercial varieties of avocado. Some are: Bacon, Ettinger, Fuerte,

Gwen, Hass, Nabal, Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano. Mexican types ripen in

6 to 8 months from bloom, Guatemalan types 12 to 18 months.

 

There are wide differences in the flavors of individual avocados,

ranging from salty, to nutty, to sweet, with shades in between. If a

fruit has been picked too early it may be watery and unpalatable. If

picked too late, some varieties develop a rancid flavor. If a Bacon

avocado tastes like bacon, it is rancid. If an avocado has dark flesh

(rot), compost it and/or salvage the good parts.

 

At some farmers markets and produce stores, one can occasionally find

" Cukes " (also known as " Cocktail " or " Finger " avocados), seedless,

pickle-shaped avocado fruits which result from improperly pollinated

flowers. One can also occasionally find miniature avocados which have

thin, black edible skin and an anise flavor (the Mexicola is one

variety)--these make a delightful treat!

 

Julie Frink, Curator for the Avocado Variety Collection, University

of California Research Station at Irvine, California, writes:

 

" I have nearly 20 varieties growing in my yard and the Hass variety

is always one of the best. Some of the green varieties sold in stores

have given a bad name to some really fine green skinned fruits. The

most inferior tasting avocados have either been picked when too

immature or they are poor quality pollinator varieties to begin with.

One of our favorites is the round, green Reed. A perfect Reed on

Labor Day is a most fantastic treat! So often these wonderful fall

avocados are picked and sold in the spring when they are watery and

tasteless. The green, elongated pear shaped Pinkerton can be

fantastic if allowed to stay on the tree until full maturity but will

be rubbery and tasteless if picked too soon. "

 

The Little Green Avocado Book also states that an acre of avocado

trees can yield more food than an acre of any other tree crop.

Imagine the ecological implications--a perfectly healthful " meaty "

food which requires 1/200th or less of the acreage needed by the

cattle industry for a comparable yield in pounds, posing no pollution

problems--and no carnage!

Worried about mad cow disease?--eat raw avocados, seeds and nuts and

stay sane and mentally keen!

 

Avocados are bursting with nutrients--vitamins, A, B-complex, C, E,

H, K, and folic acid, plus the minerals magnesium, copper, iron,

calcium, potassium and many other trace elements. Avocados provide

all of the essential amino acids (those that must be provided by our

diet), with 18 amino acids in all, plus 7 fatty acids, including

Omega 3 and 6.

Avocados contain more protein than cow's milk, about 2% per edible

portion.

Since rapidly growing nursing infants obtain no more than 2% protein

from mother's milk, we can safely assume that children and adults do

not regularly require foods richer in protein than avocado. Our

bodies recycle approximately 80% of our protein; cooked protein is

denatured and largely unusable, thus our protein need is far lower

than what is taught by conventional dietetics. A small avocado will

provide more usable protein then a huge steak because cooked protein

in meat is deranged and mostly unavailable to our liver, the organ

which makes all of our body's protein.

There is clear evidence from many sources that cooked fatty and

high-protein foods are the prime culprit in our country's high rate

of cancer, as well as in colitis, Crohn's disease and many other

diseases.

(I instantly healed up from a long illness, ulcerative colitis,

seventeen years ago after I stopped eating meat and adopted a

properly combined low-fat vegan diet of mostly raw fruits and

vegetables, and I have since helped over 1,000 people recover from

similar illnesses.) Ripe, raw organically grown avocados are

naturally pure and furnish all of the elements we need to build the

highest quality protein in our bodies.

 

The water content of avocado by weight averages 74%. Because avocado

is a ripe, watery, enzymatically-alive fruit, it ranks as the most

easily digested rich source of fats and proteins in whole food form.

The ripening action of the sun 'predigests' complex proteins into

simple, easily digested amino acids. The fat content (by weight)

varies from 7 to 26% according to the variety, averaging 15%.

Approximately 63% of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, 20% is

polyunsaturated and 17% is saturated.

