Avocado

Tastes

Sweet

Guna / Qualities

Cold, Heavy, Oily, Easy

Pacifies Doshas

Vata, Pitta

Aggravates Doshas

Nutritional Information

One whole medium avocado is about 250 calories with 22 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, and 13 grams of carbohydrates. They pack a big punch of nutrients including potassium, iron, vitamin K and B vitamins. Many consider them to be a super food.

Ayurveda Analysis

Avocados are pacifying to Vata and Pitta doshas due to their sweet taste, heavy and oily nature.

Buying, Preparing & Storing

Buying avocados takes a little planning. It's often hard to find ones perfectly ripe for when you need them. I've wasted a lot of avocados due to not understanding the ripening process but over the years have figured it out. Here are some tips for buying, storing, and preparing.

I use a lot of avocados weekly so I tend to buy them in quantities of 6. Refrigerating after you purchase slows down the ripening process. I will often leave one or 2 out on the counter to ripen quicker and then the rest go in the refrigerator until a day or two before I will use them.

As you may know, shortly after an avocado is split open it begins to brown. This is because of its rich iron content. Store cut avocados in glass covered jars/dishes in the refrigerator to keep them longer. It is helpful to add a little lime or lemon juice to keep from browning.

Kapha

Serving & Recipes

Avocados go great with just about everything. Some of my favorite recipes with avocados include, on toast, on top of a frittata, and chili. The ideas are endless.

See here my Strawberry Avocado Salad recipe.

Medicinal Effects:

Avocados are grounding and a great skin tonic. It acts as a good liver tonic and softens stools.