Avocados are as creamy as butter, but healthier for you. They may be high in fat – 22 g and 240 calories in a cup of cubed avocado – but it’s the healthy mono-unsaturated kind. Avocados can still fit into a cancer-fighting diet if you’re careful. Like nuts (also healthful and high in fat), the trick is to eat a moderate amount.
This week’s Health-e-Recipe for Avocado and Mango Salsa contrasts it with piquant ingredients, such as the lime, mango and pepper, so you get a mariachi band of flavors on your tongue. Ripe avocados yield when pressed gently and may be black in color. Use them immediately after peeling, because the inside fruit will turn brown quickly when exposed to air; coating it with acidic juices from lime, lemon or tomato right away can preserve its green color.
In the U.S., avocados are used like vegetables – in salads, sandwiches, wraps or on top of Mexican dishes. But avocados really are fruits and in Hawaii, Brazil and other tropical countries, avocados are used for ice cream, smoothies and fruit salads. However you prefer to eat them, avocados supply some fiber and vitamins C, E and K. Click here to subscribe to AICR’s weekly Health-e-Recipe.