I once had a friend who refused to eat avocados because he called them “green slime.” A little uninformed, perhaps. I realize food preferences are personal, but dismissing an avocado as green slime is a little like calling chocolate brown paste. Technically, I suppose you can make the argument, but you are seriously missing the point.
Most people probably know avocados best for their starring role in guacamole, where they are usually surrounded by lime, cilantro, jalapeño and enough tortilla chips to make us forget we were talking about health in the first place. But avocado deserves a little health attention all by itself because underneath that bumpy skin is a surprisingly impressive combination of healthy fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.
Let’s Talk About the Fat
Avocados are unusual among fruits because most of their calories come from fat rather than carbohydrates. Before anybody starts backing away slowly from the produce department, most of that fat is monounsaturated fat, particularly oleic acid—the same primary fatty acid found in olive oil. A medium avocado contains roughly 22 grams of fat, with about 15 grams coming from monounsaturated fat.
That matters because replacing foods high in saturated fat with unsaturated fats is associated with better cardiovascular health. Avocados also contain fiber, plant sterols and potassium, giving them considerably more going for them than simply being a blob of healthy fat. Research has found associations between regular avocado consumption and cardiovascular benefits, although—as usual—it is the overall eating pattern that matters, not one magical food swooping in wearing a cape.
The fat in avocado may also help your body absorb some of the nutrients from the other vegetables you eat with it. In a human study, adding avocado to salad or salsa substantially increased absorption of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene. Suddenly adding avocado to your salad looks less like an indulgence and more like teamwork.
There’s Quite a Bit Hiding Under That Skin
A medium avocado provides around 10 grams of fiber along with folate, potassium, magnesium, several B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. It also contains carotenoids including lutein and zeaxanthin, which are particularly associated with eye health.
Those nutrients are doing real work. Potassium plays a role in blood pressure, fluid balance, muscle function and nerve signaling. Magnesium is involved in hundreds of processes including muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation, energy production and bone health. Folate is essential for making DNA and new cells, vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting and bone metabolism, and vitamin E works as an antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidative damage.
There may be a skin benefit in there too. Avocados provide monounsaturated fats, carotenoids and vitamins that help support normal skin structure and function, and studies have shown that eating avocado may help support skin elasticity and firmness. So while I would not credit vitamin K alone, avocado’s whole nutritional package gives your skin another reason to appreciate what you are eating.
And then there is the fiber. Avocado contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, which can support digestion, help with fullness and provide food for beneficial gut microbes. That creamy texture may make avocado feel decadent, but nutritionally there is considerably more happening than its ability to make toast expensive.
Does Your Avocado Need to Be Organic?
You know I choose organic foods whenever possible, so I was particularly curious about this one. Because we do not eat an avocado’s thick outer skin, does buying organic actually make much difference?
For avocado, probably less than it does for many other fruits and vegetables. Avocados consistently rank among produce with relatively low pesticide residues. That does not mean conventional avocados are pesticide-free, and some pesticides can be absorbed into plants rather than simply sitting on the surface, but avocado is one of the produce items where residue tends to be comparatively low.
Organic produce can reduce pesticide exposure overall, which is one reason I still prefer it when I can get it, but one thing I would do either way is wash the avocado before cutting it. You are throwing the skin away, but the knife passes through that skin before reaching the part you eat, which means bacteria or dirt on the outside can travel with it. The FDA recommends washing produce even when the peel will not be eaten.
Guacamole Is Only the Beginning
Avocado may have built its celebrity career on guacamole, but it is remarkably versatile. Slice it into salads, mash it onto toast, add it to bowls, tuck it into sushi or a California roll, blend it into dressings or sauces, or use it in baked goods and desserts where its fat and creamy texture can replace or reduce other ingredients while creating richness without adding a strong avocado flavor.
It can even work beautifully in sweet foods. Avocado can give cakes, puddings, frozen desserts, smoothies and other treats a thick, creamy texture, which is useful when you want richness without automatically reaching for butter, cream or highly processed ingredients. I have even had avocado served hot in an avocado eggroll, which sounded a little questionable to me at first and turned out to be surprisingly delicious. Apparently green slime has range.
One of my favorite ways to eat avocado is much simpler. After a longer fast, I love avocado with a little sea salt and kimchi. There is something about the creamy avocado, salty bite and fermented tang that tastes ridiculously good to me after I have gone without food for several days, although—as with anything after a longer fast—I pay attention to how my own body responds rather than assuming everybody should break a fast exactly the way I do.
Give the Green Slime a Chance
Avocados are not a miracle food, because there really is no such thing. They are simply a very good whole food that happens to deliver. They bring healthy fat, fiber and a surprising amount of nutrition to the table while being versatile enough to move from breakfast to lunch to dinner to dessert without much effort.
That connects to the larger message in The Awakened Body: learning more about the food you eat, paying attention to how your body responds, and making choices that support the way you want to feel and live. Avocado has earned a regular place in my kitchen. My friend can keep calling it green slime if he wants. That just leaves more for me.