The Calorie Content of Avocado
Avocado is the fruit of the avocado tree that grows native in Central and South America. The avocado consists of a pear shaped fruit with pale green flesh and a hard stone-like seed. It has been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years by the early inhabitants of Central and South America, and now commercially cultivated in many tropical countries of the world.
What makes avocado popular is its delicious and filling flesh, which has a high content of monounsaturated fat (also found in olive oil) which actually lowers blood cholesterol, while the flesh itself has no cholesterol. Avocados are plucked when they are mature and then stored in containers along with other fruits or ethylene gas, to ripen. To know whether an avocado is ripe enough to eat, gently press the stem end of the fruit, and if the flesh yields to your touch, it should be ready to be consumed. Once picked, avocados usually get ripe within a few days.
There are several cultivars of avocado, like Bacon, Florida, Fuerte, Sharwil, Pinkerton, and Hass, with the Hass being the most popular variety at present. Most avocados have dark green skin, but the Hass has dark, almost blackish skin when ripe.
Avocado is unique among fruits in having relatively high calorie content, compared to most other fruits. Most of the calories are concentrated in the fat content of its flesh, which is quite high for a fruit, and which is the reason why you tend to feel full quickly, when you eat avocado. It has a good amount of B vitamins and especially vitamin E, but otherwise poor in vitamin C (which is normally abundant in fruits).
It is also good for fiber and potassium. The potassium and fiber content in avocado is among the highest for fruits. It also supplies a little of other minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Avocados are normally cut in half and then eaten raw, or mixed with a salad dish, dips, or ice cream. Don’t give any avocado to your pets though; many animals can fall severely ill from eating it, as it contains a fatty acid that is toxic to many kinds of animals.
A 100g slice of avocado usually contains about 2g of protein, 23g of fat, 2g of fiber, and about 200 calories. Most of the calorie content of avocado (about two thirds) is derived from its fat content.