10 Healthiest Foods for Your Heart in 10 Days: Day 3

Avocado not only helps lower LDL (bad cholesterol) but can actually raise HDL, which is the cholesterol that helps fight heart disease.  Avocados are packed with monosaturated fat, which studies have found to aid the body in the absorption of carotenoids, which are plant pigments that work as antioxidants.  Carotenoids can be taken as a supplement, but it is easier for the body to use it as ingested from naturally occurring sources, such as fruits and vegetables.  Specifically, avocados help with the absorption of beta-carotene, which may prevent arteries from hardening.

The best news yet is that you need no other reason to consume avocado than its taste and texture, so health benefits are just an added bonus with this rich and creamy treat.  In fact, avocados are currently my favorite food, and I buy them in bulk because this family of three uses one per day because they make most any dish come to life. 

Many people are intimidated by these odd-looking fruits that can look like giant shriveled raisins, but there is no need.  Avocados are ripe when they give slightly to pressure, so if they are hard like an apple they are not ready, but when they give, much like a perfectly ripened peach, they are ready to be eaten.  If you buy avocados that are still hard, simply leave them on the counter for a few days until they ripen or to ripen them more quickly, close them in a brown paper bag. 

To cut an avocado, simply hold it length-wise in the palm of your hand.  Take a sharp knife and with the length of the blade running down the center of the avocado, plunge through the leathery skin and meat, until you contact the hard seed.  Next, simply turn the avocado in your hand, making an incision all the way around the avocado.  Once cut, gently twist the two halves apart.  The seed will remain in one side, and to get it out, plunge the knife blade into it and twist; the seed will come out attached to your knife.   

For my three year-old, avocado was his second food as an infant (visit our month-by-month guide on introducing solid foods) and his favorite way to eat them two-and-a-half years later is just as basic; I simply cut an avocado in half, and, using the tip of a knife, cut the meat through to the skin in one direction, then score perpendicular to the first, to create bite-sized chunks, which he eats from the skin with a spoon. 

Cutting the avocado in the skin in one direction to form long slices is a mess-free way to cut avocado for a sandwich, quesadilla, or burger, while adding the second, perpendicular cut is perfect for salads, chili, and rice dishes (see recipe or try it over your favorite Zatarain's meal) , or to prep for guacamole (see recipe).  You can also try avocado in a smoothie or in countless other recipes, but I prefer to use it simply so as to allow its mild flavor to shine.

Avocado will brown, much like it's relative the banana, when exposed to air, which is another great reason to cut the avocado in its skin, as it naturally protects any unused portion from exposure.  So, once you have used all that you need for one meal, simply cover what is left and refrigerate.  The brown meat will not harm, but as it may not be appetizing, you can also scrape it away to reveal lush green meat below.