Avocado (Persea gratissima, Persea americana)
A Nutritional and Phytochemical Treasure-Trove
Apr 13, 2009
Avocado meaning: aguacate (Spanish) and ahuacatl or testicle tree (Nahuatl) is native to the Mexican and Guatemalan highlands and Costa Rican lowlands. The Spaniards brough it to the Philippines(1500s); the Dutch to East Indies and Mauritius (1750); Hawaii (1825); California (1833), India (1892), and Israel (1908).
It's an evergreen that can grow up to 20 meters (budded and dwarf trees are shorter). Flowering copiously, it sets only one fruit for every 500 flowers. The fruit is botanically a "berry," which can be spherical to pear-shaped;smooth or rough-skinned, green, yellow, reddish, or dark purple in color.
Mexico is the world's largest producer of avocados followed by the U.S., Israel, South Africa, and recently New Zealand.
Health Benefits
Avocado as a cardiosupportive, chemoprotective and hypoglycemic agent is well documented. It contains significant amounts of fat (mostly monounsatured fat), protein, 9 vitamins, and 7 minerals.
It also contains :
- 16 antioxidants
- 15 cholesterol lowering agents
- 12 anticarcinogenic substances
- 8 cardoprotective chemicals
- 7 anti-inflammatory compounds
- 6 anti-atherosclerotic constituents
- 6 anti-tumor elements and
- 4 anti-aggregants (clot busters)
Alanine, alpha and beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, beta-sitosterol, and persenenone A & B are among avocado's most potent antioxidants en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant. Antioxidants are involved in:
- the regulation of key mechanisms related to metabolism, immune and arterial function, cell proliferation (spread), aging and cell death.
- prolonging the shelf life of the product (plant-derived foods and animals)
- protecting its constituents and
- preventing the formation of toxic compounds by scavenging free radicals.
By comparison, avocado's polyphenols battle cancer by:
- inhibiting phase 1 enzymes (blocking cancer initiation)
- induction of phase 11 (triggering the activity of detoxifying enzymes)
- scavenging DNA reactive agents (reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species)
- modulating hormone balance
- suppressing unchecked cell growth by apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by
- inhibiting phenotypic expression of preneoplastic and neoplastic cells. (Familial susceptibility to cancer).
Avocados have also been shown to decrease blood glucose movement by more than 50%.
Nutritional Value
Avocados (a fruit- not a vegetable) are an excellent source of: vitamin K (51%), fat (32%), folate (29%), potassium (29%), pantothenic acid (20%), vit.B6 (18%), copper (13%), niacin (12%), riboflavin (11%)magnesium (10%), manganese (10%) and vit. E (10%). It is a good source of: phosphorus (7%), zinc (6%), thiamin (6%), beta-carotene, lutein and zeathin.
* Note: Percentages refer to Daily Values. For example, an adult male"s fiber requirement is 35 g/day. 10 g avocado fiber supplies 29% of his requirement; an adult female's 40% at 25 g fiber/day.
Selection, Storage, Safety
- Choose firm evenly colored fruits free of blemish or soft spots.
- Ripen avocados in brown paper bag for 2 days at room temperature.
- Store opened avocados in air-tight containers or squeeze lemon juice on pulp/flesh to prevent browning.
- Avocados contain the least amount of pesticide residue (1ppm) among all fruits. (Peaches contain the most pesticide residue: 100 ppm)
Culinary Tips:
Use mashed avocado instead of butter on breads, vegetables, sandwiches; in fruit smoothies instead of cream, ice cream, or whole milk.
Add to your favorite salad; make a salad dressing with mashed avocado.
Make a cold avocado, cucumber, buttermilk soup with fresh dill. It's ideal for a summerday.
References
ATG Elzebrook & K Wind "Edible Fruits and Nuts" Guide to Cultivated Plants CABI 2008 pp:30-35
Takuji T et.al. "Induction of Colon Carcinogenesis by Dietary Non-Nutritive Compounds" J of Toxic.Path.2007;20(4):215
Eskin NAM & Tamir S "Avocado" Dictionary of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods" CPR Press 2006 pp: 35-36
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