The Sunday Mail
Every morning in the streets of Harare, it’s kind of hard to miss the presence of women selling avocados.
You see cars slow down and men asking from his driver’s seat, “How much are those avocados?”
“Three rand and five rand”, the vendor often replies.
People from all walks of life enjoy this delicious but exotic fruit, especially with their tea or coffee.
Avocado (Persea armericana) originally from Mexico was first introduced in Southern Africa in the late 1800s and now considered to be one of the most nutritious fruit on the planet packed with more than 25 essential nutrients.
You will gain vitamin A, B, C, E, K, copper, phosphorus, potassium, iron and magnesium from eating avocados.
The fruit is also laden with protein, fibre, some beneficial chemicals such as beta-sitosterol, glutathione and lutein which are essential for good health protecting us from many diseases.
Struggling with weight loss then the avocado is the fruit for you as it contains 200 calories per 100g compared to 60 to 80 calories of other fruits per 100g. The calories added by avocado to your body are healthy since they don’t contain excess fats ad sugars. How many times have you been in those situations where you are talking to a colleague and you can’t help but notice that their breath is not that inviting? Buy them some avocados, as the fruit cures bad breath.
It cleanses your intestines which are real the culprits when it comes to a coated tongue and bad breath. Ladies, the avocado is well known for its skin care attributes moisturising it and giving it a glow. Most skin care products contain avocado oil which can be purchased in its pure form though it’s a bit pricey.
Although it’s a bit messy and time consuming one can actually use the raw ripe fruit for a facial treatment, leaving it on for a few hours before washing it off.
In fact use the peeled skin of the fruit, rubbing it on the skin and leave this oil overnight.
Avocado oil is used to treat psoriasis, a skin disease which causes redness and itching of the skin.
The sad reality of life nowadays is that most people have lost a relative to cancer, particularly prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women, but believe it or not avocados have been proven to inhibit the growth of prostate cancer.
Oleic acid in avocado is also effective in preventing breast cancer. Avocados help to lower cholesterol levels, maintaining a healthy heart and controlling blood pressure. Other amazing nutritional benefits of avocados include promoting good eye health, regulating blood sugar levels, preventing birth defects and reducing stroke due to the high amounts of folate found in the fruit.
Perhaps you need to gain a few extra pounds include avocados in your diet as they improve your nutrient absorption ability.
The wonders of avocado never stop to amaze, as this amazing fruit also has anti-aging properties, boosts the immune system and encourages a healthy nervous system.
To grow your own avocado tree remember the old fashioned way we used, and suspend the seed in water and place it on the kitchen window sill.
That works very well, simply use tooth picks to hang the seed in a cup or glass replenishing the water as needed.
For further details Andrew can be contacted by email on [email protected]
