Сезон авокадо в Тринидаде: польза для диабетиков и опасная иллюзия идеального плода

It is avocado season in Trinidad. Some say “zaboca” and my mother calls it “God’s butter.” I always thought her description was perfect. Slice open a good one and there is that extraordinary yellow-green flesh that is creamy enough to spread on bread. Of course, pollock is best. This is an opinion rather than the conclusion of a clinical trial (although I remain open to funding).Its main harvest season as June to August, with occasional minor bearing later in the year. Americans discovered avocado toast a few years ago and behaved as though they had found the Holy Grail. We have been using bread, hot sada roti or virtually anything for decades. The interesting thing is that our affection for zaboca is increasingly supported by nutritional science. Avocado is unusual among fruits because much of its energy comes from fat. That sentence has frightened generations of people trying to lose weight. We now understand that the type of fat matters enormously. Avocados are particularly rich in monounsaturated fat, including oleic acid, the same broad category of fat that makes olive oil a central feature of the Mediterranean diet. They also provide polyunsaturated fat while remaining relatively low in saturated fat. As expected, if you eat an enormous quantity of any calorie-dense food on top of everything you normally eat, weight gain remains entirely possible. A large local zaboca is also a very different proposition from the small imported Hass avocado shown in many overseas diet plans. Randomised trials and systematic reviews have generally found that adding avocado to the diet does not lead to significant weight gain when incorporated sensibly. In one large study, people with abdominal obesity were asked to eat an avocado every day for six months. There was no significant increase in body weight compared with those continuing their usual diets. Where avocado becomes particularly interesting is what it replaces. Put zaboca on bread instead of a thick layer of butter and the nutritional equation changes. Use it instead of processed meat, cheese or some other sources of saturated fat. A major study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association followed more than 110,000 men and women for decades. People consuming at least two servings of avocado per week had a lower observed risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease than non-consumers. Replacing certain other fat-containing foods with avocado was also associated with lower cardiovascular risk. This was an observational study, so it cannot prove that the avocado itself prevented heart attacks. People who eat avocado may differ in many other ways from people who do not. Avocado provides fibre which helps bowel health, contributes to satiety and can assist with cholesterol and glucose control as part of an appropriate diet. It also contains potassium, folate, vitamins including E, C and K. A person with diabetes does not need to fear it simply because it is rich and creamy. It is relatively low in carbohydrate and its fat and fibre content make it very different metabolically from a glass of sweet juice or a large piece of cake. However, zaboca does not “clean the arteries”, reverse diabetes or detoxify the liver. Even God’s butter has limits. Years ago, I heard the expression “rotten zaboca syndrome” used to describe a particularly deceptive diabetic foot from Professor Emeritus Vijay Narayansingh. A zaboca can look almost perfect from the outside. Perhaps there is only one small dark spot on the skin. Cut it open and the damage underneath can be extensive. Diabetic feet can behave the same way. A patient notices what appears to be a tiny dark area on a toe. Perhaps there is a small blister, callus or break in the skin. Long-standing diabetes may damage peripheral nerves, reducing sensation in the feet. A person can develop an injury, infection or ulcer and receive far less warning than someone with normal sensation. Diabetes may also coexist with impaired circulation, which makes healing more difficult. Apart from human bandits, the Giant African Snail has become one of our garden’s most destructive invasive pests. It feeds on more than 500 plant species including fruit trees and vegetables. The snail can carry the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis), which may cause eosinophilic meningitis and eating these snails is unwise. So enjoy the season. It brings fibre and valuable nutrients with it. Sensible portions fit comfortably into diets for people with diabetes and for those watching their weight. And when you cut one open, remember the surgeon’s lesson. Sometimes one innocent-looking spot on the outside tells you very little about what is happening underneath. That is true of zabocas. It is true of diabetic feet. Come to think of it, it is true of people too. Every time a patient quietly leaves a bag containing two or three beautiful zabocas behind, it reminds me that medicine in this country is built from small exchanges of kindness that never appear in a medical record.