Avocados are the perfect source of dietary fat--appetizing in their

raw state, digestible, and pure. Another plus is that avocados have

no cholesterol.

 

Avocado is an alkalinizing food, i.e., the mineral end products of

metabolism have an alkalinizing effect in the blood and other bodily

fluids. Because the human body works to maintain a slightly alkaline

pH, an alkalinizing diet is the most healthful way of eating. Meat,

dairy and most raw nuts create acidity in the body--excess eating of

these causes the leaching of alkalinizing calcium from our bones to

buffer the acidity, leading to osteoporosis. Dr. Douglas Graham

states:

 

" Current bone density testing has verified loss of calcium from the

bones after the consumption of just one meat meal. A similar meal

containing the same amount of protein from plants results in no

calcium loss. Fruit and vegetable proteins, which supply the complete

spectrum of human nutrients, must be considered superior to animal

protein which are deficient or missing many of our essential

nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C and a host of phytonutrients and

antioxidants. "

 

Avocado eaters who eat a healthful vegan diet typically experience

more lustrous hair, softer, smoother skin, more pliable nails, fewer

joint problems, slimmer belly, less body odor, improved mental

function and enhanced libido. Upon giving up animal meat and dairy,

switching to a diet of 75% to 100% raw vegan foods with

enzymatically-alive 'plant meat,' and adopting a healthful lifestyle,

a multitude of people have reaped amazing health benefits and joyous

vitality.

 

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How to eat avocado

 

* The Natural Way -- Using your claws (fingernails), peel off the

skin.

The skin of a naturally ripened avocado will easily spiral off in one

to three pieces. Try this: slide a whole nude avocado through your

lips and eat it slowly. There is no more sensual eating experience!

 

* The Modern Way -- Using a knife, slice an avocado along the

north-south or east-west axis, then remove the pit. The halves can be

sliced into smaller segments. The skin can then be peeled off, or you

can scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Eat plain as a snack or scoop

the flesh into a bowl or onto a salad.

 

* Avocado generally requires approximately one and a half to two

hours in the stomach to be digested. It digests well if the eater is

relaxed, hungry, energetic, has an empty stomach and follows proper

food combining guidelines. If one eats avocado when tired, one may

fall asleep.

 

* For optimum digestion, eat avocado alone or with any

non-sweet-non-starchy fruit or any non-starchy vegetable food. Eating

avocado with leafy greens, celery and/or cucumber will enhance the

digestive process as additional digestive enzymes are secreted.

People with weak digestion will generally experience enhanced

digestion when eating avocado with non-starchy salads as opposed to

eating avocado alone.

 

* Avoid eating avocado with or within 20 minutes of eating sweet

fruit or drinking sweet fruit juice. The combination of little bit of

lemon or grapefruit juice with avocado tends to digest well for most

people.

 

* Wait at least 3 hours after eating avocado before eating sweet

fruit.

 

* Do not eat avocado with any other kind of oily, fatty or

high-protein food such as seeds, nuts, coconut, olives, yogurt,

cream, cheese or meat.

Wait several hours between eating these foods, although the ideal is

24 hours. It takes several hours to digest and utilize any kind of

heavy/oily food, and the body can only digest one at a time

 

* Some people become sluggish and do not function well when eating

heavy foods in the morning; it might be best to eat avocado mid-day

and after.

 

* Avoid eating avocado if you are experiencing acid reflux,

indigestion, sore throat, inflammation or fever.

 

* Overeating avocados can lead to sluggishness, hyper-acid stomach,

and skin outbreaks.

 

* The quantity of avocados that is healthful for you is a function of

your taste preferences and digestion. Generally, one a day, three to

six days per week is a good baseline. For best results, tune in to

your body's senses and observe your energy levels, digestion and

elimination.

 

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Avocado Preparation Ideas

 

Transition:

* Mash avocado ( " avo butter " ) into baked potatoes.

* Smear " avo butter " over steamed vegetables.

* Dollop warmed " avo butter " over hot air popped corn.

