Put down that avolatte

If you've been awake in the past five years, you'll know that avocados are kind of a thing. A big thing, in fact. This time last year, the Telegraph wrote that 'sales of avocados overtook sales of oranges in December [2015] with around 44 million being sold per year'. There was even an avocado pop-up restaurant in London (of course), where customers could order from a menu comprised entirely of avocado-based dishes - it was called, in the most original way, AVOPOPUP, and it will be returning this year as AVOLUTION.

If you think Britain hadn't already reached peak avocado obsession, think again. This week, I saw that a coffee shop in Melbourne had created a particularly icky-looking 'avolatte' as a toungue-in-cheek gesture towards Australian millionaire Tim Gurner's comments on millennials and housing affordability, but it somehow caught on here in the UK. Now, I'm hoping the irony hasn't worn off (we can't really be THAT basic, can we?), because that amount of creamy fat is bound to encourage a heart attack. 'But it's good fats!' you say. Maybe. But I'm not going to tell you how many calories are in your favourite vanilla latte, because it will probably make you cry.

Instead, let's take a step back from the Instagram-fueled madness, and strip avocados down to their bare pits. These little green fruits are a great source of monounsaturated fats; research shows that this type of 'good fat' lowers cholesterol, decreases the risk of breast cancer, lessens the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and lowers the risk of heart disease. Avocados also contain high levels of potassium, dietary fibre, and vitamins A and B-6, which is why it's called a superfood.

Now, if you've already eaten more plates of avo-toast than you can count on both hands, there are other ways to enjoy an avocado. For example, you can pop it in a blender to add creamy texture to a smoothie, mix it into a nourishing face or hair masque, or even use it to create a rich mug cake. 

However, if you're not much of an alchemist, you might be glad to hear that avocado is emerging as a key ingredient in everyday products such as hair care and tea, due to its amazing benefits. 

Heath & Heather's Organic Green Tea with Avocado already contains antioxidant-rich green tea, but when combined with avocado this soothing drink becomes even more beneficial. Boiled for three to six minutes in water, the tea bag releases a smooth, creamy infusion of ripe avocado, which is perfect to enjoy at any time of day - though I prefer mine at lunchtime with my avo-toast and a Happy Egg Co poached egg. It feels like an indulgent treat, but it's so healthy!

This is an ideal drink for those of you who love green tea and avocado, but if you'd rather try something different, Heath & Heather have also just released two more flavours in addition to their huge range: Organic Green Tea & Imperial Matcha, and Organic Super Green Tea Matcha & Seaweed. As these teas are organic (no nasty chemicals here), they're great for your body and great for the environment! You can find these online, or at your local Holland & Barrett. 

Last year, Tesco released its first avocado spread which (I believe) is a vegan alternative to butter, but please correct me if I'm wrong. I know it contains palm oil, the production of which causes widespread environmental destruction and even threatens the extinction of certain species, so perhaps it's not the most ethical alternative. However, if you're not ethically minded, this product does contain avocado oil, which features some (not all, I must say) of the benefits of eating an avocado as-is, including vitamins D and A, plus the added benefit of Omega 3.

High street hair care favourite Aussie has released its new Miracle Nourish range for long hair, which includes a shampoo (£4.19), conditioner (£4.19), and the much raved about 3 Minute Miracle (£4.99), a treatment which works its nourishing magic in just three minutes. Infused with avocado oil and eucalyptus extract, this range promises to deliver a kick of moisture to limp, lacklustre locks - and it does! Having tried this on my own, very long, very overprocessed hair, I can wholeheartedly say that this delivers more of a moisturising effect than your regular high street shampoo. 

The blue formula smells delicious, and is a pleasure to use. You don't need much of the shampoo, but I tend to use more conditioning products, so the addition of the three minute miracle is perfect for me, as I can use it in place of the conditioner if it runs out.

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Do you have any avocado-based products to recommend?

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