Is avocado worth the calories ?

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  • cardswimmom
    cardswimmom Posts: 71
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    I tend to go through 1-2 a week. :smile:
    [/quote]

    How do you store yours without them getting all brown and mushy? I love a few slices on my sandwiches but when I try to store the rest they don't tend to hold up!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    I tend to go through 1-2 a week. :smile:

    How do you store yours without them getting all brown and mushy? I love a few slices on my sandwiches but when I try to store the rest they don't tend to hold up!
    [/quote]

    I've heard that keeping the pit with the avocado helps keep it from getting brown. I don't know the reasons why that would be, but I do it. I don't know how much it helps. I don't know if there is anything that will help all THAT much. They are just a fruit that goes bad quickly so your best bet is just buying them only one or two at a time and using them within a few days.
  • superstarcassie
    superstarcassie Posts: 296 Member
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    Slice the avocado and use some fresh lime or lemon juice on it. It will help it keep from browning and keep longer. Plus the citrus helps make it even more delish! :)
  • tristan83
    tristan83 Posts: 51 Member
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    I LOVE avocado!!! I put mine on everything. Here's a few examples of what I use it for. :wink:

    For a heavy lunch (weekends):
    One avocado mashed to a thick cream with tomato chunks mixed in.
    One slice provolone.
    One lean hamburger patty.
    One Sara Lee Hamburger bun.

    For a lighter version:
    One avocado mashed to a thick cream.
    One tomato slice.
    One slice provolone.
    2 slices Oroweat 12 Grain Bread
    6 slices Turkey.

    Fruit on the side for both versions.
  • sblim
    sblim Posts: 99
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    I'm not sure if they have them there, but here they sell these little avocados called "paltas dedo" or "avocado fingers". They are great, about the length of a finger and the width of maybe a thumb or two without a seed. It is about 40g of fruit after you peal it as opposed to an entire avocado. Maybe try a whole foods or central market and you don't have to waste any of it or have to eat it all.

    As an aside, in Peru we eat a lot of avocados. If you cut one up and let it sit for a short period it starts to turn black. Now, I've been told that if you take the pit of the avocado and put it in water, the avocado won't turn black (or at least it will greatly prolong it). Anyone else ever heard this or even tried it?
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
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    Our entire family loves avocados! They are great diced in Chicken tortilla soup, on top of chili, as a veggie dip, in place of mayo on a sandwich, sliced on top of a salad or inside of a wrap, mixed into salsa, diced on top of an egg white omelet or just plain with pepper! My kids love them too!!
  • rmccully
    rmccully Posts: 319
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    I would say yes. They are yummy

    Just two nights ago I cooked some quinoa and cut up a whole small avocado and mixed the two up with some hot spicies and yum!

    A small avocado is 214
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    Absolutely. And I eat the whole one, which is why I pick them small, even if they are sold as a unit price. Unless I am sharing with hubby, then I get a bigger one. I have yet to find a fool-proof way of saving part of an avocado

    A good side note, anyone have ideas about preserving an avocado? When I buy one (which is rare b/c hard to eat w/o it going bad) I use 1/4 of it on a sandwich so it takes about a week for me to eat. By the end it is brown'ish so not pretty but still edible (stored in a glass Rubbermaid). My sister said keeping it attached to the pit may help preserve it - I haven't tried that yet.

    Any ideas?
  • immacookie
    immacookie Posts: 7,424 Member
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    Absolutely. And I eat the whole one, which is why I pick them small, even if they are sold as a unit price. Unless I am sharing with hubby, then I get a bigger one. I have yet to find a fool-proof way of saving part of an avocado

    A good side note, anyone have ideas about preserving an avocado? When I buy one (which is rare b/c hard to eat w/o it going bad) I use 1/4 of it on a sandwich so it takes about a week for me to eat. By the end it is brown'ish so not pretty but still edible (stored in a glass Rubbermaid). My sister said keeping it attached to the pit may help preserve it - I haven't tried that yet.

    Any ideas?

    I've tried storing it with it's pit... lemon juice... lime juice... a combo of all 3... it still turns brown by the next day. I just sort of scrape off the soft brown stuff and eat away. :laugh:
  • lvfunandfit
    lvfunandfit Posts: 654 Member
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    I read that using ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and citric acid then freezing them works.
  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    I love avocado! I can't believe I spent years refusing to touch it. I mostly eat it made into guacamole (mashed with some garlic, lemon juice and salt.... my husband adds in some sour cream as well which makes it really yummy) or diced into a black bean/corn/Rotel salad that I make. I think it is definitely worth the calories and fat because it is the good kind of fat.

    As for saving... I have heard that if you put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the avocado that it will not turn brown. I haven't tried that though. I've also heard what others have mentioned about leaving the pit in or sprinkling on lemon juice.
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    bump
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
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    Re saving avocado - after googling, a ton of articles came up - most suggesting leaving the pit in, spray lemon or lime juice on the fruit (or granulated ascorbic acid) covering the whole fruit with cling wrap.

