The danger of avocado It's what advertisers don't tell us. Although it looks like a super product healthy hides a trace of destruction behind. Possibly you have never considered what you are going to read next. And, what can be wrong with such good food? What does it negatively affect? Attentive!
Healthy fashion
Avocado is in fashion. It is well true its prestige for its nutritional qualities. In fact, we already explained the virtues of this fruit in a previous article about its We take care of your rental property in Valencia. . It is a food very healthy, rich in Vitamins that boost our immune system: A, C, D and E. Its antioxidant content is also rich, without counting on minerals as phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. We are before a fruit capable of regulating the cholesterol bad thanks to its content in monounsaturated fats. Finally, we highlight its fiber, proteins and essential fatty acids.
Not all that glitters is gold
The case of the Palm oil. Vast portions of deforested Indonesian rainforest that give rise to palm plantations. The replacement of the forest by monoculture eradicates all flora and fauna local, seriously threatening the ecosystem. Biologists well know that the more diverse life is in an environment, the more stable it is. In this way, regulatory mechanisms increase so that no species prevails over another. The basis is the interdependence.
The avocado case is no less dramatic. Its cultivation takes place mainly in Mexico (according to FAO) and within this, in the state of Michoacán. This Mexican region is known for being the winter resting place of the monarch butterfly. This large insect flies every year from Canada to the Michoacan pine forests, fleeing from the cold. However, their habitat is being threatened. By planting avocados in bulk, the growth of avocados is prevented. flowers wild animals they need to survive. They are between a rock and a hard place.
La world demand for avocado it has grown considerably. This factor favors the increase of their production in the exporting countries, which many see as an opportunity for development. However, this does not mean that the area dedicated to its cultivation has multiplied by ten since 1974. The avocado has been gaining ground from pine forests and drying up aquifers. We are talking about a plant that consumes five times more water than the native pine.
The danger of avocado for water
Precisely water is a key point of this problem. The indiscriminate use of pesticides that has led to the "green gold" rush has already damaged water supplies. The 450 thousand liters of insecticides uncontrolled spillage also seriously damages human health. In fact, XNUMX parts per million of nitrates have been found in areas near orchards. They favor the rise of skin, liver and nervous system problems.
We live in a world where water is a scarce commodityThe more it will be if we continue with this rhythm. That is why it is shocking that a food that needs it is fashionable two thousand liters of water to produce each kilo. We are talking about a whopping ten full bathtubs. Lentils, to give an example of a very complete food, only require 50 liters per kilo. Reducing the amount of available water is likely to increase its price and therefore its consumption in the future.
Deep drought in Chile
If we fly south from Mexico we can reach Chile. In the Andean country is the province of Petorca, where plantations have increased uncontrollably. And it is that only 220 kilometers from Santiago live more than 400 thousand citizens without running water. This situation has lasted for eight years in which the locals have to move meters or even kilometers to get it at specific points in the city. The State unloads Tank trucks in this places.
The inhabitants, for their part, walk with paint buckets de 50 liters and with them they manage. Before it was not necessary. The region was dedicated to mining and nobody emptied the underground channels of the rivers to irrigate monocultures. The Petorca river sold out in 1997 and Ligua river the same thing happened in 2004. The families have returned to wash their clothes in basins as before the washing machine arrived. In addition, the lack of water causes the death of many animals and the proliferation of enfermedades. Hygienic conditions are not favorable when five people bathe with the same water.
These are just a few cases that exemplify the danger of avocado. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones in which the rapid growth in demand for a food puts an ecosystem in check. We need more awareness by consumers so they know what they are paying for. The work of disseminators and the public sector is also necessary. It is seen that the market does not respond in time. Thus, the regulation will be necessary to preserve the wealth of our ecosystems. We are all part of the planet and it is more interconnected than we thought.
