Clever tips to keep your avocado fresh PLUS 5 healthy recipes
Did you know that avocados are packed full of health benefits?
Avocados have more soluble fibre than other fruit and contain a number of useful minerals such as iron, copper and potassium and are a good source of the Vitamin B & E, plus folate.
We love them and that’s why we often include them in our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge meal plans.
They are full of mono-unsaturated fats too (good fats!), which can help to keep you feeling full and lose weight.
But we all know they aren’t cheap and the thought of wasting an avocado once cut makes us shudder.
Here are some great tips to keep your avocado perfectly fresh for the next week or so.
Clever tips to keep your avocado fresh
A NZ mom went viral after sharing her secret trick for keeping avocado fresh for up to a week in the fridge using nothing but a lettuce leaf.
Posting to Facebook the mom revealed how wrapping the cut avocado in a lettuce leaf and storing it in the fridge kept it perfectly ripe and delicious for a whole week.
She wrote: ‘I sort of accidentally discovered that I have been throwing away first-class food wrap.
‘Lettuce leaves, primarily the outer ones that are a bit harder, make for excellent food wrap. Since they’re designed for that purpose in the first place.’
She added: ‘It was all good for today’s breakfast. Incidentally, lettuce leaves even keep bread buns fresh.’
Other clever tricks to keep avocados fresh
An enzyme in avocados causes the flesh to oxidize when exposed to air, turning it an unappealing brown color. Using these tips you should be able to keep it fresher for longer so as not to waste any of that precious healthy flesh.
Rub with lemon juice and wrap with plastic wrap
Leave the pit in and rub with lemon juice before wrapping in plastic cling wrap. Ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) combats the enzyme (polyphenol oxidase) responsible for avocados from turning brown.
Brush with olive oil and wrap with plastic wrap
Lightly brush with olive oil before wrapping in plastic cling wrap. Olive oil contains acids — linoleic, palmitic, and oleic which help fight oxidation.
Place in a plastic container with a cut onion
The best trick we have found is to pop in a container with an onion.
Sulfur dioxide is a compound used to preserve fruits. So it will certainly help keep your avocado fresh if you pop them in a sealed container together.
Store in a container of water
Place the avocado flesh-side down in a container full of water, close the container, and then place it in the fridge. When done properly, this method can reportedly help avocados stay fresh for up to two days.
The best way to store other cut fruits
To keep apples fresh, simply soak slices in salt water for 10 minutes — the salt interferes with the oxidation process and prevents discolouration. A quick rinse with tap water before serving will get rid of the salty taste salty.
Lemon juice can also prevent browning due to the ascorbic acid in the fruit, which helps to reverse the oxidation process.
Simply soak the apple slices in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice for three to five minutes, before draining and rinsing.
For pears, lemon also works, or you can also soak slices in a mixture of two tablespoons of honey and a cup of water for just 30 seconds.
5 healthy avocado recipes
We have nearly 500 recipes on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge that include avocado. Here are just a few of them for you to try.
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Chicken, Cilantro, Avocado and Lime Pasta
Protein packed chicken and avocado macro bowl
Spiced Crumbed Chicken Soft Tacos
Mexican Layer Dip
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