Bulletproof Guacamole with Brain Octane MCT Oil

If you have had a chance to check out the Bulletproof Diet, you’ve noticed I recommend avocados as a source of fat. It turns out there are other reasons why you should double down on the guacamole.

In this post, you will learn about the amazing things avocados can do for you. Also, I’ll introduce my guacamole recipe with a bonus ingredient that will take your guac to a whole new level.

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Fat doesn’t make you fat: The benefits of avocados

An industry trade group imaginatively called the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) is doing some clinical research to see what avocados do for cardiovascular disease, maintaining healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and upgrading your absorption of nutrients. The studies are promising, even though they are funded by people who really want us to eat more avocados.

In 2013, a UCLA study showed that eating half a medium Hass avocado with a hamburger made of 90% lean industrial-grade CAFO beef inhibited creation of the inflammatory compound Interleukin-6 (IL-6).^[1] Sadly, the researchers did not disclose what the animals were fed before they were turned into hamburger. In any case, even toxic meat from chemically treated sick animals is less inflammatory when you eat it with avocado. I’ll take my guac on top of an extra-fat, grass-fed burger!

A summary of the study by Medical News Today reported that plain burgers caused a 70% increase in IL-6 four hours after a meal, but only a 40% increase when avocado was included.^[2][3] Interestingly, avocado did not cause an increase in triglyceride levels, even though it’s made of mostly fat. (Longtime readers will know that triglycerides are caused by fructose digestion more so than by eating healthy fat.)^{[4] [5]} Another finding was a 27% reduction in peripheral blood flow after the meal with no avocado, but only a 4% drop when there was avocado.

Eat more good fat

When you follow the Bulletproof Diet, your goal is to have 50-70% of your calories coming from quality fats. Avocados are full of monounsaturated fat (about 2/3 of the fat is monounsaturated) and nutrients, especially potassium, B vitamins, 11 different carotenoids and vitamin E.

Since avocados have a good amount of fiber, almost no sugar (1g of sugar per 150g of avocado) and almost no protein (about 3g of protein per 150g of avocado), you can enjoy them and still hit your macronutrient targets. One of the biggest mistakes people make on the Bulletproof Diet is not eating enough fat because they are eating too much protein. Avocados can make that problem a thing of the past.

Another reason I like avocados is that they have a very thick peel. The peel helps to block pesticides from entering the fruit. That means it’s mostly safe to eat non-organic avocados, opening a whole realm of possibilities at restaurants. Have you ever tried ordering a whole avocado on top of your chicken salad, then asked the restaurant to hold the chicken? That’s what I do, and you are better off making that choice at most restaurants. I still prefer organic avocados when I can purchase them because I value the soil integrity of our planet. But a biohacker’s gotta eat on the road …

Read the rest of this post to learn the way I eat most of my avocados. It’s worth it!

Other benefits of avocados you’ve never heard of

• They might prevent oral cancer: Avocados have certain compounds in them that inhibit or kill oral cancer cells.^[6][7]
• They’re good for your liver: A Japanese study found laboratory rats, when fed a liver toxin that interferes with cell synthesis and kills cells, suffered the least amount of liver damage when they were fed avocados compared to 21 other fruits.^[8] The chemical toxin mimics viral hepatitis damage, so the researchers believe avocado might be a good idea in cases of viral hepatitis.
• They actually lower cholesterol: Honestly, the hysteria over non-oxidized cholesterol is not a reason to eat avocados, but avocados do help with suboptimal HDL/total cholesterol levels, which do matter. In one case, test subjects’ total cholesterol fell by 16% after a one-week high avocado diet.^[9] If the subjects had elevated cholesterol, the high avocado diet caused a 17% decrease in total cholesterol, an 11% increase in HDL and a more significant 22% decrease of LDL and triglycerides.

Related: Everything You Know About Cholesterol Is Wrong

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3 things to know when peeling your avocado

1. Never, ever eat the black or discolored parts. Those contain mold toxins and histamine that can lower your brain function, if not make you sick outright. Avocados are one of the few fruits where it is safe to cut out the discolored parts. (Most fruit is entirely contaminated when some of it is spoiled.)
2. Scrape your avocado. The dark green part of the avocado closest to the skin has the most carotenoids, phytonutrients that play a role in preventing macular degeneration. So scrape the inside of the peel with a spoon, or halve the avocado and get your fingers dirty and peel the skin like a banana.
3. Remove your seed with ease. It is easiest to remove the seed by cutting the avocado in half, then carefully embedding the blade of a sharp knife into the seed. Twist the knife and pull the seed out, still stuck to the knife blade.

The most amazing way to eat avocados

I am a guacamole snob. I’ve made at least a thousand batches of it and tested lots of kitchen variables. Here are the basics:

• Buy Haas avocados. There are other varieties of avocado usually found in the tropics, Hawaii and Florida, but those varieties are gigantic, watery, and do not contain nearly as much healthy fat. Plus, they make awful guacamole.
• Choose your guacamole philosophy. In my experience, there are two schools of guacamole. The New Mexico tradition where I grew up calls for a very creamy guacamole. The California or Mexico tradition prefers a chunky form. You can adapt this recipe to make the chunky version, but you owe it to yourself to try to the creamy version at least once.

Want to add more quality fats to your guacamole and make it taste even more amazing? Just add Brain Octane MCT oil. Get the details below.

Bulletproof Guacamole recipe

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Bulletproof Guacamole with Brain Octane MCT Oil

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https://www.bulletproof.com/recipes/eating-healthy/the-many-things-avocados-do-for-you-plus-a-recipe/

Start to Finish: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 large ripe Haas avocados
• 2-4 Tbsp. Brain Octane MCT oil
• 2 tsp. or more of Himalayan salt (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1-3 tsp. apple cider vinegar (to taste)
• Optional add-ins: chopped cilantro, jalapeños

Instructions:

1. Blend everything with a hand blender until it is very creamy.
2. Stir in chopped cilantro and jalapeños (if you tolerate nightshades) or other herbs of your choice.
3. Enjoy on top of grass fed meat, sushi, salads or pretty much anything.

Serves: 4-6 servings

The end result is like guacamole on steroids. The flavor is much more intense because of the effect of the esters from the Brain Octane oil on your taste buds. You won’t miss the onions and garlic common in most recipes. (These foods taste good, but can have negative effects on your performance, unless you’re sick.)

Guacamole made this way keeps you fuller, longer and is amazing on top of grass-fed meat, sushi or salads. I have been known to eat a bowl of it by itself for lunch.

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