Copyright 2009 Natalie Miller Rotunda

That pear-shaped, nubby-skinned fruit known as an avocado is an awesome little thing! Like so many others, I’d avoided them because of the bad rap they'd gotten for being high in fat…much like coconut oil, another maligned food recently getting a thumbs-up for its own powerhouse of health benefits.

Called a butter pear by some, and an alligator pear by others, a medium avocado holds 30 g. of fat. It sounds impossibly high until you realize it contains HDL fats,  the good variety, most of it monounsaturated. Environmental Nutrition placed it first in its list of "15 Super Foods for Superior Health." It ranks high in foods that support eye health, as well, providing high levels of Vitamin A (kale, spinach, eggs are other eye-friendly foods containing Vitamin A).

Take a look at some of the goodies packed into just one of these Mediterranean fruits and grown here in the U.S.'s warmer climes. It’s a storehouse of folic acid, sodium, calcium, potassium (more than bananas, good news for banana non-lovers like my daughter), copper, Vitamins C and K, and dietary fiber. It’s a good source of antioxidants, and it protects against oral, prostate, and breast cancers, stroke, heart, and lowers cholesterol. What a bonanza! Where have you been all my life, avocado?

Our local food co-op keeps a regular stock of organic avocadoes, and they’re affordably priced at a buck-less-a-penny. Prices may vary, from time-to-time, by a nickel or a dime.

Preparing an avocado starts with a simple lengthwise cut around the perimeter and through the fruit to its pit. Then gently separate the two halves. Remove the pit by lightly stabbing it with the sharp end of your knife; it lifts right out. Scoop out the insides, slice it and add it to your mixed-green salad, or just about anything else. Make guacamole! One octogenarian I read about eats three a day---one on his morning eggs, one on his lunch salad, and one for dinner. He enjoys good health, and attributes it to the awesome avocado.