Avocado - A Nutrient Dense Food
Today I am showcasing a very special and nutrient dense food, the avocado.
I moved to Hawaii thirteen years ago. One thing I immediately loved about the area was that nature was providing food, and all I had to do was stop and pick it up. I would park somewhere and there would be a giant avocado tree with an avocado laying underneath it the size of a football. That was the beginning of me thanking nature for the food it gives.
Today I made an egg salad with avocado. In the egg salad are two small avocados from the tree outside, three hard boiled eggs, one thick carrot cut into small pieces, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, and salt and pepper. I mixed everything together with a fork and put a generous thick layer on top of a piece of toasted whole wheat seeded bread.
The combination was perfect. I could taste the sharpness of the cheese. There was crunch from the carrot and from the toasted bread. For this meal, the avocado was the perfect condiment.
Here is why this meal is beneficial to my body.
Avocado provides monounsaturated fat, the same fat found in olive oil. This fat makes the egg salad rich and creamy. The fat in the avocado also helps my body absorb the fat soluble vitamins in the eggs and the carrot. Vitamins A, D, E, and K dissolve in fat rather than in water, which means my body absorbs those vitamins when fat is present in the same meal.
The fiber in the avocado, the carrot, and the bread slows down my digestion.
The protein from the eggs, along with the fat and fiber from the avocado, keeps my energy steady.
Avocado also provides potassium, folate, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin B6. Potassium helps manage blood pressure and helps muscles work. Folate is used to build new cells. Vitamin K is used to hold calcium in bones. Vitamin C and vitamin E protect cells from damage. Vitamin B6 is used to turn food into usable energy.
Each food in this meal brings the nutrients that food has. The avocado, the eggs, the carrot, the cheese, and the bread together make a nutrient dense meal.
I do not know much about avocado varieties. I do know that avocados from different trees taste different. The tree outside where I am living grows a watery kind. I am happy to eat those avocados, even though the flavor is not as exciting as a buttery avocado, because the nutrients are still there.
I enjoy eating avocado in a variety of ways. I make guacamole. I cut chunks of avocado together with walnuts, blue cheese, tomato, and cucumber for a salad. I put slices of avocado on toasted bread with an omelette. I use avocado mashed or in chunks as my salad dressing. I add avocado to any meat dish I am eating.
You are welcome to eat the nutrient dense avocado.
Stacy 🌺
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I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.