* Spread " avo butter " on whole grain bread and soft corn tortillas

* Dip bake corn chips into a avo halves, or a bowl of avo pulp.

 

All Raw:

* Halve and pit avocado then scoop (or 'dip') celery, carrot,

broccoli, bell pepper pieces in and eat as a snack

* Add to salads--there's your dressing!

* Mix with chopped bell pepper, tomato, celery, lemon juice, etc. for

guacamole or salsa.

* Party time: slice into spears or chunks, insert toothpicks, and

serve as hors d'oeuvres. (Who needs cholesterol and fat laden

cheese!?)

* Make veggie " handwiches " or " veggie roll-ups " --place chopped

veggies, sprouts, tomatoes and avocado chunks on lettuce, or kale or

cabbage leaves, fold them over or roll them up, and enjoy.

* Add to processed vegetables--veggie slaw, veggie loafs, veggie

cakes and cookies.

* Mix into veggie and sprout soups--blend in to make a creamy

texture, or serve " chunky style. "

* Make dressings--avo-carrot juice, avo-tomato-celery (add a little

lemon or grapefruit juice and/or herbs to taste).

* " Avo butter " --smear a halved avocado over freshly shucked corn on

the cob

* " Avo butter " --spread avocado on Essene (sprouted grain) crackers.

* Stuff avocado and veggies into cored bell peppers (whole or halved)

and serve as a " handwich " or other entree.

 

Note: avocado and starchy foods (e.g., potatoes, bread, grains, corn,

old carrots) make a 'fair' food combination--for optimal digestion,

do not combine avocado and starchy foods.

 

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Some extraordinary avocado uses

 

* House plants. Stick toothpicks in the sides of avocado pits and set

them on the top of a water-filled glass. A plant will sprout forth

which can be transplanted into a pot after a few weeks. On the

Avocado Information Web Site, University of California, Cooperative

Extension, Dr. Mary Lu Arpaia and Dr. Ben Faber report:

 

" It is possible to grow an avocado from seed, just don't let it dry

out.

Be aware that the seed is the result of cross-pollination so the

resulting tree will be different from the tree the fruit came from.

For example, if you plant the seed from a Hass avocado, the resulting

tree will be a cross between a Hass and something else... it will NOT

be a Hass! Also, keep in mind that avocados planted from seed take

anywhere from 5 to 13 years+ before they flower and produce fruit.

When I start an avocado from seed I usually take it right from the

fruit, I cut about 1/4 " off the tip of the seed with a sharp knife,

and place the seed in a pot with potting soil

with just the flat/cut top of the seed showing above the soil. Keep

it moist and wait...(time to germinate varies). "

 

* Hand cream. If you have chapped hands or want to prevent chapping

in the winter, rub in some avocado.

 

* Shaving cream. Smear it on!

 

* Sunburn relief. It may not block any of the sun but it will help

keep your skin moist.

 

* Foot and hand massage. With your partner, share the luxury of a

relaxing massage.

 

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Avocado **vs.** Animal Meat

 

watery and fiber-rich, non-consiptating ** low water, no fiber

constipating

 

has all essential amino acids ** amino acids denatured by cooking

 

no cholesterol ** high in cholesterol

 

takes 2 to 4 hours to digest, normally will not putrefy ** takes 12

to 24 hours to digest, normally putrefies, poisoning our blood,

tissues and brain

 

no parasites, pathogens or tumors ** incidences of parasites,

pathogens and tumors range from rare to common

 

not inoculated with any chemicals ** typically inoculated with

antibiotics, medicines and hormones

 

water-rich and non-allergenic ** bloody and laden with allergenic

proteins

 

does not need cooking or any preparation other than peeling ** if

eaten raw, the parasite-pathogen risk increases; when cooked the fats

become carcinogenic, the proteins coagulate, and the heat-deaminated

minerals become embedded as arterial and bowel plaque leading to

atherosclerosis, heart disease, etc.

