Reason Why You Should Stop Using Avocados in Salads
Avocado turned into healthy eating symbolno photo of breakfast healthy on Instagram, in which this fruit does not appear.
There are many reasons to eat it when it comes to health. It has a positive effect on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high cholesterol. Provides oleic acidan omega-9 fatty acid that can reduce inflammation in the body, to which are added potassium, fiber, vitamin K or vitamin Ehaving antioxidant properties.
With all these benefits, it’s no wonder you’re now investing it in everything: toast for breakfast, a thousand and one salads, not to mention sushi or guacamole. Although few people knew about it 10 years ago, now it is eaten almost daily.
About 5,000 kg of avocados are consumed worldwide every year. Growing demand with serious environmental consequences due to its mass production and export. This should make you rethink your consumption.
Environmental value of “green gold”
“The cultivation of avocados, one of the 3 main export commodities of the agricultural and agro-industrial sector, is supported by practices such as indiscriminate and illegal cutting of trees, damage to subsurface resources and excessive use of water.“, – sums up National.
To give you an idea, 700 million kilograms of this product are sold in Europe alone. IN In 2020, Spain produced 108,000 tons.. This is one of the growing tropical crops in our country. In particular, it is reported that in Axarquia, a region of Malaga, where 15% of the entire continent’s avocados come from. Confidential.
In a region where water is not an abundant resource, it may be surprising to learn that Each avocado uses 600 liters of water. The harvest of this food product provides 80% of Axarquia’s water consumption.
Mexico is by far the largest producer of avocados. Michoacan, near Mexico City, produces half of the world’s avocados. Crops in the specified state cover an area production equivalent to 196,000 football fields.
huge and disproportionate demand This fruit has an impact on climate change in the region, emphasizes the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Why is avocado so expensive? It’s a healthy food, even though it has a negative impact on the environment.
“Forested landscapes with diverse wildlife have been destroyed for avocado farming, and many other lands have been deliberately burned so that in the event of fire they can be redistributed to commercial agriculture instead of forests.”
Common practices include cutting down old bushes and trees to allow avocado trees to receive more sunlight, which contributes to deforestation. In Michoacan, approx. 14,500 hectares of forest for avocado plantations.
According to a non-governmental organization, every day About 9.5 billion liters of water are used for their production. – about 3800 Olympic swimming pools. This represents massive extraction of water from Michoacan’s aquifers.
For all this, it is necessary to rethink the consumption of this food. Among the things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of avocadosAt the WEF, they recommend getting certified for fair trade and sustainable growing, and choosing the most local ones.
Another option is to reduce your avocado consumption in favor of other foods that are just as healthy but have a smaller impact on the planet.