Alligator Pears

George Bliss, age 81, has been eating avocados morning, noon, and night. A second-generation California avocado farmer, Bliss loves the fruits of his labor. "I eat three avocados a day," he says with the fervor of a true addict. "I have one on my eggs in the morning, one in my salad at noon, and one with my dinner."

Partaking of his land's bounty doesn't seem to have done Bliss any harm. After eight decades of daily avocado consumption, he's still going strong; at 6 feet tall, he weighs a trim 180 pounds. He believes that he has avocados to thank for his good health. "I'm still living and I'm over 80," he says. "I do some exercise on a bicycle, and I walk through the orchards keeping up with my business. I don't need a cane or anything." And sure, Bliss says, his green globes might be a bit fatty, but that's no reason to fear them.

It's true that avocados are high in fat -- but most of the fat in an avocado is monounsaturated -- the "good" kind that actually lowers cholesterol levels. 45 volunteers who ate avocados every day for a week experienced an average 17% drop in total blood cholesterol. Their cholesterol ratio also changed in a healthy way: Their levels of LDL ("bad fat") and triglycerides, both associated with heart disease, went down. Their HDL ("good fat") levels, which tend to lower the risk of heart disease, climbed.

Avocados are so inexpensive right now! I bought mine yesterday for only 50 cents each! Soon they could be up to $3...so buy them now, mash them up with 1 tsp. of lemon juice per two avocados and freeze them in small plastic containers. You can't freeze them whole or in slices but you will have avocado "butter" ready to use all winter!

And, Ladies, forget those fattening and unhealthy chips with your guacamole...I go to my local Asian Market...H Mart, where they make these rice puffs fresh all day!

This is their Rice Puff Machine

You can pair them with almost anything. They're infinitely lighter than the diet-fad rice cakes. These crunch in your mouth, but then almost melt there.

Light as a feather, they are the size of tortillas and sell for only $2 a dozen!