 

100% healthful ** a major health hazard with links to cancer,

colitis, diabetes, obesity and many other diseases

 

alkalinizing ** acidifying

 

the fuel required to digest avocado and other fruity fats is less

than half of that required to digest meats, and digestion time is

dramatically lower as well ** takes approximately 50% of body's

energy and as much as three days to digest and clean up the toxins

from its decomposition in the gut and the immune system response to

the toxic proteins and grease which enter the blood

 

100% ecologically sound ** ecologically destructive, requiring up to

200 times the acreage and over 10 times the quantity of water to

produce one pound of food (approximately 220 gallons of water per

pound of avocado vs. 2,400 gallons water per pound of beef); grazing

causes soil erosion and in some countries deforestation; liquid,

solid and gaseous animal wastes pollute the atmosphere, land and

waterways.

 

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SIDE BOX

 

Some avocado myths & facts

 

1. It's a vegetable.

 

Fact: It's actually an oily berry--a fruit.

 

2. It's high in cholesterol.

 

Fact: It has no cholesterol. Only animal foods have cholesterol.

 

3. It's high in fat.

 

Fact: By weight, avocados average 30% easily digestible oily fatty

acids and approximately 70% water.

 

4. Its saturated fat content is dangerous.

 

Fact: Only about 2.5% of the edible portion of avocado is saturated

fat, and unheated saturated fat from live plant foods is non-toxic.

 

5. It's fattening.

 

Fact: It is the cooked starches, meat, dairy and processed sugar in

people's diets that feed their fat cells. Most active people who

consume avocados as part high raw food vegan diet have no problem

losing excess fat and staying lean.

 

6. It is a tree ripened fruit.

 

Fact: The avocado doesn't soften on the tree. After dropping or

picking it must be allowed to soften for 4 to 17 days depending on

the variety and ambient temperature and humidity.

 

7. It is best to ripen it in a bag.

 

Fact: Not necessary. Keep your weekly supply of avocados on your

kitchen table, counter or somewhere else in plain sight. Pinch the

tops and bottoms each morning and when they yield to pressure on both

ends they are ripe. Refrigerate the ones you are not ready to eat.

 

8. It can't be refrigerated.

 

Fact: Yes it can. Wrap ripe avocado in plastic or keep it in a

plastic bag or container. If it is refrigerated for too long some

spoiling may result.

Remove unripened avocado from the refrigerator 2 or 3 days before you

intend to eat them.

 

9. Keep the seed in to keep the guacamole from turning black.

 

Fact: That is an old wives tale! Wrap it in plastic to keep oxidation

at bay.

 

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References

Arpaia, Dr. Mary Lu and Faber, Dr. Ben. " Answers to Questions. "

Avocado Information Web Site, University of California, Cooperative

Extension.

http://ucavo.ucr.edu/General/Answers.html#anchor417098

California Avocado Commission. http://www.avocado.org

California Rare Fruit Growers Inc. " Fruit Facts, Volume One. "

Fullerton, CA: Fullerton Arboretum, CSUF,1992

The Committee on Diet, Nutrition and Cancer. " Diet, Nutrition and

Cancer " Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1982

Doeser, Linda. " The Little Green Avocado Book. " New York, NY: St.

Martin's Press, 1981

Esser, Dr. William. " Dictionary of Natural Foods. " Bridgeport, CT:

Natural Hygiene Press, 1972

Ford Heritage. " Composition and Facts About Foods. " Pomeroy, WA:

Health Research, 1971

Fry, T. C., Vetrano, Dr. Vivian V., et. al. " The Life Science Health

System. " Austin, TX: Life Science Institute, 1986 "

Robbins, John. " The Diet Revolution. " Berkeley, CA: Conari Press,

2001

Shelton, Dr. Herbert M. " Food Combining Made Easy. " San Antonio, TX:

Willow Publishing, Inc., 1982

USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 13, November,

1999.

http://www.nal.usda.gov

Wai. " New Substances In Prepared Food. " http://www.23.waisays.com

 

Editor's note: Special thanks go to Dr. Douglas Graham and Julie

Frink for contributing to this article.

 

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Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 11

Subscription information:

http://www.livingnutrition.com

 

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