April 27, 2017
Avocados Are Delicious and Beneficial!
Avocados, a fruit, actually acts more like a nut. They are packed full of nutrients and are a great source of heart-healthy monosaturated fats, trace minerals, most of the B-vitamins (mainly b3, b5, b6), particularly good in iron, magnesium and manganese. They contain more potassium than a banana and are very high in fiber (7 grams of fiber per 100 gram serving). Adding avocados into your daily diet can help lower the LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol) and raise your HDL (good cholesterol) levels.
The healthy fat from avocados can help you absorb the nutrients from plant-based foods. This is a huge benefit for those of you following a plant-based diet! In addition to the above benefits, avocados also include a high amount of antioxidants (great for keeping eyes and skin healthy), can help in the prevention of cancer and may even relieve symptoms of arthritis. If you are vegan or vegetarian, adding in avocados to your daily meals can ensure you are obtaining all the healthy dose of fats you need for the day!
Although avocados provide many great health benefits, they Are highly caloric and high in fat. Just one avocado contains 300 calories, 30 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein. Therefore, those who are trying to lose weight need to ensure they are not over-consuming them to ensure continued weight loss. I recommend having no more than 2 ounces per day.
My husband and I started following the oil-free plant-based eating approach about 2.5 months ago as I had elevated liver enzymes and my liver was congested and inflamed. It has helped me tremendously and my enzymes have dropped way back to normal levels. One of our go-to recipes is homemade guacamole. My husband, being the cook of the house, has developed the best-tasting guacamole I have ever had and I’m proud to share it! My 3-year old loves it mixed into his food too! We use it for salad dressing instead of oil-based dressings, as a veggie dip, or just as a topping to our cooked veggies and beans! Using fresh ingredients is the key to making this a power-packed dip or dressing.
Dad’s Guacamole
Prep time: 15 minutes
Gluten free, nut free, oil free, raw, soy free, sugar free, grain free
Ingredients
- 2 medium avocados (ripe), pitted and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1/8 cup chopped dry sun dried tomatoes
- Juice from 1 large lime plus any pulp that can be removed from it
- Pinch of fine grain sea salt
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
Directions
- Load all ingredients into a food processor, with the chopping blade attached.
- Blend at high speed for 20 seconds
- Using a spatula, scrape the sides of the food processor bowl and blend at high speed for another 10 seconds to fully combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving to allow flavours to marry and onion to mellow.
Enjoy!
Shenade