    So I left the pit in, just covered with saranwrap and this morning, it's still looking good.
  • pettmybunny
    pettmybunny Posts: 1,986 Member
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    I leave the skin on my avocado, slice it in half. Twist, and one half will come free, leaving the other half with the pit still intact. I then peel and use the half that doesn't have skin (if you're only using a quarter, I would tuck the other quarter in to the pit maybe?). I just throw the half with the pit in a ziploc baggie and put it in the fridge. It keeps for a couple of days that way. If the open edge turns brown, just cut away a tiny bit, and it's perfectly fine and green underneath.

    I was having a hard time with the database, because my 1/4 of a medium fruit and your 1/4 of a medium fruit might be different. So I researched way back when, and found a calorie count for avocados by the ounce. 50 calories by ounce, 5 g fat, 1 g protein. I put it in the database under fresh vegetable (yeah yeah yeah, I know it's a fruit, I'm a dummy)-- Avocado, raw by the ounce (1/5 of a medium fruit). What I find usually is that a half an avocado is usually under 2 ounces. We must get small avocados here:laugh: But I feel better knowing the exact amount I'm getting.
  • SquidInTraining
    SquidInTraining Posts: 196
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    Yes on avocados! They're good for you - they're loaded with vitamins.

    I put them on just about anything, but my most recent application was this sandwich -

    2 pieces of grilled, thin sliced sourdough, 1 oz. of herbed soft goat cheese, about an oz of diced, roasted red peppers, portabella mushroom, some fresh spinach, and finished with a sliced 1/2 of an avocado. I put the portabella on the grill with a tiny bit of olive oil, and then finish it on the flat top. If you don't work in a commercial kitchen, a saute' pan on the stove top would suffice. :)
  • StaySee0828
    StaySee0828 Posts: 10 Member
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    YES, so worth it! To me anyway!!! I love, love, LOVE avocados!!!! I did weight watchers a long time ago--before I just started plain ol' countin calories--and whenever I ate a fruit or vegetable (even if it was an avocado!) I would not even count it! I mean, I didn't get fat on fruits and vegetables!! And even without counting fruits or vegetables I still lost 24 lbs...now...mind you...I was a lot younger then...probably 21 or 22, but still--to this day, if I go over my calorie content for the day b/c I ate a whole avocado (which I USUALLY do in one sitting--and not because I can't keep it from going bad--more because I can't keep myself from finishing it!), I don't stress about it too much...it is sooooo good for you and has so many health benefits, I figure I could pick a lot worse food for 250+ calories! Now, when I AM good and only eat a portion of it, I have found that if you cut it in half and leave the skin on it and the pit in the half you save, then sprinkle it with lemon or lime juice (or that fresh fruit powder stuff) and put seran wrap (or even press n seal--that works best) real tight, closely on it (to keep the most air out as possible!) and then put it in a ziplock bag--it holds up a couple days--but I've never let it sit in my fridge for more than two days without eating the other half so I honestly can't say if it lasts longer than 2 days that way! And when it does form some greyish/dark spots, I just slice them off and its bright green still underneath! I've even actually eaten the dark-ish spots before and they taste no different--I hope its not bad for you that way, but I guess I always kinda figured its just like if you leave an apple out and it turns brownish--its not bad, it just changes color....(right?!)

    ok...off to go dream up some avocado recipes! LOL!
  • KimmyBee
    KimmyBee Posts: 158 Member
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    recently discovered this avocado recipe and I LOVE it, so i thought Id share. plus its so simple, not the healthiest of dishes with the bacon and all, but its my treat when I have it.

    (serves 2, or 1 if youre hungry and have spare calories hehe)
    Ingredients
    1 avocado
    2 slices bread
    juice of 1/2 lime
    pinch dried chilli flakes
    4 slices of bacon, all visible fat removed.
    1 tomato (optional) I usually have it without, because i think its nicer


    Set to grilling your bacon, while thats doing you should halve, skin and mash up the avocado flesh, add the lime juice and chilli flakes and stir in well.

    when the bacon is nearly done, toast your bread and thinly slice your tomato, if using.

    Spread the avocado quite thickly onto the toast, top with a few slices of tomato and finally with the bacon. Eat as an open sandwich.


    Scrummy yummy :heart:
  • SuzMcH
    SuzMcH Posts: 343 Member
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    How appropriate that this thread has been bumped up. I bought an avocado yesterday and trying to decide what to do with it. some good suggestions on here. And will be leaving the pit in so it lasts for more than one day.
  • susiewusie
    susiewusie Posts: 432 Member
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    My fave ,grill or griddle thin chicken breast ,slice bacon all fat removed ,griddle 2 slices of a bread of your choice then mash some avocado onto the bread then add the chicken and bacon its to die for :)
  • happy_jax
    happy_jax Posts: 289 Member
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    Oh yes yes yes!!! Avocado is food of the Gods! :happy:

    When I was 21, I was at my skinniest - and for dinner probably 4/5 times a week, I used to eat:

    1 Avocado with chilli and garlic flakes scrunched on top, with a tin of tuna fish, a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a slice or two of sour dough bread....mmmm! *drools* So yummy!

    I do agree with the other posts though, they need to be right. And Avo's in the UK are a bit hit and miss, I've thrown away most of the last few I've bought :cry: When we visit my family in South Africa, they have a tree in the garden that grows the most perfect ones!! Jealous!!

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