Getting the Most Out of National Avocado Day

Image: Juraj Varga/Pixabay

If you think of avocados as a one-trick pony, good for guacamole and nothing more, then you haven’t explored the full range of possibilities this fruit has to offer.

You don’t need a special reason to enjoy avocados but this coming Friday, July 29, which is National Avocado Day, provides one.

Nutritionally speaking, avocados are good for you. They provide 11% of recommended Daily Value of dietary fiber, and 10% each of your DV of folate, vitamin K, and copper.

When it comes to food preparation, avocados are surprisingly versatile. Did you know, for example, that you can cook with avocado oil? BetterBody Foods sells 100% pure avocado oil for $7.49 a 16.9-fluid ounce bottle. With a high smoke point of 500°F, it can really take the heat and is imbued with a mild, smooth flavor that enhances other foods.

If you’re creative in the kitchen, the avocado and the blender are your friends. Blend the peeled fruit with a ripe sliced banana and a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder and you’ll have a delicious and comparatively low-fat chocolate pudding. Blend it with some garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice, and you’ve got salad dressing. And don’t forget avocado toast. The breakfast or lunch treat, which was all the rage a few years ago, can be done plain (the mashed fruit drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and toasted on a thick slice of baguette) or fancy (combined with an assortment of shredded cheeses pico de gallo).

Or try taking your avocado out of the kitchen altogether and press it into service as a beauty aid. Mashing avocado with banana and olive oil also makes a great hair conditioning paste, while mashing the fruit up with some olive oil, honey, and yogurt gives you an ideal facial mask.

And don’t throw away the pit. Instead, grind it up with some avocado flesh and salt to create an exfoliating foot scrub.

Find more info on national food holidays at National Today.