1. One avocado has more potassium than two large bananas.
2. The largest avocado ever was 5 pounds!
3. The oleic acid “healthy fat” in avocados can be converted in the gut into a chemical, OEA, that activates fat burning genes (CD-36 & UCP-2) and sends a signal to your brain (via the vagus nerve) to release the “cuddle hormone,” oxytocin.
4. Avocados used to be called “alligator pears.” You may think “avocado” is better, until you learn that “avocado” comes from the Aztec word for “testicle” #Shrekticles!
5. You can make avocado-based bread, mayonnaise, ice cream, and avocado substitutes for sour cream and butter in most recipes.
6. Avocados evolved to appeal to the extinct giant armadillos and giant sloths. If it weren’t for humans consuming avocados, avocados would have gone extinct along with these megafauna.
7. Avocados are eye food. They are packed with the yellow antioxidant pigments lutein and zeaxanthin, the only two carotenoids of the over 600 carotenoids found in nature to be located in the human eye, and specifically in the high-resolution portion of the retina, the macula lutea, which means “yellow spot”!
8. Jason Miraz eats 3 avocados per day and supplies Chipotle restaurants with avocados from his avocado farm.
9. A single avocado has 10 grams of fiber and only 3 net carbs.
10. To ripen a cut avocado, place it in a sealed bag with an apple, kiwi, or banana. These fruits release the ripening plant hormone, ethylene.
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