Fans of Tom Brady probably already know the health benefits of avocado ice cream, one of his favorites. Those who focus on eating healthy also have a heads up, but often rely on other recipes, which are sometimes simpler than the one used by the football hero. His recipe requires one avocado, ½ cup each, raw cashews and coconut meat from young coconuts, 1 ½ cup pitted dates, 1 1/3 cups water and 1 cup raw cacao powder. Just blend together and put it in the freezer until frozen to the right thickness.
You can make your own version that doesn’t contain sugar, too.
If you’re not into the taste of dates and don’t like coconut, you can also make a simple form of avocado ice cream by using ripe bananas you already froze. You can eat it right away or freeze it to a stiffer consistency. Peppermint avocado ice cream is delicious. It requires 3 medium-sized ripe bananas that you already sliced and froze. Add the meat of one ripe avocado, a ¼ tsp peppermint extract, ½ small lemon juiced and zested and 4-5 mint leaves. You can skip the mint leaves and toss in a few semisweet chocolate chips if you love peppermint patty ice cream. Toss all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
You can purchase avocado ice cream or make a more traditional recipe using sugar.
Unless you’re lactose intolerant, most people choose avocado ice cream to eat healthier. You won’t be doing it by opting for ice cream, avocado or not, that contains high amounts of sugar. With that said, the avocado, instead of high fat dairy, offers more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. However, when you include sugar into the mix, you’ve now made it unhealthier. Using sweet fruits, like dates or ripe bananas is the better option.
There is a combination of healthier fats in avocado ice cream.
Avocado is rich in fats that are heart healthy. They include oleic acid and linoleic acid. However, if you choose products with milk from pastured cows, you’ll also get a high amount of conjugated linoleic acid—CLA, which is healthier than linoleic acid. Most of the fat in avocado is monounsaturated, with a smaller amount of polyunsaturated, both have beneficial effects on your cholesterol.
- If you choose avocado ice cream from the store or opt for a recipe that uses sugar, eat the ice cream more sparingly, since eating foods with added sugar aren’t healthy and higher in empty calories.
- Including avocados in your diet, whether in ice cream, guacamole or other dishes, can help lower your risk of cancer, boost your potassium intake and help kill the bacteria in your mouth so your breath is fresher.
- Avocados contain xanthophyll, which helps cells regenerate faster and aids in healing. It can help to prevent premature aging by reducing wrinkling and slowing other signs of aging.
- Other benefits of eating avocado include reducing oxidative stress and lowering the risk for metabolic syndrome, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. Eating them can lower cholesterol, boost brain power, promote eye health and more.
For more information, contact us today at Targeted Nutrition Technologies
