Avocado Hand is serious enough for doctors to warn the public about its possible nerve damaging effects. To prevent avocado hand and continue enjoying the nutritious fruit, what is the proper way to prepare it?
Avocado Hand
Doctors in London recently voiced their concerns over the increasing number of avocado-related hand injuries, aptly called avocado hand. Though it doesn't sound like an avocado can cause serious trouble, they can actually cause serious injuries that often come from mishandling the fruit during preparation or not realizing that the fruit they are about to cut is actually quite ripe.
Among the avocado hands that doctors have treated, while some are minor cuts that require minimal treatments, more serious cases of lacerations and nerve damage were severe enough to require surgery. As such, doctors from the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) suggest placing warning labels or slicing instructions on the fruit's skin.
The Proper Way To Prepare Avocados
Before beginning to prepare the avocado, it would be best to choose one that's ripe, but not too ripe. If the avocado isn't quite ready yet, it may be a little too hard to slice. On the other hand, if it's too ripe, it would be too soft.
Chef Jamie Oliver teaches avocado lovers how to properly and quickly prepare the fruit.
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• Place a dish cloth on top of the cutting board to prevent the avocado from slipping.
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• Instead of holding the avocado on one hand and slicing with the other, place the avocado on its side with your hand on top of the fruit to hold it securely.
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• Use the other hand to slice the fruit lengthwise around the seed while rotating it with the hand that's on top of the avocado, keeping your fingers out of the way. Use a sharp knife as a blunt knife would likely cause you to place more pressure on the fruit and possibly lead to injuries.
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• Twist and rotate the two halves.
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• Peel the skin off the avocado either with your hands or with a knife.
• When removing the seed, instead of holding the half avocado on one hand, place it on the cutting board and hit the seed using a knife just hard enough to grab a hold of it before pulling it out of the fruit.
Avocado: The Healthy Fruit
Avocado isn't just a versatile fruit that can be used in many different recipes, it also has good fats which provide numerous health benefits such as lowering the risk for developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
What's more, avocado also shows potential in reducing signs of aging as well as in treating acute myeloid leukemia.
