Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Avocado Pears For creamy Indulgence

By Anastacia Sampson

Like ice-cream except not as icy, rather try scoop chilled avocado fruit instead of ice-cream! Various types vary in taste. The avocado pears, also known as ?alligator pears? due to their alligator-like outer peel feel, have emigrated all the way from America. They are now grown on other continents. We may shun avocado pears as they are about 70% fat, yet what they do contain are some of the healthy fats.

Let?s partly appreciate the value of fats, consider Vitamin E and carotenoids as toddlers arriving at the airport. Then imagine that the airport is our digestive system and it is a busy airport where we need signs to guide us as adults. A toddler can easily get lost and to be guided to the right areas toddlers need to hold hands with adults. The adults offering hands are the fats. It is worth it for your health to not do yourself a disservice by having a severely low fat diet to the point of harm. Do rather have a moderately low fat diet but remember you may not need the harmful types but you need some healthy types, and we can enjoy indulging in something like dips and increase your healthy living!

There may be a time for dips! Not all of us, but some like to dip while nibbling and snacking at parties although we know they can be unhealthy. However we can mix and serve our own healthy types. Watch others have a dip and dip in; you need not feel you are missing the action of an indulgent treat. Have a healthy treat with smashed avocado pear sprinkled with lemon (to discourage browning) and black pepper for flavour! Then you may try cayenne pepper to give a spike to the palate and tongue! Of course herbs added to your avocado dip give that exotic taste. Let ideas follow your taste buds within a healthy selection.

Avocados are not the highest suppliers of folic acid. Folic acid is a type of B vitamin and protectively keeps away foetal abnormalities (abnormal development of the baby in the womb). It is around pregnancy that we often are touted with the virtues of avocado for folic acid supplies. There are other high folic acid suppliers. Leafy vegetables and grapefruit are great folic acid suppliers. Pregnant women may enjoy cabbages also for their high calcium content and tendency to help with ulcers. Avocadoes contain useful levels of Vitamin E and are excellent antioxidant suppliers. They supply glutathione, which protects against ageing and other disease development. During pregnancy the need for calories can increase and avocados serve well to meet those needs.

Generally we can all do with a serving of this fatty fruit. It is simple to cut open and has a large rounded hard pip in the middle. We can spread it on bread and other foods. How about avocado butter for green sandwiches? You may need some spice or herb to flavour it. How often we do become creatures of habit. We are often bombarded by the media with them proclaiming a newly formed margarine being healthy. Some margarine products contain sterols and sterols (in plants) do protect against harmful cholesterol levels. Yet margarine is mostly a processed food and we are not! We need more of Nature?s non-mucked about food to support our body?s health. Grab a slice of toast, and then spread on that mashed soft buttery avocado pear. Sparsely sprinkle on salt for taste. Avocados are rich and creamy in texture, so scoop up that indulgent fruit in moderation and enjoy a more healthy living life style. - 14130

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