Tortilla chef explains how to tell if an avocado is ripe
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If you ask 100 people to cut an avocado into segments, it’s likely you will get 100 variations of how to do it. However, there is only one way to do it in order to gain the most nutritional benefits.
Dr Michael Greger, Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, took to his YouTube channel NutritionFacts.org to reveal exactly how people should be slicing their avocados.
Avocados have major health benefits, such as being high in vitamin E and fibre rich.
They are also high in monounsaturated fats, which may help to protect against heart disease and lower blood pressure.
But they also contain two carotenoid eye nutrients that are excellent for eye health, lutein and zeaxanthin, according to Dr Michael.
Lutein and zeaxanthin filter harmful blue light thus helping to preserve eye health as we age.
But in order to get the most of these incredible eye health benefits, we must be eating our avocados a particular way.
Referencing a study by Kalandar Ameer, Avocados as a Major Dietary Source of Antioxidants and Its Preventative Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dr Michael revealed that “the critical carotenoids are concentrated in the dark green flesh close to the peel”.
Because of this, avocado lovers have been advised to use the “nick and peel” method of chopping up an avocado, recommended by the California Avocado Commission.
Nick and peel method
1. Wash the avocado. Cut in half lengthwise around the seed.
2. Rotate a quarter turn to separate the halves and cut lengthways around the seed to make four segments in total.
3. Separate the quarters, removing the seed. Carefully peel the skin off the avocado slices, taking care to not lose the nutrient-rich part directly under the skin.
The method was detailed by Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.
It ensures that anyone consuming an avocado is getting the most out of the nutrient-rich outer section.
Another plus is that avocado lovers can get as much out of the avocado as possible.
Hacking blindly into an avocado may leave some delicious remnants left of the tasty fruit.
Dr Michael next explained that avocados can boost the absorption of of the carotenoid phytonutrients in other vegetables.
This is because carotenoids are fat soluble. However, many of the optimum veggies for obtaining carotenoids are low in fat, for example sweet potato, carrots, lettuce, spinach and leafy greens.
Eating them without any source of fat in the stomach may mean that some of the nutritional value is flushed down the toilet because it is not absorbed.
So, eating a portion of avocado with these other veggies will boost their health benefits, according to the doctor.
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