A viral video showing how to prepare and eat an avocado seed has been making the rounds in the social media lately and has divided viewers on the subject of whether to eat avocado seed or not. The video was posted by a blogger named Sophie who is also the owner of the Nourish Me Whole site.
Perceived Benefits of Eating Avocado Seeds
Why indeed should one eat avocado seeds? According to Jonathon Engels' article on One Green Planet avocado seeds are not only edible but it is actually the most nutrient dense part of the fruit.
Polyphenols - According to Engels, the seed holds around 70 percent of the total antioxidants found in avocados. This means that one will be missing a big chunk of the antioxidant benefits of the fruit if one discards it. Yes, polyphenols are the same antioxidants found in green tea.
Healthy Oil - The avocado's seed also contain oil that increases the skin's collagen. Eating the seed will give one a youthful wrinkle-free skin and gorgeous hair according to Engels.
Fibre - Engels asserts that the seeds contain more soluble fiber than even top tier sources of fiber.
Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium - In another article Dana Leigh Smith for Eat This, the pit contains these three important minerals in addition to soluble fiber.
Nutrition Experts Expressed Their Position
So what do nutrition experts have to say on the matter? A YahooNews article cites the opinion of Health contributing nutrition editor Cynthia Sass on eating avocado seeds. According to Sass, there is some research about the seed's nutritional contents. However, what she is more worried about is that it is not yet established whether it is safe to eat or not.
This view also supported by Atlanta-based nutritionist Marisa Moore according to the same YahooNews article. According to her, it is just a case of potential benefits against still unknown risks in ingesting the entire seed itself. Yes, there is a body of evidence which is still exploring potential health benefits but they only concentrate on the extract of the seed, and still does not answer of the whole seed itself is safe.
And finally, the article mentioned that even the California Avocado Commission warns against the consumption of the seed saying"The seed of an avocado contains elements that are not intended for human consumption."
Nourish Me Whole Disclaimer
Addressing the commotion her video has caused, Sophie recently posted a disclaimer for the video. According to the blogger, she is not a professional nutritionist a chef or biologist but is just passionate about natural health. For this reason, she readily shares any idea that makes sense to her or inspires her.
She advises people to read the current literature available on the matter and decide from there whether to try it or not.
To be on the safe side, it might be best, for now, to stick to the fleshy part until more research is be done to conclusively show that avocado seeds are safe for eating.
