The avocado is without fail one of nature’s most indulgent offerings: its richness, creaminess, and delicate flavour unparalleled. Adding an avo a day not only tantalises the taste buds but also brings good reason to make part of a healthy and balanced diet. (1).
Monday: Next Level Nutrients
Fuel your day the avocado way. Avocados are well known for being nutrient-dense foods, with heart-healthy fats, minerals like potassium, magnesium, and manganese, and other important vitamins like folate, vitamin K, vitamin E, and vitamin C.(2).
Tuesday: Heart Health Happiness
Embrace heart-smart eating with a daily dose of avos. Avocados are well-known for their potential heart health benefits thanks to the unique nutritional makeup of potassium, fibre, antioxidants like vitamin E, and phytochemicals like lutein and zeaxanthin. (2) Fill your heart with love, and avocados.
Wednesday: Brilliant Blood Pressure
An avocado a day to keep blood pressure at bay? A study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that eating an avocado a day significantly lowered blood pressure. (3) Researchers think this is linked to the potassium and monounsaturated fat content of avocados. More reason for this creamy food to be a delicious secret weapon in the fight against high blood pressure.
Thursday: Excellent Eyes
See the world in vivid colors, one avo at a time, with vitamins A, E, and K, carotenoids, and healthy fats, all of which are vital for preserving eye health and preventing diseases that cause sight loss, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration(4).
Friday: Get that Glow
Studies have shown that daily oral avocado consumption may lead to better elasticity and firmness of the skin of healthy women. (5) It is double win for healthy fats and folate.
Saturday: It is a Gut Feeling
A source of fibre and high in healthy fats, avos may help with a happier gut. Did you know that eating avocados daily may help the gut make more short-chain fatty acids, a source of energy for the cells lining the colon. This raises the population of bacteria that digests fibre (6) leading to better gut health.
Sunday: Feed the Mind
From memory to focus, avocados pack a punch for cognitive health for a sharper, smarter you (7). One avocado contains 370 mg of lutein, a powerful antioxidant which weakens the risk of cognitive degeneration. Lutein accumulates in neural tissues, so may also boost neurocognition (the processes of linking and reviewing information).
Whether you top your toast with avo or serve it in a smoothie, let every creamy bite bring you closer to your health goals.
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ALL IMAGES TO BE CREDITED TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN AVOCADO GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION.
Beat the Monday morning blues with toasted seeded health bread, topped with lots of delicious avocado. So quick and easy to prepare and sure to get your day off to a great start.
Meat-free-Monday has come and gone, today is Tuesday and steak is on the menu! Imagine thick and juicy seared steak strips topped off with avocado slices and a hint of chilli…
A quick, ultra-scrumptious mid-week dinner surely has to be an avocado pasta! We are serving up an al dente bowl of whole wheat pasta tossed with avocado halves, sundried tomato, crispy pancetta (or bacon) and freshly ground sea salt and pepper.
Thursday is curry night! What is chicken curry without a sassy sambal on the side? Add diced avo and chopped fresh coriander to your traditional chopped tomato and onion and toasted coconut for a touch of the exotic.
Friday just has to be burger night, so go on treat yourself! Create your own sumptuous homemade burgers smothered in mashed avocado and crumbled feta.
Rustle up a light Saturday lunch rustic chicken platter for the family. Marinate chicken breasts in lemon, grill and serve with chunky quartered avocado, goats’ cheese (or feta) with a drizzle of pesto and avocado oil (or olive oil).
This dish is perfect for brunch or a Sunday night supper. Add chunky avo pieces to a spinach salad of baby leaves, quartered boiled eggs, sautéed asparagus, crispy bacon or pancetta and parmesan shavings. Finish it off with a delightful dressing of 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar and 4 tablespoons of avocado oil (or olive oil). Add all ingredients to a screw-top jar, shake and pour over.
