Happy National Avocado Day - July 31st

Did you know that today is National Avocado Day? In honour of one of my favourite fruits, I decided to compile a list of Avocado worthy recipes, all in one post.

Here are some interesting facts about avocados that I found on the web.

Guacamole is grand, but don’t settle for just the chips and dip on this food holiday. Clear the table for everything from the appetizer and main dish all the way to dessert. On National Avocado Day, this tree grown fruit has them all covered!

Avocados have become more than a staple food in the American diet; they have proven to be a key ingredient in recipes for both inside the body and on the body! According to the Hass Avocado Board, as of 2015, avocado consumption in the United States doubled since 2005 and quadrupled since 2000. In fact, a whopping 4.25 billion avocados were sold in the U.S. in 2015. That’s four-point two five billion of this amazingly beautiful food.

Super Food

There are many reasons to celebrate National Avocado Day. Targeting insulin resistance with heart-healthy fats and fighting Alzheimer’s with its Omega 3 fatty acids, the avocado also prevents and repairs damage due to its source of Vitamins C, E and K.

One of the secret weapons in an avocado is the high oleic acid content. This moisturizing fatty acid helps keep skin soft and hydrated but also supports the regeneration of damaged skin cells reducing redness and irritation. Eat more of this superfruit or cook with avocado oil if you have this type of skin issue.

Beauty

Ancient Aztecs used the avocado to beautify their skin topically with masks, and in the early 20th century the cosmetic industry discovered the benefits of its oil in creams, lotions, facial cleansers and other products that required a smooth application. The practice continues today.

Avocados have found their way into every meal of the day and even into dessert. The creamy texture replaces calorie-laden oils with healthful fats so we can indulge without the guilt. What better way to celebrate National Avocado Day than to indulge a little?

How did we ever get National Food days?

Here is an excerpt that I found from the Tampa Bay Times.

The United States recognizes only 10 days as national holidays, and they're the big ones like Christmas and Independence Day. Go down a level and you've got government-sanctioned national observances, like Mother's Day and Flag Day. But there are only 44 of those, and the closest any get to a wacky food holiday is National School Lunch Day.

Only a small fraction of celebrated days have any government officialness. Some are rooted in local traditions or history, such as the massively popular National Doughnut Day. While that day now centers around freebies, it sprang from the Salvation Army's practice of serving doughnuts to soldiers on the front lines of World War I, where resourceful "doughnut lassies" fried the dough in soldiers' helmets.

Before becoming a "holiday," each submission goes through a committee: A four-person team in a room in North Dakota reviews them and debates their inclusion based on national relevance and their chance of being widely celebrated. Decisions have to be unanimous.

Lucky for me, National Avocado Day did make it through the vote and has officially received July 31st as its day!

Here is a list of my favourite avocado recipes from my blog:

And here are some from some other bloggers: