How Can Avocado Make You Feel Great?

AYURVEDIC ANALYSIS

Few foods from the plant kingdom echo the heavy richness of fine cheeses, creams and butter as does the avocado. Avocado melts in your mouth like brie or ice cream, and provides the creaminess that most associate exclusively with dairy, but is actually an oily berry.

Healthy Fats to Keep You Slim

Although Avocado is unusually high in fats, it has no cholesterol and is an excellent choice for those wanting to lose weight. Officially it's on the list of foods for kapha types to avoid. However, avocado can be a very satisfying replacement for butter, cheese, and even creamy desserts, moderating your appetite for these less-healthy foods. Plus, it provides the healthy fats your body needs, essential Omega 3's and 6's which are necessary for a healthy metabolism. This buttery green fruit is also packed with vitamins, minerals and even complete proteins.

Grounding & Nourishing

Avocado grounds while it nourishes. It's heaviness is comforting and calming, redirecting attention inward. Avocado can be compared to mushrooms for the earthy qualities it can impart; however, adding a wedge of lime, a pinch of salt, or cilantro will help lighten up avocado, and assist your digestion of this heavy fruit. It combines well with any foods (bitters and sours) that improve fat digestion and metabolism.

The avocado's heavy, oily, and cool qualities lubricate the intestines and moisten dry lungs. Eating this nourishing food helps soothe the joints, moisturize dry hair, skin and nails, and enhance libido. Avocado strongly builds ojas, and is an excellent baby food.

Some people are allergic to the flesh as an overripe avocado turns black.

ABOUT AVOCADO

The avocado fruit grows on trees, but does not ripen until after it has been picked. It has a pear shape, and a rough, dark green to black skin with tiny bumps, which earned it the name "alligator pear". Unlike other fruits, avocado isn't sweet at all, and is rarely referred to as a berry. It is the "meat or flesh of the avocado" that is cut from the large brown seed inside. It has also been called "butter fruit" because of its creamy, buttery texture.

Did you know that guacamole hails from ancient Aztec culture? The Aztecs traditionally made guacamole by mashing fresh avocado with sea salt, onions, and tomatoes in a molcajete (mortar and pestle). This satisfying, oily dish was relatively low in fat. Avocado was a staple in Latin America, in part because it is a great source of heart-healthy fats and is a rich source of many vitamins. Avocado trees are currently growing in tropical and Mediterranean climates around the world.

BUYING & PREPARATION

When choosing an avocado, give it a gentle squeeze; ripe yields to pressure and is a little soft. Too soft to the touch means it is overripe, and will probably be brown or stringy when you cut it. Avocadoes usually only take a few days to ripen, and will ripen faster if stored with other fruit. Once cut, the flesh turns brown quickly after exposure to air, so it's important to eat the whole avocado within a day or two. Squeezing a bit of lime or lemon juice over the exposed part helps to preserve color and taste after it is peeled.

Another trick for extending the life of opened avocadoes and avocado preparations, such as guacamole, is to place the avocado seed in the dish (or leave it in half the fruit). This is commonly done in Mexico, and helps maintain the color and flavor of the dish.

Avocados may become inedible when cooked, although Hass varieties (the most common) can be lightly cooked. In general, there are few recipes that call for heating avocadoes. It is more common and tasty to add avocado to a raw salad or as a topping with a cooked dish.

COOKING AVOCADO

Browse Recipes Avocado is a delicious food all by itself. Simply slice a ripe avocado in half, add a sprinkle of salt, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Avocado creaminess makes a great spread superior to mayonnaise. It's hard to imagine nachos without dipping them in guacamole, a famous Latino recipe including avocado, garlic, cilantro, and lemon juice and occaisonally tomato form. Guacamole dip may be served alongside raw veggies, as a topping for burritos, tacos, and even beans and rice. In general, avocado also combines well with corn, chicken, and fresh greens. California rolls have popularized avocado's use in sushi. Eating avocado with greens adds a bitter taste, which may help you digest some of the fats.

Although it is not sweet in itself, its rich and smooth texture make avocado a common addition to smoothies, puddings, and other desserts. For example, try avocado smoothies mixed with milk, avocado ice-cream, or banana avocado chocolate pudding. It combines well with chocolate, and for the lactose intolerant or vegan, it can be used as an alternative to milk or cream in smoothies and desserts.

WHY SHOULD YOU EAT AYURVEDICALLY?

Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. An Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body type and the specific imbalances you are working with at any given time. Foods that supplement your specific body type’s needs and digest easily create your menu. Watch as you eat less but feel more satisfied because what you are eating truly nourishes you. Since Ayurveda believes all disease begins in the digestive tract, food is your first medicine. By eating a healthy diet that’s ideal for your body, you experience optimal health.

