I absolutely love avocados. It used to be that I'd only buy them once in a while - maybe at the peak season when they were on sale - but they were never a regular staple in the house. Which makes no sense to me, because I love them, so why not just buy them every week?
Excuse #1. They can be kind of expensive.
So what. Lots of things are expensive, but I buy them anyway. So, that's a weak excuse.
Excuse #2. They are really fattening.
That is true, kind of. They are fattening (about 150 calories/15g fat for half a Hass avocado), but it's a healthy fat. Actually, it's monounsaturated fat speeds up the basal metabolic rate and can lower cholesterol - and they're packed with nutrients. The high fat content helps you feel fuller faster, and stay feeling full longer. So you really don't need to eat a lot of it to feel satisfied.
It gets down to quality over quantity. Just as with anything else... like animal fat, or butter, or breads or sugar or salt. Eat it, but don't pig out.
We went to Paris 2 years ago - my first time. We had an apartment on a wonderful street that was lined with markets. We had whole milk and croissants and cheese -sometimes eggs - for breakfast everyday. And lunch was always something good. We drank lots of champagne & wine. And dinner, well- we didn't hold back. But I actually lost weight on that vacation. I couldn't believe it. But the way of the French is... they eat wonderfully rich foods, but in small quantities. This must be why French women don't get fat? I definitely saw my share of pencil thin women eating fries - but I swear, you could walk the streets of Paris all day long and the only overweight people you will see are tourists.
Anyway.... avocados....
Now I buy them every week, and like onions, we always have them. When I make a sandwich, I like to use a few thin slices of avocado instead of mayonnaise. I love them on my eggs. I love them mashed up and put them on lean chicken and pork. Spread some on a crispy piece of bread, in place of butter. On salads, I always add a little avocado. Theo doesn't like avocados (gasp!) but me and the baby.... we eat it almost daily.
