Can You Eat Avocados With Black Spots, Brown Spots and Dark Streaks?

Avocados are renowned for their creamy texture, rich nutty flavor, and jam-packed with health benefits. However, discovering a blackened interior with black veins in your avocado can be a cause for concern. 

Avocados are pretty costly and discovering an imperfect interior with brown spots, black spots, and dark stringy flesh can be very disheartening. Do you throw the avocado away? Or do you cut off the dark parts and eat the green parts?  If you’re an avocado lover, just like my family and me, you’ve most likely been faced with this predicament umpteen times.

Avocado with brown flesh

Natural Ripening Process 

Avocados undergo a natural ripening process, during which the flesh transforms from firm and green to soft and creamy. As part of this process, the color of the avocado can change to a darker shade, sometimes appearing almost black. This change is typically harmless and often indicates that the fruit is perfectly ripe.

Enzymatic Browning

The blackening of avocado flesh can also result from enzymatic browning, a natural chemical reaction that occurs when the fruit is exposed to oxygen. While this process may alter the color, the avocado remains safe to eat. You can simply scrape off the discolored portion to reveal the unaffected, flavorful flesh beneath.

Veining in Avocado 

Veining or string-like structures in an avocado may be a result of its variety or the presence of undigested fibers. This occurrence is not uncommon and is generally considered safe for consumption. The veins themselves are harmless and can be consumed without adverse effects.

Dark streaks within avocado flesh

Signs of Spoilage 

While discoloration alone does not necessarily indicate spoilage, it's crucial to be aware of additional signs. If the avocado emits a foul odor, has a sour taste, or displays mold growth, it may be an indication of spoilage and should be discarded.

Don’t try to salvage any part of a sour-smelling or moldy avocado, as it has the potential to make you sick.

Health Considerations 

Consuming black avocado flesh, even with veins, is generally safe for most individuals. However, those with latex allergies or sensitivity to certain proteins found in avocados may experience allergic reactions. If you have known allergies or concerns, it's advisable to consult with a healthcare professional before consuming avocados.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the blackening of avocado flesh, accompanied by veins, is often a result of the natural ripening process and enzymatic browning. These occurrences are generally harmless and do not pose health risks. By understanding the reasons behind these color changes, you can confidently enjoy avocados while ensuring their quality and safety. Remember to rely on additional signs of spoilage, such as odor or mold, to determine the overall condition of the fruit. 

Through smell, taste, touch, and visual inspection, you can determine whether an avocado has spoiled, and whether to eat or discard it.

Throwback Food Snaps

Throwback food snaps of breakkie with the hubs and mil recently:

At Bai Wei Kopitiam:

Chicken soup flat noodles, Polo bun with spam and cheese, Mee Siam with spiced fried chicken, and milk tea topped with a cube of gigantic ice in the shape of a cute bear (cafe's signature beverage).

Breakfast at a coffee shop in our hood:

Dry hor fun noodles with chicken, fishballs, fried fish and fish paste soup and fried char mee hoon topped with fried wallet egg.

Jumbo local avocado, grown in Johor.  A seller from our neighborhood Facebook group advertised these avos and I bought two to try.  I didn't order more as I was apprehensive of locally-grown avocados. But these babies proved me wrong.  These Malaysia-grown avos are super creamy and even sweet.  The flesh is in a pretty greenish-yellowish hue and perfect inside!

Don't judge the fruit by its skin. Blemished on the outside but beautiful on the inside.

Japanese Chocolate Persimmon

My SIL from the UK is in town.  Yesterday she went grocery shopping and got us some Japanese chocolate persimmons, one of the finest persimmons around.  At RM28 each, it's our first time trying these elusive persimmons.

Chocolate persimmons have a very sweet and sugary flavor with subtle spice-filled undertones. The fruits are named “chocolate” for their brown, variegated flesh, not for their taste. 

Aside from the color of the flesh, chocolate persimmons taste very much similar to regular persimmons with orange and yellow flesh.

Importance Of Fruits And Vegetables

According to an article by CBS News, a new analysis finds that eating more than five servings of fruits and veggies per day can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and early death.

The researchers found the greatest benefit came from eating 10 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. They estimated that if everyone ate this amount – equivalent to about 800 grams, or 28 ounces – approximately 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide could be prevented.

