Avocado with rock salt – and some rambling …

This meal is so simple it would be easy to call it a snack. But an average avocado has 240 calories and 20 grams of fat – enough to leave you feeling full for a little bit.

This is a great addition to your rotation if you are trying to eat multiple small meals throughout the day instead of the three big ones.

WebMD cites its low calories and high antioxidants, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin K among its attributes.

This fruit has a fascinating history – enough of a story to merit one of those pop-biographies about things and concepts that are so popular.

The Hass variety, named after a postal worker in 1926, is now grown commercially and enjoyed year-round. It originates from the seed Rudolph Hass bought from a farmer and the mother tree still stands in California. Its not-so-appetizing etymology traces the English word avocado from the Spanish word “aguacate” back to “ahuacatl” – a fabled aphrodisiac and the Aztec word for testicle. The etymological evolution was a conscious marketing decision made by farmers who would later become the California Avocado Association thought that “alligator pear,” while more appetizing than Aztec testicle, still wasn’t a commercially viable product. So they informed dictionaries of a new word for an old-world staple enjoyed by countless cultures today.

In China and parts of India avocados are called “butter fruit.” In Brazil it’s made into ice cream. They drink it in Indonesia with rice milk.

While not a weight-loss panacea, it is easier on your digestive system, it’s a quick energy boost during a busy day and it takes all of five minutes to prepare.