There is one good reason for including avocado in your diet. Avocados are packed full of the goodness needed to lift your mood. The nutrients in avocados that can boost your mood are folate (Vitamin B9), niacin (Vitamin B3), bitain B5 and monounsaturated fats
Apart from its healthy fats, there are other lesser known reasons to add avocado on your plate. Avocados are really high in fiber which is important for feeling full between meals, keeping our digestive tract moving and lowering our cholesterol.
Avocados are a rich source of potassium, one of those good electrolytes that is essential for our heart, muscles and many processes in the body. They also help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K that are found in other foods like vegetables.
Avocados are known for supporting brain function and healthy memory thanks to their healthy fats. Avocado is truly a super fruit and a super food.
Avocado in Uganda
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) says there are more than 10 varieties of avocado grown in Uganda. Although Ugandan avocados are diverse, they share similar features with slight differences in size, color, flavor, shape and peak growing season.
According NARO, some of the avocado varieties that are commonly grown on Ugandan soil are:
- Jumbo
- Hass
- Semil 34
- Reed
- Fuerte
- Bacon
The Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) says Uganda has more indigenous varieties which are little known to the global avocado market. UEPB is currently encouraging farmers to focus on varieties grown for export like the Hass and Fuerte.
Here are the differences between some of the avocado varieties grown in Uganda:
Jumbo Avocado
- It is a local variety native to East Africa
- It forms the best rootstock for grafting avocado
- It is larger in size compared to other varieties
- It has a yellow, creamy flesh
- It is high in oil content
- It is the most preferred in the local market
- Some of them have a smooth, shiny, green skin but others turn purplish-black when ripe
- It is available all year long
Semil 34 Avocado
- It is a medium size to large fruit (400g-700g)
- It is pear-shaped
- It has either a smooth or slightly pebbled skin that is easy to peel
- Its skin remains green even when ripe
- It has a thick, creamy, yellow flesh
- It is low to medium in oil content
- It has a sweet, buttery, mildly acidic flavor
- It has a small to medium size seed
- It is considered a good variety for shipping because during handling the small seed does not easily bruise the flesh.
Reed Avocado
- It is round in shape
- Its skin is thick, slightly pebbled, easy to peel and remains green even when ripe
- It has a pale, golden-yellow flesh
- It has a rich, nutty flavor with a buttery texture
- It has a medium size seed
- It is a medium size to large fruit (225g-500g)
Bacon Avocado
- It is oval in shape
- Its skin is smooth, thin, dark green and remains green even when ripe
- It has a pale yellow-green flesh
- It has a buttery, creamy texture
- It has a medium size to large seed
- It is a medium size to large fruit (170g-340g)
In Uganda, avocados are locally known as ovakedo. With the widespread small scale farming, many new varieties have been created from unrecorded crosses. Many are hybrids, meaning that they are the result of two varieties being bred together to create a new one.
Many Ugandans prefer eating avocados plain. But others like it in kachumbari salad, a mixture of avocado, tomatoes and onions, that is served with main dishes.