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Is Avocado Good for Me?

Find out by taking this free, easy quiz. You'll learn your body type, and whether Avocado is a good fit for you. Time to complete: approximately 1 minute.

MEDICINAL QUALITIES

INCREASES Increases These Qualities (Gunas) Functional Ayurveda helps you assess imbalances through 20 main characteristics (gunas). Aggravating these characteristics weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which characteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct imbalances before you get sick. Every characteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite characteristic. Learn More	HEAVY ABOUT HEAVY GUNA Heavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight. LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAVY OILY ABOUT OILY GUNA Oily refers to anything fatty, or that increases fat. LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY GOOEY ABOUT GOOEY GUNA Gooey is identified by anything gelatinous (such as oatmeal), or by mucus congestion. LEARN MORE ABOUT GOOEY EASY ABOUT EASY GUNA Easy refers to anything easy to digest, or digests quickly. LEARN MORE ABOUT EASY
TASTES The 6 Tastes Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below? Learn More	SWEET ABOUT SWEET GUNA Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET
DOSHAS The Three Doshas / Body Types People tend to get sick, over and over again, due to similar causes and habitual imbalances that are unique to the person. Your body type summarizes this tendency, showing you the 'type' of conditions and imbalances that frequently challenge your health & wellness. Using body type, you can also identify remedies likely to improve your strength and resiliency. Your body type identifies physical and mental characteristics as well as your personal strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of your body type is based on your medical history. The 3 functional body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha). Catabolic individuals tend to break down body mass into energy. Metabolic individuals tend to burn or use energy. Anabolic individuals tend to store energy as body mass. Catabolic people tend to be easily stimulated, hyperactive, underweight and dry. Metabolic people tend to be rosy-cheeked, easily irritated, focused, driven, and easily inflamed. Anabolic people are heavy, stable and grounded, but if they store too much energy, they could gain weight easily and have congestion. Learn More	PACIFIES AGGRAVATES
HAS THE FOLLOWING	EFFECT: Ojas OJAS Ojas is the essence of healthy tissue, immunity, stable energy and happiness. Substances that improve ojas are recommended after long-term illness, debility, emotional and physical trauma, and even sadness. LEARN MORE ABOUT OJAS , Tamasic TAMASIC Tamasic foods promote rest, sleepiness and stillness. Examples include wheat, mushrooms. LEARN MORE ABOUT TAMASIC , Alkalizing ALKALIZING An herb or food that makes the urine more alkaline (higher pH). This herbal action can be helpful for a number of inflammatory conditions. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALKALIZING TYPE: Vegetables ELEMENT: Earth EARTH Resembles earth (prithvi) in quality - heavy, dense, solid, stable, hard. LEARN MORE ABOUT EARTH , Water WATER Resembles water (ap) in quality - fluid, sticky, soft, heavy, stable, cool. LEARN MORE ABOUT WATER NUTRIENT: Fats, Folate, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Potassium, Vitamin E COLOR: Green NOURISHES: Fat FAT Fat tissue (Meda Dhatu) includes adipose tissue and sebum (skin oil). LEARN MORE ABOUT FAT MOVES ENERGY: Downward DOWNWARD Downward-moving (Adho Gati Marga) substances move food downward in the GI tract, settle the nervous system, and relax muscles. LEARN MORE ABOUT DOWNWARD , Inward INWARD Inward moving substances promote introspection, self reflection, stillness, or slow the system down. LEARN MORE ABOUT INWARD

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Experiences are Personal

Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

Energy Vitality Strength:

Satisfies stomach

SATISFIES-STOMACH

Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach.

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Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

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Liver & Gall Bladder:

Livotonic

LIVOTONIC

An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias.

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Lung and Sinus:

Demulcent

DEMULCENT

Herbs that coat or form a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane.

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Mind, Stress & Sleep:

Grounding

GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth.

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Skin Care & Beauty:

Refreshes skin

REFRESHES-SKIN

Flushes the lymphatic system to cool, awaken, and revive the skin.

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Emollient

EMOLLIENT

soothes & softens the skin

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Skin Tonic

SKIN-TONIC

An herb that strengthens and nourishes skin, improving tone, color, moisture and complexion.

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Bowel-Poop-Elimination:

Stool Softener

STOOL-SOFTENER

An herb that softens stool that is hard and difficult to pass. They are the safest and most gentle type of laxative. Some foods are even stool softeners, such as warm milk with ghee.

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