You Can Eat Avocado Seeds (But It’s Unclear Whether You Should)

With the rise of avocado consumption and passion of its devotees, it makes sense that eventually people would start wondering how much more of the fruit can be useful. And it turns out that not only can you eat the prominent, pesky seed of an avocado, many are saying you should.

As reported by Lifehacker’s Skillet, research states that avocado seeds are a source of healthful bioactive phytochemicals. The team behind the study writes that the humble seeds “may improve hypercholesterolemia, and be useful in the treatment of hypertension, inflammatory conditions and diabetes.” The pits we normally pitch out have recently been touted as being full of antioxidants and nutrients, though there’s still some debate on those virtues. The California Avocado Commission even wrote a blog post saying they don’t recommend it based on the preliminary and inconclusive nature of the research.

By now you’re probably wondering, regardless of said nutritional value, exactly how do you go about eating an avocado seed? Well, it’s a process. Basically you dry it out, cut it up, and throw the pieces in a high-power blender or food processor to make a powder, which can then be added to everything from smoothies, to mole, to tea, facemasks, and whatever else you deem worthy.

If you don’t end up eating them, avocado seeds could prove useful in another way if you’re interested in analog alternatives to the old computer. Researchers in the same study from above write that avocado seed extracts have historically been used for ink “and research in our laboratory has explored the potential colorant properties of a polyphenol oxidase-produced colored avocado seed extract.”

[h/t Lifehacker]