Are Avocados EVIL

This week I am risking my life and going off topic to talk about one of my pet hates, AVOCADO and I am asking is our fetishisation of the humble Avocado causing lots of problems?

 

Firstly I must say that I do like a bit of avocado now and then, usually when I am making Mexican food and fancy a bit of guacamole but I find lots of lime and chilli covers up the taste and basic sliminess of the avocado and makes it more palatable to me, now I have no problem with people eating avocado but I do take umbrage at the way it’s been put on a kind of hipster pedestal and whilst I agree that it’s a food that is very good for you unfortunately people don’t seem to realise that avocados are bad for the planet !!!

Ok that’s not strictly true, it’s the massive demand for them that’s bad for the planet, and for instance did you know that it takes almost a hundred litres of water to produce ONE avocado, not one plant or one tree but one little avocado than can be held in your hand.

Did you also know that most Avocados are produced in Mexico and a lot of the production is controlled by a drug cartel known as the Caballeros Templarios (knights Templars) now of course where there is organised crime there is also very little concern for the law and in Mexico now there is a large problem of illegal deforestation where trees are cut down and replaced with Avocado farming which environmentally degrades that area and along with the massive over use of water this is very short term thinking, the kind of short term thinking that has resulted in drought after drought in California because of the over farming of Almonds.

Now I know you are going to say to me that this happens all over the world with many different crops and you are of course right but very few consumers of let’s say bananas look down their noses at the non-consumers of bananas but the worshipers at the Temple Of Avocado believe they are better people than the non-consumers of avocados, they believe they are making the world a better place by the eating of the green slimy things and that’s what riles me.

The argument FOR the avocado (apart from looking so cool when eating it) is that it’s a super food and it has all sorts of goodies in it that cannot be gotten elsewhere, but is that true? Let’s look at a few of the alternatives:

VITAMIN E – sunflower seeds are a richer source

VITAMIN K – loads in broccoli and cabbage

FOLATE – lentils and cauliflower

MONOUNSATURATED OIL – olive oil

In truth you can find so many good sources of nutrients that are grown locally (no Mexican mafia involved) like the great Irish Kale maybe it won’t do anything for your street cred but it’s good for you and it doesn’t hurt the planet.

 

So my rant is over, you may agree with some or none of what I have said, it is after all only my opinion.

Next week I ask are Vegans really worshippers of SATAN (not really because if they were it wouldn’t be smart to upset them)

Bye for now

Johnny