Have you had an avocado lately?
So enough about wine. I'm going to tell you a little secret. Fat is good for you. No, seriously it is. Did you know that cholesterol is a building block to the walls of your cells? Scientific word time: Phosholipid bilayer. Translation: Fat molecules layered in a double layer. Translation to that: This is the outer boundary to your cells.
So why am I telling you this? Well, to just prove that not all fat is bad. I know the catch phrase is trans fat right now. Do you know what that means? If not, read up on it at wikipedia. But to see if you know at least some of the differences between the fats. Match the following with the correct type of fat. Here are the types: Unsaturated, Trans, and saturated fat.
- Butter
- Canola Oil
- Margarine
Well, besides these obvious sources of fats, did you know that a source of good fat (UNSATURATED) is the avocado. Don't believe me? Read the nutritional label. It is a perfect replacement for sandwiches, salads or dips. Want to replace the ranch dressing? Cut up some avocado, sprinkle some olive oil and squeeze a lime over the salad. Trying to cut back on the mayo? Go make some fresh guacamole and spread it on. Same goes for dips. That is if there are any avocados left after the Super Bowl shopping spree.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me ask, would you know how to pick out a ripe avocado. First of all, I'm talking about Hass avocados. You either find them in a green color or in the black color like the picture above. Let me make this clear. All green is not ripe, some black is okay, all black is best. The secret is to find an avocado that still has a bit of firmness but that gives when you squeeze the top and bottom of it.
Now that you have some fresh ripe avocados. You can play with them. Remember, I want you to play with your food. Slice the avocado in half, take out the pit, and then decide whether you want guac or avocado chunks/slices. If you go with slices, drizzle some olive oil, squeeze some lime on top and s&p it to taste.
My favorite is to make guac. It's a great snack in between meals. I could eat it like yogurt, but baked tostitos hit the spot as does a quick turkey sandwich. If you have a great recipe for guacamole, well then you know what to do. If not, well I'll soon follow up with an easy and healthy guacamole recipe. I just don't want to overwhelm you for one day...
