FUN FOOD FACTS ABOUT AVOCADOS

FUN FOOD FACTS ABOUT AVOCADOS

By: Greenblender

We know that avocados are a nutrient-dense fruit loaded with fiber, healthy omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, C, E and potassium. We also know that avocados are among the best foods to help fight stress due to their abundance of B vitamins. And, of course, we know that they are absolutely delicious and make the perfect addition to our Avocado Apple Pie Smoothie! But there are plenty of interesting things we don’t know about this superfood. If these 10 fun facts about avocados don’t leave you feeling intrigued, they will most definitely have you craving this nutrient-dense treat.

1) First things first, avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable. They belong to the Genus Persea in the Lauraceae family.

2) Avocados contain four grams of protein, making them the fruit with the highest protein content!

3)Avocado trees do not self-pollinate; they need another avocado tree close by in order to grow. Avocados are an Aztec symbol of love and fertility, and they also grow in pairs on trees.

4)Don’t just think of avocados as a savory addition to sandwiches and salads, Brazilians actually add avocados to ice cream.

5) You can tell that an avocado is ripe when they feel heavy for their size and are dark in color. If you want to quicken the ripening process, simply put one in brown paper bag for 2-4 days. You can speed this process up even more by putting adding a banana to the bag.

6) Avocados mature on the tree, but only ripen once they are taken off the tree.

7) Hass is the most popular variety of avocado grown worldwide. The Hass tree was discovered in the backyard of a mailman named Rudolph Hass in Californina in the 1930’s and Hass patented his tree in 1935.

8) On average, 53.5 million pounds of guacamole are eaten every Super Bowl Sunday, enough to cover a football field more than 20 feet thick.

9) Speaking of guacamole, the origin of the word comes from Spanish explorers could not pronounce the Aztec word for avocado, “ahuacatl,” so they called the avocado “aguacate.”

10) Avocados have the highest fiber content of any fruit and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and folate.

Enjoy avocados as much as we do? Join the Green Blender Smoothie Club and get tons of recipes using this delicious fruit!