为什么牛油果对你有好处

为什么牛油果对你有好处

When people think of avocados, they often think of guacamole, but there's so much more to learn about this superfood.

当人们想到牛油果时，他们通常会想到牛油果色拉酱，但是关于这种超级食物还有很多需要了解的。

The avocado — produced in subtropical climates including southern Spain, Australia, Peru, Ecuador, California, Arizona and Florida — is versatile, full of nutrients and popular throughout the world. California produces most of the avocados grown in the United States.

牛油果生长在亚热带气候，包括西班牙南部、澳大利亚、秘鲁、厄瓜多尔、加利福尼亚、亚利桑那和佛罗里达。加州生产的牛油果大部分产自美国。

Avocados are packed with nutrients, including potassium, vitamin K, folate, B vitamins and vitamin C. (Photo: Nama Uchida/Shutterstock)

While almost three-quarters of the avocado's calories come from fat, most of it is healthy fat. More specifically, the avocado contains monounsaturated fats, which are known to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and are believed to help increase the good kind of cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL's).

虽然牛油果近四分之三的热量来自脂肪，但大部分是健康脂肪。更具体地说，牛油果含有单不饱和脂肪，这种脂肪可以降低低密度脂蛋白(LDL)胆固醇，并被认为有助于增加有益的高密度脂蛋白(HDL)。

It's for this reason researchers at Penn State suggest eating an avocado a day isn't a bad idea. Their study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that avocados do even more, helping reduce LDL particles that had been oxidized in adult participants who were overweight or obese.

因此，宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究人员建议，每天吃一个牛油果并不是个坏主意。他们的研究发表在《营养学杂志》(Journal of Nutrition)上，发现牛油果的作用更大，可以帮助超重或肥胖的成年参与者减少被氧化的低密度脂蛋白颗粒。

The avocado also has 60 percent more potassium than a banana. In addition, the avocado’s nutritional composition includes a large amount of fiber. Almost three-quarters of that fiber is insoluble with the rest being soluble fiber — and all that insoluble fiber helps things go smoothly in the bathroom.

牛油果的钾含量也比香蕉多60%。此外，牛油果的营养成分包括大量的纤维。几乎四分之三的纤维是不溶性的，其余的是溶性纤维——所有这些不溶性纤维有助于浴室里的事情顺利进行。

Avocados were brought to the U.S. from Mexico

牛油果是从墨西哥带到美国的

Avocado trees does best in a semihumid climate. (Photo: Juan Luis Elgueta/Shutterstock)

California produces most of the avocados grown in the United States. A Santa Barbara judge first brought Mexican avocado trees to the state in 1871, and today, the bumpy, rough-skinned fruit with the tender flesh is harvested from spring through late September from Monterey County down through San Diego County, according to the California Avocado Commission. Most trees on average produce around 60 pounds of fruit annually, or 150 pieces.

加州生产的牛油果大部分产自美国。加州牛油果委员会称，圣巴巴拉的一名法官在1871年首次将墨西哥牛油果树引入该州，如今，这种凹凸不平、表皮粗糙、果肉鲜嫩的果实从春季到9月底从蒙特利县一直收获到圣地亚哥县。大多数树平均每年生产约60磅水果，或150片。

How do you select a ripe avocado? And what can you do with it, besides whip up the perfect guac recipe? First, squeeze the fruit gently. It should be firm but yield to gentle pressure. Avoid an avocado that has overly dark skin or is too soft when pressed. If you plan to eat your avocado in a few days, pick hard ones and place them in a brown paper bag at room temperature for two to five days to ripen.

如何挑选成熟的牛油果?除了做出完美的牛油果酱，你还能用它做什么呢?首先，轻轻地挤压水果。它应该是坚硬的，但屈服于温和的压力。不要吃太黑或太软的牛油果。如果你打算几天后吃牛油果，那就挑一些硬的，然后把它们放在一个棕色纸袋里，在室温下放置两到五天，让牛油果成熟。

Versatile uses for avocados in the kitchen

牛油果在厨房的多种用途

Chickpeas and avocado play well together in this tasty sandwich. (Photo: Jaymi Heimbuch)

Many people enjoy a raw, ripe avocado by itself. Simply cut lengthwise, scoop out the pit, squeeze some lemon or lime juice on the flesh and grab a spoon. Avocados also are delicious cut into slices on top of burgers, cut into salads or whipped into milkshakes or smoothies (try a Jalepeño-Lime Mango Protein Smoothie). The fruit is also an ingredient in the California sushi roll.

许多人喜欢吃生的、成熟的牛油果。简单地纵向切开，挖出核，在肉上挤一些柠檬汁或酸橙汁，然后拿起勺子。牛油果也可以切成薄片放在汉堡上，切成沙拉，或者搅成奶昔或冰沙(试试Jalepeno-Lime芒果蛋白冰沙)。这种水果也是加州寿司卷的原料之一。

Recipes for avocado abound, both on general cooking websites as well as the recipe section of the California Avocado Commission, which, in keeping with the avocado's Mexican heritage and popularity, features more than 100 different recipes for guacamole along with many other less traditional uses.

牛油果的食谱有很多，无论是在一般的烹饪网站上，还是在加州牛油果委员会的食谱部分，都有牛油果的食谱，与牛油果的墨西哥传统和流行程度保持一致，有100多种不同的牛油果酱食谱，还有许多其他不太传统的用途。