The joy of mayonnaise!

I mean really, more of us love it than want to admit it. Many of us have retired mayo from the menu just on principle. For the most part, I think this is a splendid idea as the grocery store variety is made with all kinds of nasty stuff, not the least of which is the primary ingredient; usually industrial seed oils. Don't get me started on the evils but I think we call all agree on the healthy fats in avocado oil.

That said, as your Dentist in Gig Harbor I'd like to share a very easy recipe for home made - super healthy avocado oil mayo (well technically it may be aioli but that sounds cooler anyway).

The secret:

1 egg brought to room temp

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 t dry mustard

1/2 t salt

1c plus 1/4c Avocado oil.

Place 1/4c oil and all other ingredients into a food processor. (I use the long neck attachment typically used to slice long, skinny veggies, this keeps any splatter from escaping and provides a fulcrum to rest your wrist - you'll be here for a minute or two so get comfy)

Place the remaining 1c of oil in a measuring cup with a spout and begin to drizzle the oil into the running food processor. The trick here is to add very slowly. I simply try to create the tiniest unbroken stream possible. It takes a few minutes to incorporate all the oil. It's a good idea to stop just before your finihed and scrape down the sides and around the blade to get a more even consistency.

And that's it! I'd say probably 5 min start to finish. Label the jar with the expiration date of the egg. Deviled eggs anyone?

And a final bit about why our Dentist in Gig Harbor recommends avocado oil.

Avocado has sometimes received a "bad rap" as a vegetable too high in fat. While it is true that avocado is a high-fat food (about 85% of its calories come from fat), the fat contained in avocado is unusual and provides research-based health benefits. The unusual nature of avocado fat is threefold. First are the phytosterols that account for a major portion of avocado fats. These phytosterols include beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol and they are key supporters of our inflammatory system that help keep inflammation under control. The anti-inflammatory benefits of these avocado fats are particularly well-documented with problems involving arthritis.

Second are avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs). PFAs are widely present in ocean plants but fairly unique among land plants—making the avocado tree (and its fruit) unusual in this regard. Like the avocado's phytosterols, its PFAs also provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits. Third is the unusually high amount of a fatty acid called oleic acid in avocado. Over half of the total fat in avocado is provided in the form of oleic acid—a situation very similar to the fat composition of olives and olive oil. Oleic acid helps our digestive tract form transport molecules for fat that can increase our absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like carotenoids.

As a monounsaturated fatty acid, it has also been shown to help lower our risk of heart disease. So don't be fooled by avocado's bad rap as a high-fat food. Like other high-fat plant foods (for example, walnuts and flaxseeds), avocado can provide us with unique health benefits precisely because of its unusual fat composition.

And a big thanks to Melissa Joulwan who wrote Well Fed. I used her recipe but prefer the avocado oil to extra light olive oil because:

1) I don't keep light olive oil on hand since I typically prefer cold pressed extra virgin.

2) Avocado oil is more heat stable than olive so I keep it handy for that reason as well.