If there ever was a super food surely Avocado would be in contention. I love ’em. So much so that recently (due to travelling to tropical Australia) I overindulged and had to cut down on them a bit. Now I have half a large one instead of scoffing the whole lot. Avocado is delicious and has a good amount of monounsaturated fat – see below for nutritional info.

I have created what I feel is a pearler of a dip: my guacamole:

Take a delightful avocado and mash it up in a bowl. Add: pinch of salt, a sprinkle of cayenne, big squeeze of lemon or lime juice (If I am at home I use lemon, if in the tropics I use lime), garlic powder and importantly finely diced jalapeño.

That’s it but I sometimes use these optional extras: I may put a bit of fresh chilli in there (if I skip the cayenne). Also I may add creme fraiche or Fiona’s excellent tomato pesto or just finely diced tomatoes. I may even crush up some pistachio nuts and toss those in. But one extra I do love is dukkah – Fiona dearest makes a great macadamia nut dukkah so I sprinkle that in. If the avocado is a bit dry I will splash a bit of olive oil in there as well.

Beeuuuuutiful!!

• Avocado Nutrition

Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat – good fat with the majority being Oleic Acid – a major component of olive oil. This fatty acid is believed to have an anti-inflammatory action in the body and has been associated with decreased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and possibly increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, its ability to raise HDL is still debated.

150g of avocado (one cup) has 22 grams of fat, of which around 70% is monounsaturated (olive oil has a similar ratio) and 3g of protein. It’s a low carb food as 10 of the 13 grams are fibre.

It also contains vitamin K, C, B5, B6, E and Folate and a good dose of potassium to keep you on your toes.

A noted benefit is the effects of combining avocado with leafy greens. Vegetables, especially the red, orange and yellow coloured varieties, along with leafy greens contain very little fat but often high levels of important carotenoids – powerful antioxidants. The carotenoids in foods are better able to be absorbed when mixed with fats. So adding a bit of avocado to your salad is a wise choice Joyce.

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