5 REASONS WHY AVOCADOS ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY

It’s not like you need any other reason than avocados taste uhhhhhh-mazing. So think of this list instead as justification for betting a decent chunk of your grocery budget on these tough-to-predict-but-oh-so-good-when-right babies, or saying “Yes, please” when the cashier asks, “Do you want avocado on that?”

1. Avocados have more potassium than bananas.
Say what?? Like carrots and good vision, I’ve always associated potassium with the banana, not the avocado. It’s true though. I checked. Sure, maybe the difference is teeny, and there’s no competition to be won here, but still… I don’t hear anyone advising athletes to eat avocados to prevent muscle cramps. 😕

Per 100 grams—about 2/3 of a medium avocado or one small banana—the agaucate (yes, I’m also here to help you step up your Spanish game) contains 485 mg (13% DV) of potassium, whereas the banana has 358 mg (10% DV). And why should you care about getting enough potassium in your diet? According to Harvard Health Publishing, potassium plays an important role in the functioning of all cells: regulating your heartbeat, ensuring muscles and nerves operate effectively, synthesizing protein, and metabolizing carbohydrates.¹

2. They’re smooth operators.
From that same 100-gram serving of avocado, you’ll get seven grams of fiber—28% of the recommended daily intake, keeping your 💩 breaks right on schedule. Aside from gifting you with a well-functioning digestive system, fiber also helps maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Scrambled JustEgg with a side of avocado, Avocadomama’s killer vegan mac topped with avocado, an avocado straight up, or even an avocado margarita from Nashville’s all-vegan eatery AVO… Just do it!

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3. Like the mysterious, steamy baths in Wanted, avocados can aid your body in recovery.
Well, that’s not the movie clip I was looking for, but it was way too cute to pass up. What I actually had in mind was Angelina Jolie—as the smokey-eyed assassin Fox—stepping out of a sunken stone tub used by the Fraternity to magically erase all signs of bodily injury. Maybe the water had avocado in it…

An average-sized “alligator pear” provides approximately 20 milligrams or one-third of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C, an antioxidant vital to the body’s healing processes. For instance, vitamin C plays a part in every step of natural wound repair.² From helping remove debris during the inflammatory phase to collagen synthesis in the proliferative phase, vitamin C is basically a wonder nutrient.

4. They might make you smarter.
Along with nuts and vegetable oils, avocados are high in monounsaturated fats—the “good kind” that evidence links to greater general intelligence and improved brain connectivity.³ The specifics get a bit complicated. But just as all organs and systems benefit from a healthy diet, the brain thrives when given adequate nutrition.

Fun (or slightly disturbing) fact: Fat makes up about 60 percent of the human brain’s dry weight, making it the fattiest organ in the body, excluding adipose tissue.

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5. You can’t make guacamole without avocados!
Let’s be real… Few snacks can compete with the guilt-free chip dip. And your friends and family will love you for serving it.

My usual ingredients are lime, cilantro, red onion, tomato, and Himalayan pink salt. So simple, so delicious. How do you rock your guac?

Sources: ¹Harvard Health Publishing | ²National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine | ³NeuroImage