Let us Now Praise Great Pseudo-Fruit: Avocados

Why they are here...

Co-evolution

The avocado may be an example of an 'evolutionary anachronism', a fruit adapted for ecological relationship with now-extinct large mammals (such as the giant ground sloth or the Gomphothere). Most large fleshy fruits serve the function of seed dispersal, accomplished by their consumption by large animals. Author Connie Barlow hypothesizes that the fruit, with its mildly toxic pit, may have co-evolved with Pleistocene megafauna to be swallowed whole and excreted in their dung, ready to sprout. No extant native animal is large enough to effectively disperse avocado seeds in this fashion. When the avocado's hypothesized ecological partners disappeared the avocado likely would have gone extinct, or evolved a different fruit morphology, if human cultivation had not maintained this "ghost of evolution."[29]

--Wiki


I love them in sushi, in Mexican cuisine qua guacamole or otherwise and in many other dishes.

Did you know that they have been demonstrated to kill cancerous and precancerous oral cells?

I just learned that in South Texas, a peanut butter and avocado sandwich is a popular lunchbox item, mostly in the Mexican American communities.

That sounds really, really good actually!

I always refer to them as "the other egg yolk," because they are about as rich and creamy and sinfully delicious as egg yolks (which are no longer a part of my diet though egg whites are).

I was afraid of the fat and all the stuff you hear. Avocados get bad press. They need to hire better agents and get a network to contain the shit people talk about them. Because it's simply not true.

Your average avocado is only 150 calories, 50 more than a banana. And it kicks the banana's ass on potassium and basically everything else!!

And it leads to positive health effects, not negative, because of the nature of the fats. Studies done in comparison with increased whole egg consumption showed lowering of bad cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. for the avocado people and only the (whole) egg people suffered negative consequences.

I also realize now the shrimp I love so much are perfectly fine for me to eat too. Occasionally.

That's another interesting eye-opener. Another food that gets a bad rep.

P.S. This I knew way back: "The word "avocado" comes from the Nahuatl word āhuacatl ("testicle", a reference to the shape of the fruit)."

So go get balls-deep in a pile of avocados...it's good for you!