Even though avocados are not vegetables, this fatty green fruit has a lot of praise from experts in the nutrition world — for starters, it's rare to find a fruit that has good types of fat.
"Avocados are known to be high in total fat. However, more than 75 per cent of the total fat in an avocado is good, unsaturated fat," says registered dietitian Jessica Tong of Vancouver. "Avocados are one of the only fruits that contain good fats."
Avocados are typically in season in spring, but they can be bought throughout the year. When the fruit is ripe and ready to eat, Tong says, it will turn slightly soft with a deep green hue.
"Unripe avocados can be kept in a brown paper bag at room temperature to accelerate the ripening process," she adds.
Due to their high fat content, some people may be weary of eating them every day. However, studies have shown, eating an avocado daily, for example, can lower bad cholesterol.
And because they are such a mushy and versatile fruit, you can have them just about any time of the day. For breakfast, start with fresh slices of avocado on toast, for lunch try an avocado-inspired salad and for a snack, who can forget about guac?
Below, Tong tells us the 10 health benefits we all need to know about our favourite green fruit.
Health Benefits Of Avocados
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