To arrive at these figures, scientists from Imperial College London analyzed 95 studies on fruit and vegetable intake. The meta-analysis included 2 million people from populations worldwide and assessed up to 43,000 cases of heart disease, 47,000 cases of stroke, 81,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, 112,000 cancer cases, and 94,000 deaths. The results are published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Eating 10 portions of fruits and vegetables per day was tied to a:

• 24 percent reduced risk of heart disease.
• 33 percent reduced risk of stroke.
• 28 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.
• 13 percent reduced risk of cancer.
• 31 percent reduction in premature death. 

It's an eye-opening analysis. It shows what fruits and vegetables are the best in the prevention of heart disease, stroke, cancer and early death.  The full results can be read here.

And this is why I place great importance in the intake of fruits and vegetables in my household.  Though my girls are old enough to cut and prep fruits on their own, they are sometimes too busy or simply lazy to do it.  That's OK, I will still do it for them for as long as they want me to. That's one of the ways I express my 💓to them. My parents at 76 and 73 years old still cut fruits for me when I am back home 💝

Daily fruit boxes for my girls.

Red dragon fruit, mango, organic kyuri and apple.



Banana, apple, kiwi, mango and organic cherry tomatoes.


Blueberries, banana, orange and mango.

With the vegetables that we eat for lunch and dinner, I think our fruits and vegetables intake make up to 800 gm a day. I spend a minimum of RM800 on fruits and organic vegetables each month and I hope it's a good investment for a life free from major ailments.

Cherry Apples

Have you ever seen a cherry apple?



I saw cherry apples at De Market and the size is slightly bigger than a cherry, with a long stem, making them look almost like a cherry. At RM25.99 a punnet, these cherry apples look stunning and exotic but I am not ambitious when it comes to buying exotic foods. Exotic does not mean delicious.  I tried Googling for cherry apples but  can't gather much information on it, except that cherry apples are also called crab apples and  they are usually used for preserving.




Has anyone tried cherry apples before? I am curious to know what it tastes like.

Smoothie Of The Day - 4 March 2015

Since December last year, I have been churning out fruit smoothies for everyone in the family everyday. Fruit smoothies are such a convenience for busy and always on-the-go people like my hubs and 2 older girls. Sherilyn tends to be lazy to eat her fruits. By the time she gets home from the enrichment center everyday, it is already close to 7pm and already  dinner time. This gives her little or no time to eat her fruits.  Sometimes I place cut fruits in a lunch box for her to eat in the car - from the enrichment center back home. But on most days, she is just lazy to eat her fruits, especially fruits that require chewing!

It is so much more easier to get the drama queen  to gulp down a variety of fruits from a bottle in a jiffy.  Yesterday I made kiwi + orange smoothie with fresh pomegranate and apple juice.




I normally use fresh coconut juice, Manuka honey or boxed apple juice to make the smoothie more palatable for everyone, especially the kids.   I find that most boxed juices in the supermarket are adulterated with food conditioner, preservative, flavoring, color and sugar.   The other day, I found a new brand of pure fruit juices  that are sans added water, food additives, preservative and sugar.

Athina is imported from Greece and costs between RM12.90 to RM18.90 a box.  Yup, pure fruit juices are that freaking expensive!  Some of you may want to ask me to make my own fruit juices but it is too time consuming and I do not have the time :(

* fruit smoothie and fruit juice are different.  The former is the whole fruit blended. Nothing is thrown away except for the seeds and core. In other words, you drink the whole fruit and has more nutritional value since you are also eating the fiber.  Fruit juice is just the juice pressed from the fruit.  The fiber and everything else are separated and disposed of.

The below box of Athina pomegranate + apple juice that I bought cost RM18.90 a box. It contains only pomegranate and apple juice and nothing else.








While the orange and kiwi smoothie is for the kids, I made dragon fruit smoothie for the adults.  I pulsed half a red dragon fruit with  the orange kiwi smoothie and apple pomegranate juice to churn out 3 glasses of smooth and refreshing dragon fruit smoothie and even have enough to make 3 frozen ice pops for the girls :)

Taiwan Jumbo Watermelon

A few weeks ago after our book-shopping spree at the KL Book Fest @ KLCC, we went to Isetan for lunch.  At the supermarket, the girls were awestruck when they saw some gigantic watermelons.  I think they easily weigh over 6kg each.

The juxtaposition of the size of Cass' hand and the size of watermelon is shown below. 

The jumbo watermelon is almost three times the size of a regular size watermelon. 



But at RM139.90, would you buy it?   I would not.  With RM139.90, I can probably buy 6 or 7 regular size watermelons!

Would you spend this much on a gigantic fruit?

