ho isn't pleased to see this forbidden fruit featured here as a healthy food? Avocados are, in fact, high in fat, but it's mostly the heart-healthy kind.

If you worry about your cholesterol levels, avocado is an excellent addition to your diet. Like olive oil, it's full of monounsaturated fats, which help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol, making avocados a tasty way to lower your heart disease risk. That green flesh means a lot, too. Like spinach, avocados are high in lutein, a carotenoid that helps prevent age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in elderly adults. They're also an excellent source of heart-healthy folate, which helps to lower homocysteine levels in the blood that could otherwise lead to atherosclerosis. Their beta carotene content is higher than several other fruits and they supply 60% more potassium than bananas on a per-weight basis.

Since avocados are high in fat, they do tend to be higher in calories than other fruits and vegetables. One third of a medium Hass avocado contains 92 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams monounsaturated fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, and 5 grams of fiber. Avocados come in many varieties, but we at Gelson's always carry the best: California Hass avocados. You can buy them any time of the year at any stage of ripeness. Pick them soft (it should yield to gentle pressure, but not feel like it's filled with jelly) when you want to eat them right away, or get them rock hard when you want to wait a few days before eating. Avocados are one of the few fruits that don't ripen on the tree (avocado growers actually store their inventory on the trees for up to 7 months!). They begin to ripen once they are picked. If you do buy a hard one, just leave it on the counter for a few days. Purplish black is the skin color you're holding out for. If you're in a rush, seal avocados in a paper bag with a tomato to speed ripening. Store ripe avocados in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To prepare an avocado, use a sharp knife to cut around the fruit lengthwise. Twist the two halves apart and use a spoon to scoop out the pit. Do not cut the avocado until the last possible minute because it will turn brown when left exposed to the air, though combining it with an acid (like lemon juice) should help prevent it from doing so. Slice or dice the flesh while still in the skin, being careful not to cut all the way through, then press the skin in the center to flip it inside out and peel off the cut flesh. Use avocados raw in anything from salads to sandwiches, but don't try to cook them. This month, try my recipe for Thai Beef Salad.