Ripe for the picking, add this delicious superfruit to your menu on National Avocado Day on July 31st!
- According to the Hass Avocado Board, as of 2015, avocado consumption in the United States doubled since 2005 and quadrupled since 2000. In fact, a whopping 4.25 billion avocados were sold in the U.S. in 2015. That’s four point two five billion of this amazingly beautiful food.
- Avocados target insulin resistance with heart-healthy fats. They also fight Alzheimer’s with its Omega 3 fatty acids. Another avocado super power is preventing and repairing damage due to its source of Vitamins C, E and K.
- Ancient Aztecs used the avocado to beautify their skin topically with masks.
- Avocado is a fruit, which is botanically a large berry containing a single seed
- There are over 500 varieties of avocados in the world.
- The health benefits of avocado include weight management, protection from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, treating osteoarthritis and enhancing the absorption of nutrients for the body. It also reduces the risk of cancer, liver damage and Vitamin K deficiency-related bleeding.
- In the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and southern India, avocados are frequently used for milkshakes and occasionally added to ice cream and other desserts.
- California produces 95% of all avocados grown in the United States. The major commercial producers of avocados are Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru and Indonesia.
- The word “avocado” is derived from the Aztec word “ahuacatl,” meaning testicle; probably because of the likeness between the fruit and the body part.
- 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.
- 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.
- Americans eat 69 million pounds of avocados on Super Bowl Sunday. – Source
- Chipotle uses 97,000 pounds of avocado per day. – Source
- Sushi was introduced to America by Ichiro Mashita in Los Angeles in the late 60s. After substituting avocado for tuna, he is credited with creating the “California Roll”. – Source
- Avocados are in the same family as cinnamon. – Source
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