 

Mixed Fruits Ice-Blended Smoothie

Lately, I am back at churning out fresh smoothies for my darlings after a short hiatus!

After seeing how effective a full mug of smoothie can help Cass evacuate her bowels, I have been diligently swirling out a medley of fruit smoothies for the girls for the past few days.

Today I made ice-blended orange + apple + kiwi + fresh lychee + chia seeds smoothie for the girls.



Within less than a minute, my smoothie guzzler downed a glass of smoothie.

 


And it produced the same powerful effect on her guts today, an hour later!  After lunch, she surprised me with something on the throne. 

For someone who has always struggled with constipation, being able to make her dumps effortlessly without pain is a victory. 

This mommy just has to spend 20 minutes each day peeling and chopping fruits and happily pressing the buttons on her Blentec to produce 3 full glasses of rich and refreshing smoothie :)

Fruits Infused Water

My group of friends in Facebook have been making fruit infused water after some articles on the health benefits of drinking fruit infused water went viral in Facebook. When you see your friends making good stuff and they post pictures of their good stuff everyday (several times in a day!), you can't help getting 'infected' by the healthy virus! So I jumped on the fruit infused water bandwagon too and made a pitcher last week.

Here is my first pitcher of fruit infused water - which is a concoction of East meeting West. I used lemon grass, lime, orange and strawberry. My kids loved it and it got their wholehearted thumbs-up!




Sherilyn was so amazed with how attractive and refreshing the fruit infused water was that she begged me to prepare a tumbler for her to bring to school to next day. Yup, she really did beg me for it. I was too lazy to do it but finally gave in to her power of persuasion!

This was for Sherilyn to bring to school...





Drinking water infused with fruits or herbs is a smart and tasty way to hydrate and cleanse your body without getting overloaded with sugar and calories. It is a great and healthy way of getting your kids to drink plain water, free from sugar and food additives. It is way better than fizzy drinks.

When I was pregnant with Sherilyn and Cass, I could not tolerate drinking plain water as I was massively nauseated during the first trimester. So I added slices of lime, lemon and strawberry into my plain water everyday and kept myself hydrated by drinking the required 8-10 glasses of plain water a day.  If you or your kids hate drinking plain water, do give this fruit infused water a try. You can have fun choosing your favorite fruits or leaves (lemon grass and mint leaves taste great) and adding them into your pitcher of water.  Depending on the ingredients you infuse, this fruit infused water offers tons of great health benefits.

Big Juicy Apples From Japan

Can you take a wild guess on how much these apples from Hokkaido, Japan cost each? We got them from a Japan food fair held at Isetan @ KLCC last week. It is usually priced at over RM10 each but during the promotion, it was 4 apples for RM27. Still very costly but I could not resist sinking my teeth into the juicy apple after tasting the free samples at the booth. And oh yes, at least I will have something to blog about to add a touch of sweetness to my 5-year old blog :) The apples are very sweet, juicy and crunchy. But I think it will be the last time I am going to splurge so much on apples, of all things!

Champagne Grapes

We were at Cold Storage and saw a rare sight at the fruits section - cute, tiny champagne grapes. We tried the samples and they were sweet. Baby was besotted with those 'baby grapes', as she called them and insisted that we got her some. To placate her, I took 2 small bunches, or should I say 2 handfuls and they cost a whopping RM7! I could pop the 2 handfuls of cute baby grapes in 2 mounthfuls as they are so terribly tiny. Now that I know they are so costly, I don't think I will buy them again. I'd go for regular grapes - more flesh to chew!

Guess What Fruit This Is

Can you make a wild guess? The surface is smooth and it's blackish and greenish and my dad bought it from a wet market in Ipoh....

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It's a locally grown avocado...

The differences between a locally grown and an imported avocado apart from the price (local ones are cheaper) are that the locally grown avocado flesh is very smooth and not so thick and creamy. Some of the avocados are as big as a small-sized Australian mango. And the locally grown avocados turn brown and bad very fast -- leave them in room temperature, the flesh will turn brown very quickly. Put them in the fridge, the flesh will be hard and not edible. So my verdict is - next time we'll stick to imported ones, though they cost more.

Fruits For Breakfast

This is my girls' breakfast:

Strawberries, cherries and longans for breakfast.


I feed my girls fruits in the morning, half an hour after their milk. For Baby, she eats fruits on an empty stomach every morning. Half an hour later, she'll have her cup of milk of about 4 ounces. And half an hour later, she'll have 3/4 of an egg from a free range chicken. Sometimes, she will eat some biscuits and bread.

