A guide to the nutritional benefits of avocados

Although it is often mistaken for a vegetable, the avocado is a fruit — the reproductive part of the plant. The rich, buttery flavour and smooth texture of an avocado make it a complemen­tary addition to vegetable, meat and pasta ­salads. When mashed and seasoned, it can also be served as a dip (as in guacamole) or a sandwich spread. Here's what you need to know about cooking with avocados.

• The avocado contains approximately 200 calories in a 115 gram (four ounce) serving, and it has more fat and calories than any other fruit. In fact, 85 percent of those calories are from fat. However, because most of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, it does not tend to elevate blood cholesterol levels, unlike the saturated oil that comes from palms and a number of other tropical plants.
• When served as part of an otherwise low fat meal or snack, an avocado contributes a number of important nutrients.
• A serving of 115 grams (four ounces), about one-half of a medium size fruit, provides 500 milligrams of potassium and more than 16 percent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of folate; it also supplies 10 percent or more of the RDAs for iron, vitamins C, E and B6, plus useful amounts of magnesium.
• Avocados are also rich in two phytochemicals: beta-sitosterol, an important phytochemical linked with lower cholesterol levels; and glutathione, an antioxidant that may offer protection against several cancers. Avocados are a rich source of folate, vitamin A and potassium.
• Avocados should be served raw; they have a bitter taste when cooked. But they can be added to hot dishes that have already been cooked — for example, tossed with a spicy pasta sauce or sliced atop a broiled chicken breast.

• Avocados are rich in monounsaturated oil, the same heart-friendly fat found in olive oil, and have more soluble fibre than any other fruit.
• Avocados contain a plant sterol called beta-sitosterol, which helps prevent cholesterol from being absorbed through the intestines.
• A medium size (230 gram/eight ounce) California avocado contains about 30 grams of fat — almost twice as much as its Florida cousin — and more calories than any other fruit.
• The avocado is popularly known as the alligator pear because of the shape and rough skin of its most common variety. Other types are larger in size, and range in colour from dark green to crimson.
• Avocados start to ripen only after being cut from the tree. Mature fruit can be left on the tree for six months without spoiling. Once picked, it will ripen in a few days.
• Avocados have more protein than any other fruit — approximately two grams in a 115 gram (four ounce) serving.

Cooking with avocados is easy and nutritious. Keep this guide in mind and add avocados to your diet today!