Avocados

Oily, creamy and satisfying, avocados are the base in the Mexican dip guacamole and a favorite salad addition and fatty food, especially among plant-based eaters such as those who lead a raw food diet. Avocados are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. Botanically a berry and sometimes referred to as an “alligator pear” and “butter pear,” the avocado scores a 90 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection.”

Avocados are in season from May to November. An average-size avocado weighs 201 grams and contains 322 calories. An average-size avocado grown in Florida weighs 304 grams without peel and seed and contains 365 calories. An average-size California avocado weighs 136 grams without peel and seed and weighs 227 calories.

Avocados belong to the family Lauraceae. Avocado cultivars include Hass (produces fruit year round and comprises 80 percent of the world’s cultivated avocados), Choquette, Fuerte and Zutano.

Avocados are nutrient powerhouses, rich in a range of vitamins, especially Vitamin K, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorous and potassium. They contain 10 percent water by weight.

Mexico produces the most avocados, with 1.26 million metric tons in 2011. Chile, with 368,000 metric tons, was the No. 2 producer that year. The Dominican Republic, Indonesia and United States round out the list of leading five producers in 2011.

The Seattle rock band Pearl Jam plastered an illustration of an avocado on its self-titled eighth studio album, also called Avocado or The Avocado Album.

Stats for 100 Grams of Avocado (Raw, All Commercial Varieties)

• 160 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Fiber: 26.8%
• Fat: 22.6%
• Saturated Fat: 10.6%
• Vitamin B2: 7.6%
• Vitamin B3: 8.7%
• Vitamin B5: 13.9%
• Vitamin B6: 12.9%
• Folate: 20.3%
• Vitamin C: 16.7%
• Vitamin E: 10.3%
• Vitamin K: 26.3%
• Copper: 9.5%
• Magnesium: 7.3%
• Manganese: 7.1%
• Phosphorus: 5.2%
• Potassium: 13.9%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 19.2%
• Protein: 4.2%
• Fat: 76.6%

Food Type

• Fatty fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2234
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/avocados.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado