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“It’s not a food you usually wake up and eat, but you might want to start adding avocado to your morning meal”. CINCINNATI (WKRC)

The Avocado is an ever-green flowering plant native to Central Mexico that can grow as tall as between 30 to 80 feet when fully matured. Its fruits are usually pear or egg shaped with rough leathery smooth skin, edible oily flesh and a large central oval/round seed. Despite its origin being traced to South -Central America, it is widely cultivated especially in subtropical and tropical temperatures; it has also been claimed that before its discovery by Henry Perrine in Mexico and subsequent cultivation in Miami in1833, George Washington had already fallen in love with this striking fruit after it was served to him in 1751 while visiting Barbados.

Botanically, it is called Persea Americana, Alligator pear by the English, and other names include custard apple, butter pear, and vegetable pear. Here in Nigeria, it is called Piha Oyinbo in Yoruba and Ube beke or Ube oyibo by the Igbo.

Avocado tree is mainly self-pollinated because the flower bears both female and male reproductive structures. Cultivation is through grafting and human action of either throwing away the large seed after eating or conscious effort of planting it.

The fleshy part of the fruit is most often enjoyed as food on its own as it can be eaten sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper or choice spices. It can also be used as an addition to many dishes like Keto diet dishes or the Mediterranean menu types, and can be substitute for butter as spread, or in baking. Its Smooth and creamy texture makes it a favorite for smoothy lovers.

It is also used to prepare guacamole when mashed and mixed with other ingredients like cayenne pepper, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lemon, and salt. Guacamole is a Mexican favourite spread used as dip for bread, French fries, sliced veggies and for salad toppings as well.

Apart from the above, there are many other ways of enjoying the avocado fruit as food; for instance, as an addition to scrambled eggs for breakfast, stuffed avocado with egg and baked until the egg is fully set, used in place of butter or margarine for bread toast, baked potatoes topped with mashed avocadoes, and used as main ingredient in avocado soup with mixed vegetables and spices of choice.

No matter how an avocado is eaten, research claims that it habours rich nutrients like Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), Vitamin C, in addition to healthy fats that can lower bad cholesterol. It also contains high fiber that is acclaimed for lowering blood sugar, cutting cholesterol and possibly inhibiting some types of cancers.

A recent study found out that people who eat avocado for breakfast or replace bread or cereal with the fruit record healthy benefits after a while. It also posits that people with weight issues who ate this fruit for breakfast consistently, recorded improved blood circulation, improved numbers in their blood pressure and after-meal sugar levels than those who ate regular breakfast.

Beyond the culinary benefits of the avocado pear, both traditional and orthodox medicine have laid claims to the health advantages therein.

For instance, MedicalHealthGuide, a complimentary medicine website, avocado has been widely used in traditional medicine by various cultures since the earliest times. They assert that part of the health benefits include the following-

• Treating cuts and wounds with pus with the pulp
• Relieving of toothaches with decoction from avocado seeds is used as mouthwash
• Promotion of menstruation with decoction from the pulp, bark and leaves
• Avocado ointment from pulverized seeds used to treat skin irritation,
• Grounded avocado seeds and bark are mixed with oil to relieve pain associated with rheumatism,
• Avocado flesh us used to relieve pain and itchiness caused by sunburn.
• Can help relief insomnia condition when the leaves and that of ebelebo (country almond are boiled as tea.

For the orthodox medicine also, science-based research over the years agrees with the health benefits in the management and preventions of certain conditions like Osteoarthritis, Cancer, and improved Cholesterol level in Blood.  It is also said that it has weight reducing, appetite depressant health benefits, and it has antimicrobial activity, helps the heart and other muscles work properly.

Avocados help your body absorb nutrients, it benefits eye, brain and immune development and its antioxidant content protects the body against free radicals. Topical use of avocado oil may benefit skin and consistent eating avocado might have benefits for your hair.

Like the saying goes, an egg or apple a day keeps the doctor away, you may want to add an avocado to your daily menu, you won’t regret you did .