Is Your Avocado Bad?
By Sara Butler
Everyone has done it -- you buy a beautiful avocado at the store (it was on sale!) and then you place it on the counter and promptly forget about it. Then, a few days later, that avocado is soft and you're unsure if you should eat it or not. The truth is that avocados are temperamental. You have a very narrow window to enjoy it before it starts to go bad. If you're trying to decide if your avocado's best by date has come and gone, then here are a few signs to be on the lookout for.
Dented Skin
As with humans, you can tell a lot about an avocado by how it looks on the outside. If it's very soft with dented skin, then it may be bad.
To test this, hold the avocado in your palm and give it a light squeeze. If it doesn't give, then it needs a bit more time to ripen. If it gives just a little, then it may be ready to enjoy. But if it gives and leaves an indentation, then it's quickly heading the way of the dodo bird.
If it feels mushy to the touch, then abandon all hope -- that avocado has seen its last day.
Blackened Skin
As avocados ripen, they tend to change color, getting darker on the outside as they become ready to eat. When they're marching into too ripe territory, the skin may actually begin to turn brown or dark green. If it has that coloring and is also mushy to the touch, then it's probably not good anymore.
Stringy Flesh
If you cut the avocado open and find black or brown spots as well as streaks in the green flesh, then it's gone bad. The texture is also a giveaway since a stringy texture denotes spoilage. If it just looks bad, then it probably is!
Off Flavor or Aroma
When an avocado is ripe, then it should have a pleasant nutty flavor and smell slightly sweet. As it gets riper and edges toward spoilage, then you may notice a sour smell and taste. Throw that avocado out because if it smells bad or tastes bad then it may have bacteria growing on it that can make you sick. Never eat an avocado that you think is spoiled.
Avocados are good for your health, but make sure they're OK to eat before you dive in!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Wichita, Kans.