Favorite Foods: Avocado

I didn’t grow up eating avocados and was probably in my late 20s when I decided to give one a try. Now, avocados are an everyday food for my family, sometimes making it difficult to keep ripe ones stocked in the fridge. It’s one of those foods that never gets deleted from the grocery list because we always seem to be running low. Their creamy flavor is versatile and goes well with so many foods!

Why you should eat them:

Avocado is a fruit loaded with monounsaturated fats, fiber and many vitamins and minerals (vitamin K, folate, Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin E, Magnesium to name a few). It has the same type of fat found in olive oil, known as oleic acid, which has hearty healthy benefits. Avocados are high in antioxidants, including Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which are beneficial to eye health. Adding avocado to salads helps your body absorb fat soluble vitamins and carotenoids.

Ways to eat Avocado:

The most famous use of the avocado is guacamole. Add tomato, salt and a little lime juice for a tasty dip.

Some people, including my daughter, will eat it plain.

Diced or sliced avocado can be used as a topping for a baked potato, chili, tortilla soup, or burgers.

A breakfast food such as avocado toast, or added to eggs and omelets

Added to Mexican food like tacos, quesadillas, nachos or burritos

You can find avocado in a sushi roll or used as a sandwich spread.

You can also blend it and mix it in with hummus, add it to a smoothie, or use it as a replacement for butter or oil in baked desserts.

What’s your favorite way to eat avocado?

More favorite foods posts to come as I highlight my favorite nutrient dense foods, why you should add them in and ideas on how to do so.  Have a great weekend!

80/20 Rule

Strict, nutrient dense eating is unrealistic for people to strive for 100% of the time. It makes for a boring diet and can set you up for failure if followed to a “T”. It’s natural to want to include “fun“, nutrient-lacking foods to your day. Restricting yourself to nutrient dense foods ALL the time is impractical and, in my opinion, futile.

Enter the 80/20 rule. 80% of your time, choose whole, real and nutrient dense foods. The other 20% is left for the foods you really like the taste of, but may not provide a lot of nutrition. There is nothing wrong with including these types of foods in your day.

Nutrient dense foods provide you your macro and micronutrients and include foods such as grilled chicken, greek yogurt, avocado, brown rice, nuts, oatmeal, milk, fruit, eggs, quinoa, fish, or potatoes. The majority of your day should be comprised of these foods.

Your other choices would include your favorite foods so that you do not feel deprived. These foods may have extra sugar or fat added in like cookies, ice cream, chips, cereal, chocolate, ribs, dried fruit, fried food, or candy.

Over-restrictive diets lead to burn out and eventually binging on the foods you love but won’t allow yourself to have. Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to eat ALL foods. Find peace with food and it will lose it’s power and control.

 

Nutrient Dense Foods

Healthy eating is about the choices you make everyday.  Sometimes it just takes some tweaking of what you’re already doing or making slight changes in your eating plan. If you’re trying to focus on the quality of your food, choose nutrient dense foods.  Nutrient dense foods give you the best punch of vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats.

3 Ways to Add in Real Nutrient Dense Food

1. Add mashed avocado to your sandwiches or spread it on toast. You’ll get great taste, healthy fats, fiber and many vitamins and minerals. Avocado toast is a must-try food. You won’t regret it!
2. Instead of bagged chips, crunch on an ounce of nuts. For about the same amount of calories, you get protein, healthy fats and fiber.
3. Try making your own salad dressing to avoid bottled versions made with corn syrup and additives. Whisk up your own vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, or try plain yogurt with lemon juice, herbs and garlic. I’m also a fan of flavored balsamic vinegar as a dressing (pomegranate and orange are awesome)!

 

My favorite Salad Dressing Recipe atop an Apple Walnut Salad:

• 8 cups chopped red leaf lettuce
• 1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup red onions, sliced thin
• ¾ cup walnut halves, toasted

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
•  Salt
•  freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Toss together the lettuce, sliced apple, onions and walnuts.  Shake together the dressing ingredients and add to the salad.

If you’re looking for a salad dressing shaker, this one is high quality, doesn’t leak and has a convenient flip top that works great!