(NaturalNews) The avocado should be the crown jewel of a vegetarian or vegan diet, even though it`s not a vegetable. It is actually a fruit, an oily berry, sometimes called an alligator pear because of its shape and outer skin texture and color.
Avocado, along with organic rice and beans, would be more than enough to silence a meat eater`s claim that you`re not getting enough protein as a vegan or vegetarian. While avocados are wrongly disdained by weight watcher types for their fat content, almost everyone is ignorant of the avocado`s high and complete protein content.
Avocado Fat FactsIt`s important to understand that a body needs fats, as long as they`re healthy ones. Omega 3 fatty acids are missing in the average western diet. And this missing fatty acid is behind lots of bad health and disease. It just so happens that avocados are high in omega 3 and omega 6. In fact, you can get all the omega 3 you need from daily avocado consumption.
There is no cholesterol in avocados. They are a rich source of non-toxic beneficial fats. The notion that avocados are fattening is false. Processed sugars and high fructose corn syrups in processed foods create obesity, along with cooked starches, pasteurized dairy, and factory farm meats.
You will be healthier and leaner by using avocados in your diet often.
Avocados Offer a Complete ProteinUnlike a cooked steak, from which it is difficult to digest and absorb its high protein content, avocados have predigested protein. The sun creates a process of breaking the protein into easily digested amino acids while the
avocados are ripening in their trees.
Thus the avocado provides all 18 essential amino acids needed by a body to create complete protein. Proteins represented by amino acids are easier to digest.
Unlike meats, avocados don`t putrefy in the stomach, and with avocados' high fiber content there`s no threat of constipation. And avocados don`t have the antibiotics, hormones, and GMO corn that are injected and fed to mass market cattle raised for mass slaughter to fill the meat counters of supermarkets.
Other Avocado NutrientsAvocados are bursting with enzymes and rich in minerals, including the usually deficient master mineral magnesium, which is involved in over 300 metabolic functions of the body. They help provide the body with glutathione, the important master anti-oxidant that helps the liver replenish all other anti-oxidants.
Vitamins A, much of the B complex, K, E and C are also very available in avocados. The nutrient order of importance is enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Vitamins won`t work without minerals, and neither minerals nor vitamins get into your cells without enzymes.
There are not many tasty foods that are so easy to find packing as much nutritional value as avocados.
Avocado EdiblesYou can tell when avocados are ripe by color and gentle squeezing. If the normally green skins are turning brownish and you can mush it slightly with a gentle squeeze, those are ready to eat. However, if you are not using them right away, pick the green hard ones and let them ripen at home. Like bananas, the ripe ones turn in a very few days.
Sliced for green salads is an ideal way of eating avocados easily and often. There are recipes for blending avocados and making dressings or sauces. But this party favorite is the big Kahuna for nutrition as well as taste:
guacamole!The combination of mashed
avocado, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, a little chopped chili, chopped onions and mashed garlic creates a synergistic super food as well as a tasty treat.
Sources for more information include:Guacamole May be the Ultimate Cancer Fighting Food
http://gracemedeirosmj.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/could-guacamole-be-th...Avocado Nutrition Information
http://healthrecipes.com/avocado_information.htmHealth Benefits of Avocado (includes protein)
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1570255/health_benefits_of_a...Awesome Avocado (the oily berry)
http://www.alive.com/1222a4a2.php?text_page=1About the author
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on
health freedom. You can visit his blog at
http://healthmaven.blogspot.com
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