WHILE avocado, locally known as “pear”, is technically a fruit, I have categorised it as a vegetable since this is how it is usually considered in the general arena of food consumption. Despite the drought and many fruits and vegetables being scarce, I am happy to see avocado in the markets and supermarkets. We are definitely in the long-anticipated avocado season and like the mango season, it is one of my favourites.

Native to Central and South America, avocados have been cultivated in these regions since 8,000 BC. In the mid-17th century, they were introduced to Jamaica and spread through the Asian tropical regions in the mid-1800s. Cultivation in the United States, specifically in Florida and California, began in the early 20th century.

Nutritional content

Avocados contain a variety of phytonutrients, among them are phytosterols, especially beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol; carotenoids such as beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, neochrome, neoxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin; flavonoids such as epicatechin and epigallocatechin 3-0-gallate; and polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols. Alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, and oleic acid are key fats provided by avocado. Avocados are a good source of pantothenic acid, dietary fibre, vitamin K, copper, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin E, and vitamin C.

Although they are fruits, avocados have a high fat content of between 71 to 88 per cent of their total calories — about 20 times the average for other fruits. A typical avocado contains 30 grams of fat, but 20 of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats.

Truth or myth?

Avocado is often seen as a food that is too high in fat. While it is true that avocado is a good source of fat, it is an unusual fat that provides several research-based health benefits. The unusual nature of avocado fat is threefold: there are phytosterols, polyhydroxylated (PFAs) and oleic acid. These three types of fatty acids and fatty alcohols are key supporters of our inflammatory system and help to keep inflammation under control. The anti-inflammatory benefits of these avocado fats are particularly well-documented for alleviating arthritis. Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are health problems that have received special research attention with respect to dietary intake of avocado. All three categories listed above are likely to be involved in avocado’s ability to help prevent osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Over half of the total fat in avocado is provided in the form of oleic acid — a situation very similar to the fat composition of olives and olive oil. Oleic acid, as a monounsaturated fatty acid, has also been shown to help lower our risk of heart disease.

Regulating blood sugar

One of the most interesting areas of avocado research involves carbohydrates and blood sugar regulation. Avocado is a relatively low-carb food, with about 19 per cent of its calories coming from carbs. It’s also a low-sugar food, containing less than two grams of total sugar per cup, and falls very low on the glycemic index. Additionally, one cup of avocado provides about seven to eight grams of dietary fibre, making it an important dietary source of this blood sugar-regulating nutrient.

Given this impressive carb profile, I would not expect avocado to cause any issues for blood sugar unless it was eaten excessively, that is many cups per serving.

Anti-cancer

The anti-cancer properties of avocado are definitely related to its unusual mix of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nutrients. This relationship is to be expected since cancer risk factors almost always include excessive inflammation, which is related to lack of anti-inflammatory nutrients, and oxidative stress, which is related to lack of antioxidants.

However, in healthy cells, avocado works to improve inflammatory and oxidative stress levels. But in cancer cells, avocado works to increase oxidative stress and shift the cancer cells over into a programmed cell death cycle or apoptosis, lessening the cancer cell numbers. In other words, avocado appears to selectively push cancer cells “over the brink” in terms of oxidative stress and increase their likelihood of dying, while at the same time actively supporting the health of non-cancerous cells by increasing their supply of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Enjoy more avocado

Outside of the traditional “bulla and pear”, try the following:

1 Use chopped avocados as a garnish for soup.

2 Add avocado to your favourite salad dressing recipe to give it extra creaminess, richness and a beautiful green colour.

3 Use ripe avocado as a spread or a healthy replacement for mayonnaise.

So don’t believe the bad press about avocado being a high-fat food. There are many other high-fat plant foods, for example, ackee, walnuts and flaxseeds, like the avocado, that provide us with unique health benefits because of their unusual fat composition. I can only echo artist Jah9’s sentiment in her song: “Avocado a jus di avocado, avocado mi love di avocado…”

Bena Nakawuki is an internationally trained and certified raw food teacher, wellness coach and editor. She is currently the only certified member of the International Association of Raw Food Coaches and Teachers in Jamaica. She is the owner of The Lotus Line and may be contacted at TheLotusLine@gmail.com, www.facebook.com – The Lotus Line of Natural Health Products and Services, and twitter.com/TheLotusLine.