Avocados are one of the favorite foods of health enthusiasts everywhere. If you love good food, healthy food, and wholesome fruit and vegetables, you definitely love avocado. Avocado is great slathered on whole-grain toast, turned into pudding, scrambled into eggs, or even mixed into your guacamole!
Specifically, avocados are great for smoothies. Everyone loves using avocados as their main ingredient in healthy smoothies and shakes. But what happens when you don’t have any avocados handy? Is there some kind of substitute for avocado in smoothies?
The answer is yes, there are many great substitutes you can use to get the same nutritional value that you normally find in avocados. Today we will look at all the best substitutes for avocado that are readily available and probably sitting in your kitchen as we speak.
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Why are Avocados so Great?
You may be wondering what makes avocado so great. And the truth is almost everything! Avocados have a reputation for being extraordinarily healthy. Avocados are full of healthy properties and healthy fats, and avocados are great for helping to eliminate toxins and inflammation inside your tissue. If you are starting the keto diet, avocados are one of the best sources of healthy fats and will become a staple in your diet.
Avocados contain lots of omega-3 fats, which work to help absorb quality nutrients and minerals into your body. Avocados are also high in fiber, which is unique to help bind specific toxins inside your guts so that you can eliminate the potentially dangerous side effects of eating harmful foods and environmental toxins.
Basically, avocados are good for your guts. They can calm your guts if you’re having stress. They can also leave you feeling healthy and full after a thick smoothie. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamins C, E, K, and even B-6. Avocados also contain riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, and folate.
And even though most of the calories in an avocado come directly from fat, you shouldn’t stress about it. It is actually extremely healthy to eat a single avocado a day. And many people choose to eat their one avocado a day in a deliciously blended smoothie.
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Why Substitute Avocados?
It’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to substitute avocados for something else, especially when you consider how amazingly healthy they are. Nonetheless, people do require avocado substitutes from time to time.
Not everyone enjoys the taste of avocado, which means they need a substitute that packs the exact same punch nutritionally. Not only that, but some people don’t even like the texture of avocado. Some people also experience gas issues when they eat too much avocado.
There are even allergies to consider. Some people are actually allergic to avocado. If you are someone who has experienced any kind of itching after eating avocado, specifically itching of your lips, tongue, throat, or anywhere else on your face after an avocado meal, you might be allergic. It’s not deadly, but it will require an avocado substitute.
Weirdly enough, according to medical professionals, if you are already allergic to latex, it is very common to later develop an allergy to avocados. This same allergy may affect the way you eat bananas, chestnuts, kiwi, and papaya. As strange as it sounds, it is true.
And besides allergies or dislikes, there is another reason to go easy on avocados once in a while. You see, the high demand for avocados all throughout the year in the United States of America is causing massive deforestation issues and dramatically increasing our gas emissions, both of which harm the environment in a pretty nasty way.
In any case, whether you are allergic, you are looking to cut down and help the environment, or you just don’t have any avocados handy, here are the best substitutes.
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The Best Avocado Substitutes for Smoothies, Cooking, and Dipping
Bananas (Smoothies)
When it comes to a substitute for avocados in smoothies, you really only have one major option. Because avocados add such a creamy texture and powerful taste your entire smoothie, no matter what other ingredients you add yourself, it is hard to find a solid replacement period the only thing that comes close is banana.
Putting bananas in your smoothie gives you the same creamy texture you get when using avocados. If you don’t have an avocado around, simply swap it for a banana. It’s doubtful that anyone hates avocados and bananas both, but if you do maybe it’s time to stop eating smoothies altogether.
In any case, bananas give the perfect richness to any smoothie, and they add a perfect splash of sweetness into your beverage.
Pesto (Cooking)
Pesto is a weird one, but it does have a pretty similar texture to that of avocado, and is a great cooking substitute. It is slightly gooey, and a little similar to mashed avocados. With pesto, you can get the same rich and oily texture that is still full of flavor. Plus, pesto is typically made using basil and pine nuts. This means you get loads of vitamin A, iron, protein, and healthy fat just like you do with avocados.
The only thing to note is that when using pesto, you need to add extra virgin olive oil rather than canola oil for the antiinflammation properties.
Hummus (Dipping)
If you need an avocado substitute for dipping, there is no better way to go than hummus. Hummus is growing in popularity like crazy. And while many people do love dipping their chips and veggies into a bowl of avocado guacamole, hummus is still a great substitute. It tastes just as good and it has a similar texture.
Hummus is creamy, satisfying, and it is a yummy treat whether you are a vegan or not. Also, Hummus gives you a lot of clean protein. If you make it yourself, hummus can easily be crafted in your blender in only a few minutes.
When you have had enough of avocados and need to take a break, I highly suggest making your own hummus to smear on toast and sandwiches, or to use for dips.
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