Avocado as Aphrodisiac

Avocado (Persea americana) is a tree and the fruit of that tree, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to Central America and Mexico. The fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear or alligator pear, due to its shape and rough green skin. The avocado tree does not tolerate freezing temperatures, and so can be grown only in subtropical and tropical climates.

A year-round fruit, avocados are delicious hot or cold, in soups, salads, stir-fries and as a healthier alternative to butter, sour cream and other dips and spreads. Avocados are cholesterol-free, sodium-free, low in saturated fat, and a good source of monounsaturated fat, which studies show may help in the prevention of heart disease.

Legend has it that the first avocado was eaten in Mexico by a Mayan princess around 291 B.C. It is believed that the Aztecs used the avocado as a sexual stimulant. Later, early Americans called the avocado an “alligator pear” to describe the fruit's texture, another possible explanation for its reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Some experts tend to agree and knew cases in which a person's love life improved after eating the dark green fruit called avocado. They believe it could be the nutrients and recently discovered phytochemicals within the avocado that explain the fruit's reputation as a strong aphrodisiac.

Ounce per ounce, an avocado contains the highest fiber content and more folate per ounce than other fruits. It's also nutrient dense in vitamins B6, C and E. Also, its phytochemical profile includes cholesterol-lowering beta-sitosterol and the antioxidant glutathione. These favorable phytochemicals can, perhaps, work in combination with the nutrients in other foods to enhance heightened feelings of love and romance.

Today, avocados are used in more than 100 “special lover’s recipes” to enhance love, sex, and romance. There’s no specific ways of preparing the fruit for a better aphrodisiac effect; just mix it in and voila. Are you thinking of buying avocados already? Here are some tips you must know before you do.

• Buy hard, unripened avocados if it will be a few days before you serve them. To ripen, place fruit in a plain brown paper bag and store at room temperature until ready to eat (usually two to five days). Putting an apple or banana in the bag will hasten the ripening process.
• Ripe avocados can be refrigerated until eaten, but don't expect them to last more than two to three days. Whole or sliced avocados don't freeze well, but pureed avocados can be frozen for later use in salads, sandwiches, dips.
• To store cut avocados, sprinkle fruit with lemon or lime juice or white vinegar and place in an air-tight covered container in the refrigerator. Eat within a day or two. If refrigerated guacamole turns brown during storage, discard the brown top layer.
• To peel an avocado, cut lengthwise around seed, and then rotate halves to separate. Remove the seed by sliding the tip of a spoon gently underneath and lifting it out. Peel fruit by placing the cut side down and removing the skin with a knife or your fingers, starting at the small end. You also can scoop out the meat with a spoon.