This document provides information about avocados, including: 1) Avocados are high in nutrients like vitamin E, fiber, and potassium. They contain healthy fats and can be part of a calorie-controlled diet. 2) Avocados contain lutein which is good for eye health, and beta-sitosterol which can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. 3) The document describes how to select, store, ripen, and prepare avocados. Avocados should be gently handled and can be kept in the refrigerator.

1. AVOCADO AVOCADO AVOCADO AVOCADO AVOCADO Done By: Fabian Ho Kai Bin (28) Geraldine Wee (05) Cover Page Of Home Econs Project On Avocado 1E8

2. 9. NUTRITION FACTS OF ALL AVOCADO 199 176 15 164 0 Sodium (mg) 7 30 13 61 0 Cholesterol (mg) 1.4 6 3.7 14.6 0.5 Sat Fat (g) 9.4 9.4 6 23 4.5 Total Fat (g) 109 114 60 204 50 Calories 2 Tbsp. 1 Slice 2 Tbsp. 2 Tbsp. 2 Tbsp. or 2-3 Thin Slices Portion (1 ounce) Mayonnaise, with salt Cheddar Cheese Sour Cream, Cultured Butter, salted Fresh Avocado Spread and Dip Nutritional Comparison

3. 10. Fill each half withrice salad and serve. - Fruited Rice Salad on the Half 10. Recipe for Avocado 4 cups cooked brown or wild rice Ingredients : ¼ cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 avocados Vinaigrette Method: 1. Chill rice. 2. Pour boiling water over raisins and apricots in small bowl. 3. Let stand 10 minutes, drain and cool. 4. Heat oven to 350F. 5. Place pecans on shallow baking pan; bake 5 to 8 minutes. 6. Remove from oven, set aside. 7. Prepare Vinaigrette. 8. Toss rice, raisins, apricots, and pecans with Vinaigrette, refrigerate 1 hour. 9. Just before serving, halve, seed and peel avocados. Fruited Rice Salad on the Half Recipe for

4. 1. BENEFITS OF EATING AVOCADO 1A) Avocado Nutrition Structure/Function Statements 1) Avocados contain 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein, which some studies suggest may help maintain healthy eyes. 2) Avocados are included in Fruits & Veggies-More Matters™ consumer educational program to promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables for good health. 3) Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that can contribute to the nutrient quality of your diet. 4) Avocados, due to their mono and polyunsaturated fat content, are a healthy substitution for foods rich in saturated fat. 5) One-fifth of a medium avocado (1 oz) has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals making it a good nutrient choice. 6) Avocados contain 76 milligrams beta-sitosterol in a 3-oz serving of avocado. Beta-sitosterol is a natural plant sterol which may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. 1 2 3 1B) Avocados and Babies The avocado's smooth, creamy consistency makes it one of the first fresh fruits a baby can enjoy. Sodium- and cholesterol- free, avocados contain valuable nutrients including 8% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for folate; 4% DV for fiber and potassium, 4% DV for vitamin E; and 2% DV for iron. A serving of avocado also contains 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. Per serving, avocados have 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain 1C) Avocados Nutrient Profile 1) One-fifth of a medium avocado, or about one ounce, has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 beneficial nutrients to the diet. 2) Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases. 3) Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. 4) Avocados act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

5. 4 5 6 1D) Avocados and Heart Disease 1) Avocados can help consumers meet the dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association, which are to eat a diet that is low to moderate in fat. The fats should be primarily unsaturated and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The avocado is virtually the only fruit that has monounsaturated fat. 2) Avocados help assist consumers in meeting a major dietary goal of reducing saturated fat in the diet, when they are consumed in place of saturated-fat containing foods. 1E) Avocado and Weight Loss/Maintenance 1) When used instead of other fats, avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and can be part of a calorie-reduced diet. 2) Avocados can be a satisfying addition to a calorie-reduced diet, when they are eaten in lieu of other fats. 3) When enjoyed in place of other fats, avocados can be a satisfying addition to a calorie-controlled diet. 1F) Spread and Dip Nutritional Comparison for Fresh Avocados 1) Fresh avocado on sandwiches and toast or substituted as a spread in place of many other popular foods may help reduce dietary intake of calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol. 2) Want to reduce your cholesterol intake? Try fresh avocado on sandwiches and toast or substitute as a spread in place of many other popular foods to reduce your intake of cholesterol, calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium. 3) Looking for a twist on spreads and dips? A 1-ounce serving of fresh avocados contain 0mg of cholesterol, 0mg of sodium, 0.5g saturated fat. See the chart below for examples of how fresh avocados are a great substitute on sandwiches, toast or substituted as a spread in place of many other popular foods. 4) Try fresh avocado on sandwiches and toast in place of many other popular foods to reduce your intake of cholesterol, calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium.

6. 7 8 9 2) Avocados and Lutein 1) Avocados are a good way to get more lutein in the diet. An ounce of avocado contains 81 micrograms of lutein. Lutein has been shown to be concentrated in the Macula of the eye, and research suggests that it may help maintain healthy eyesight as we age. 2) Lutein is a natural antioxidant that may help maintain eye health as we get older. By adding avocado to foods like salads, salsa, soups or sandwiches you can get more of the phytonutrient lutein in your diet. 3) How To Store 1) Handle avocados gently because bruised and bumped avocados have brown patches that don't look or taste as good as gently handled fruit. If storing a part-used avocado, leave the stone in place and wrap the avocado in film, so there's very little air left. It will keep in the fridge for a day or two. The stone stops it going brown as quickly. Whole avocados can be stored in a cool, dry, dark place or in the fridge. The length of storage depends on how ripe they already were when you got them, so check them daily to make sure they're not over-ripening. 4) How To Choose 1) If you've got an avocado in your veg box, wait until it yields to gentle pressure in the palm of your hand. If it's still very firm, it's edible, but won't taste as nice. Once they get mushy, use quickly, or they might have turned brown and be beyond their best

7. 10 11 12 6) How to ripen avocados 1) If you need to ripen an avocado that is still rock hard, you can put it in a paper bag with a banana for a few days, which should produce good results 7. How To Use 1) Use a sharp knife to slice the avocado in half, lenghtways. You'll need to turn the avocado to work round the stone. 2) Then twist the two halves to separate them. It should then be easy to remove the stone from the half it has stayed in. 3) Either scoop the flesh from the skin with a spoon or gently peel the skin back, to reveal an intact avocado half. 4) Prepare avocados shortly before use, as they tend to discolour quickly and your lovely, fresh green avocado dip will quickly turn brown... A little lemon juice can help slow this process. 8. Names 1) The name "avocado" is from its Nahuatl name 'ahuacatl' which also meant testicles , with influence from the irrelevant but much more familiar Spanish avocado an obsolete form of 'abogado' (lawyer). In some countries of South America the avocado fruit is known as 'palta', which is a name that comes from the Quechua language. The usage avocado pear is sometimes used in English. The Nahuatl ahuacatl could be compounded with others, as in ahuacamolli , meaning "avocado soup or sauce", from which the Mexican Spanish word guacamole derives. The plural of avocado is avocados or avocadoes . In most Caribbean countries (as well as in Mexico) it is called "Aguacate". In southern South America (Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) it is called palta from the Quechua .