All Hail the Avocado!

One of my absolute favourite fruits (yep, it's a fruit) of all time! When I buy enough of them I try to eat one a day or every other day. I love them so much that I planted some of the seeds and now have three avocado trees growing in pots! I just planted them this past summer so no avocados yet..they say it will take a few years before the trees actually bear fruit so I'm looking forward to it!
In case you didn't know, avocados are full of health benefits:

• Good for maintaining a healthy heart - great source of B6, folic acid, vitamin E, and monounsaturated fat
• Helps control blood pressure due to the potassium
• Anti-inflammatory due to flavanoids and other phytonutrient compounds
• Good for eye health because it's a great source of carotenoid lutein
• Helps regulate blood sugar levels due to the monounsaturated (good) fats
• Helps prevent birth defects since they're rich in folate
• Reduces the risk of stroke due to high levels of folate
• Protect against cancer because oleic acid is effective in preventing breast cancer 
• Fights free radicals in the body
• Natural breath freshener and cleanses the intestines
• Helps your body absorb other nutrients
• Great for skin and hair due to the oils
• Healthy source of calories and good for those who want to gain weight

I love to eat it as guacomole, mash and season it a little and use it as mayonnaise on a veggie burger, or cut it up into chunks and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and enjoy with other vegetables or in a salad. Some mornings (like today) I ate it in chunks along side two hard boiled eggs. Yum!  Feel free to share any other ways you like to enjoy avocados!