Fruits Galore For Breakfast

I bought over RM60 worth of fruits from the night market last night. They include our favorite jackfruit, pineapple, papayas, mangoes, duku langsat, oranges, kiwi fruits and red dragon fruits. This morning, the girls had local fruits for breakfast - jackfruit, mangoes and duku langsat.






Alycia enjoying her local fruits delight while reading the newspapers!

Did I tell you that Baby is not a fan of fruits and the few fruits that she would eat are durians, mangoes, oranges (would only eat if it's really sweet and juicy) and red dragon fruits? Give her papaya, she would feign vomitting again *slap forehead*

Durian For Breakfast Anyone?

I think I am the only Malaysian who would eat durians for breakfast instead of tucking into some mouth-watering sotong sambal nasi lemak, a plate of char koay teow or chee cheong fun. I am a health freak fruit lover who only eats fruits in the morning on an empty stomach.

Hubby was at Jaya Jusco late one night and managed to grab 2 boxes of premium durians at half the regular price just before they pulled the shutters down. If you want to grab food stuff at half price, head over to Mid Valley Megamall. Jaya Jusco and some of those independant stalls outside normally have a 50% discount off all their food items at around 9pm.


This 'red flesh' is simply the best - so sweet, so flavorful, so creamy, has the perfect texture and color and so FATTENING! But iLike! Never mind, eat first work out later.


My breakfast consisting of an orange and durians. Half an hour later, I ate a hard boiled free range chicken egg, a slice of multi-grain bread with kaya and a mug of green tea. My breakfast is my heaviest meal of the day and I find that eating a light dinner helps in controlling the jelly belly! Also if you are full and well satiated with all the carbs in the morning, you tend not to think so much about food throughout the day, especially on those sinful carbs!

Getting Alycia And Sherilyn To Eat Enough Fruits

On school-going days, Alycia and Sherilyn hardly have the time to eat fruits. I normally make them freshly squeezed orange juice (an orange for each of them every other day), which they will drink before they eat their lunch, upon their return from school. On weekends, they will eat fruits half an hour after drinking milk in the morning. I believe that fruits should be taken on an empty stomach and not together or immediately after food. Alycia has no problem eating fruits, she's a food lover anyway. For Sherilyn, it's tough job to get her to eat anything, except for junkies! And unless it's fruits that she really loves like these:



Jackfruits, strawberries and mini mandarin oranges (sweet tangerines) and her all-time favorite durian! Try giving her an apple, a pear or an orange and she'll take forever to finish them. Most of the time, she doesn't finish her fruits, unless they are in juice form, this lazy girl, sigh....

Papaya With Sprouted Seeds

For the first time in my life, I came across a papaya with seeds that had sprouts shooting out. I got a shock of my life when I cut the papaya into half and saw white stuff inside. For a moment I thought they were maggots but on taking a closer look, I realized they were just shoots like bean sprouts, sprouting out from the seeds. Ewwwwww, they looked really gross and I only ate half the papaya. I wonder if it's safe to eat papayas with sprouted seeds. I had read from a source that potatoes with shoots sprouting out are toxic or harmful to our bodies if consumed. So I'm not sure if the same goes with fruits with sprouted seeds. Anyone has any views on this for this health freak mom?





A macro shot of the sprouted seeds. Don't the shoots look very much like bean sprouts? Geli or not? Eeeeekkk!!

Tis The Season To Indulge

What I like about the months of July and August is that it's the durian season, also mangosteen, rambutan and langsat. These are all my favorite fruits and for as long as these fruits are in season, there will always be these fruits in our house, more so if my mil is around coz she loves them too and would buy them whenever she sees them selling by the road.



The end result? A pound or two gained and extra minutes clocked in jogging every morning. What to do, I so love durians and I feel so sorry for myself if I see a packet of musang king sitting in the fridge each time I open the fridge door.... so I will not torture myself but will indulge in it and work on the flab the next morning haha!

Oval Shaped Mangosteens

I never knew that mangosteens have two (or maybe more than two, I don't know) varieties. One is the round type and another is the oblong/oval shape type. The oval shaped variety of mangosteen is slightly smaller in size than the round ones. The flesh is also firmer and sweeter. The hubs bought a packet of oval shaped mangosteens the other day and I personally prefer the oval shaped ones.

How Do You Eat Mangosteens?

That's how Alycia savors her mangosteens. As for me, I will break the mangosteen into half with the both of my palm, then use a fork to poke the flesh out. That's the easiest way to eat mangosteens. How do you eat your mangosteen?