Avocado on Toast

They can get a bit of a bad wrap but our bodies love them. When you can it’s a good idea to amp up the intake of foods containing unsaturated fats like avocado, nuts and seeds to reap the rewards.

Avocado has become a versatile ingredient which is now used beyond the simple salad and has become a breakfast staple across Australia as well as a feature ingredient in raw desserts and a quirky addition to hipster latte’s.  Adding avocado to your breakfast increases your fat intake – the good fat that is. They need next to no preparation, pair nicely with traditional breakfast options and are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats.

The great thing about using avocado is that there’s no need for butter which contains saturated fats. Instead of using butter, drizzle the bread with good quality olive or plant based oil. Again, increasing the unsaturated fat intake and loading layers of flavour without the nasties.

Bread can be a little confusing. Over the years it’s become more and more refined which means the simple slice can be quickly convert to energy to be used by our bodies. This becomes an issue if you aren’t able to burn that energy or enjoy a few more slices than necessary. Serve your avo on a dense, whole grain or seed bread. This will lover the GI, make you feel full for longer, give you the added benefits of extra oils and additional fibre, AND taste so much more delicious.

A squeeze of lemon or lime juice is not only functional in preventing the avocado from oxidising and turning brown but also gives a delicious natural flavour. More importantly the immune boosting benefits from the Vitamin C make for a perfect morning pick me up.

Hemp seeds are a bit of a buzz ingredient at the moment as they have recently been approved for consumption in Australia and New Zealand. This means hemp seeds as food product are now legal and totally exciting. Loaded with amino acids (most importantly all 9 essential amino acids), with the ultimate combo of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, these high protein seeds are the perfect addition to your avo on toast. If you can’t get your hands on the hemp seeds try some black sesame or crushed almonds instead.