Food Rx: Heart Healthy Benefits of Avocado + Salmon Avocado Sushi Bowl
by Julie Lopez, RD
Love sushi but feeling intimidated by making your sushi rolls? Get all the flavors and heart health benefits by making this Salmon Avocado Sushi Bowl.
We’ve teamed up with Julie Lopez, registered dietitian and culinary nutrition chef for our Food Rx series. Food Rx is a series focusing on the important role food plays in overall health, plus sharing kid-friendly recipes to add more fresh produce to your family’s diet.
Heart Health Benefits of Avocado:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends replacing bad fats with good fats; good fats can help improve the intake of dietary fat without raising LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
- Avocados contain 5 grams of monounsaturated fat and 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat per one-third of a medium avocado.
- Avocados are a good source of fiber (3 grams) per one-third of a medium avocado.
- One serving of avocado provides 250 milligrams of potassium or 6% of your Daily Value in a 2,000 calorie diet
Heart-healthy swaps using avocado:
- In place of mayo on a sandwich
- Swap out butter for avocado on toast
- Help to thicken smoothies
- Added to baked goods for moisture and replace saturated fats
How to pick a ripe avocado
If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure you know it’s ripe and ready-to-eat. Ripe, ready to eat avocados may have a darker color but color can vary so it is best to go by feel as well as color. It will feel lightly soft but it will not feel “mushy” to the touch. Ripe fruit is perfect for that day. Store in the refrigerator if you plan to eat it in a day or two to prevent the fruit from becoming overripe or spoiled.
How to help ripen an avocado
The best way to ripen avocados faster is to place the unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana for two to three days until they are ripe.
Watch Chef Julie make this incredible Healthy Sushi Bowl and share more about the heart-healthy benefits of avocado
Salmon Avocado Sushi Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice cooked
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 lb. salmon cooked and cut into cubes
- 1 package seaweed snacks crumbled
- Sriracha mayo to garnish
- Sesame seeds to garnish
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Mix together the brown rice and rice wine vinegar.
- Assemble bowls by layering brown rice with avocado, cucumber, salmon, and seaweed.
- Garnish with sriracha mayo, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
Notes
Other avocado recipes you may enjoy:
Feel great about making this recipe! Not only are you creating something delicious, but you’re also supporting a cause. This post, along with others that feature our amazing brand partners Westfalia Fruit, helps fund donations to Feeding America food banks. In 2023, an estimated 47 million people—about 1 in 7 Americans—faced food insecurity, according to Feeding America. Healthy Family Project has provided 22 million meals through our partnerships since 2014. Your visit helps sustain these donations, and we truly appreciate your support!
