WHETHER you're in the smashed avocado camp or not, there's no denying that avocados tick the box when it comes to every diet.
"Whether it's vegan, paleo, keto, low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, Mediterranean or the DASH diet, all these ways of eating share one thing in common - avocados," said leading dietician Lyndi Cohen.
"While I don't promote diets or any restrictive ways of eating, avocados have a health halo that make them one food on which we can all agree."
She said the unique combination of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats found in avocados can help keep your immune system fighting fit, boost energy, enhance brain power, build bone, aid gut health, support healthy skin and even put you in a better mood.
"In short, avocados are a naturally delicious, versatile fruit that - quite frankly - make everything better," said Ms Cohen. Here she shares her avocado entertaining platter recipe, and tips on choosing and storing the fruit.
Why avocados tick the box
- Good mood food. Avocados contain a bundle of nutrients that help put you in a good mood, boost your energy levels and fight fatigue when eaten as part of a healthy varied diet. Avocados contain energy boosting nutrients niacin, pantothenic acid, folate and vitamin C.
- Great for the gut. More and more research is showing how vital gut health is to our mood. In fact, around 90 per cent of our serotonin (feel good hormone) is produced in the gut, which means a healthy gut can help keep our moods in balance. Research suggests that avocados help keep the gut happy by feeding the good gut bacteria with important dietary fibre.
- Boost nutrients of other foods. This amazing fruit can also boost your ability to absorb nutrients from other healthy foods. Research shows adding avocado to a salad can increase your ability to absorb nutrients from other colourful ingredients five-fold (e.g. lycopene from red tomatoes and beta carotene from orange carrots).
- Glowing skin. Avocado looks after your skin from within thanks to its healthy fats, niacin and vitamins C & E when eaten as part of a healthy, varied diet. As a source of vitamin E avocados can also contribute to cell protection from free radical damage.
In Australia, avocado orchards are found in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Avocados first arrived in Australia in 1840 in seed form, and were planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney. Further commercial imports of seed and plants continued over the next 110 years until the late 1960s when a developing Australian industry began to take shape.
Avocados are a perennial fruit and Australian premium produce is available all year round because of the widespread and climatically diverse growing regions. The highest volume of fruit is available between March and November.
There are two main avocado varieties grown in Australia. Hass avocados (which are in season almost all year round) turn from green to a purplish-black when ripe. Shepard avocados (in season from February to May) always stay green even when ripe.
Tips on choosing and storing avocado
To choose a perfectly ripe avocado, simply give the top a gentle press. If it gives a little it is ripe and ready to eat.
If your avocado is firm, it will be ready in a couple of days. To ripen, store in the fruit bowl then pop in the fridge to keep at the perfect ripeness for two to three days.
You can speed up ripening by popping your Australian avocado in a paper bag with a banana.
Sprinkle cut avocado with lemon juice or vinegar to stop it browning, seal with a wrap removing any air or pop in a container, and store in fridge.
The ultimate avocado entertaining platter
This platter with the ultimate creamy avocado dip paired with crispy homemade pita chips is sure to impress your friends. Plus, you'll all benefit from the nutritional goodness of avocados, Greek yoghurt and tomatoes. It serves 6-8 as a starter.
Ingredients
- 4 avocados
- 1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp lemon, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Lebanese breads (large)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 250g cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
Method
- Preheat oven to 200c. Split Lebanese breads into single layer, place on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil and add a pinch of salt. Place pine nuts in the corner of the tray to toast. Bake for 5 minutes or until bread is crispy. Break into bite-size pieces once cool.
- Meanwhile, process avocados, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic and tsp salt in a blender or mortar and pestle.
- To serve, spread avocado dip on a platter. Add cherry tomatoes, mint, pine nuts and pita chips.
