Avocados – The Original Superfood

July is Summer Avocado Month, when the ‘Green Superfood’ is at its peak in the UK. The Summer Avocado is one of the healthiest fruits available, and one of the original Superfoods. The avocado has over 3,000 years as a health food. The Aztecs knew them as the “Fruit of the Gods”, and today leading nutritionists and dieticians praise them for the health benefits. Half an avocado provides one of the five a day portions of fruit or vegetable.

Avocados are high in vitamins, minerals, including potassium (more than bananas) but also contain no cholesterol or solid fats, but actually contain mono-saturates (that help lower LDL – or bad cholesterol). So like olive oil avocados contain the good fats.

They are also bursting with vitamins, including: Vitamin A - crucial for healthy skin, bones and hair, and strengthens the immunity system. Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 are vital for energy metabolism, and help with concentration and combat depression. While Vitamin B6 helps keep the nervous system in good condition, and is beneficial to women suffering from PMS. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals that cause deterioration and aging, and vitamin E increases fertility.

As good on the inside as on the outside, Summer Avocados make fantastic natural beauty treatments. A simple eye treatment is to slice an avocado stone in half and into quarter inch crescents, and leave a slice under each eye for 20 minutes. The results are fantastic!

Avocado orchards help renew our air supply and keep it fresh by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. In one year, a single avocado tree can absorb as much carbon as is produced by a car driven 26,000 miles! Summer Avocados are shipped rather than flown into the UK, from the South African sun – making than green both inside and out.

Visit your nearest retailer or greengrocer to stock up on Summer Avocados in July.