Avocado, de-stoned: Experts share the health benefits of the millennial's favourite fruit

 Smashed on toast or blended into a green smoothie, avocado has become a health food staple. 

Often described as a 'superfood', avocados are nutrient-dense and packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, fibre, potassium and vitamins K, E and C. 

Popularised by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, avocado toast became a 2010s health staple, becoming shorthand for the millennial lifestyle, wellness, and, controversially, perceived financial extravagance.

Studies show that eating avocados regularly may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve cholesterol levels, help in weight management and promote better eye and skin health.

Nutritional Therapist and founder of GP nutrition, Gabriela Peacock, told the Daily Mail: 'Avocados are rich in healthy fats and fibre, which support energy, skin health and longevity. 

'They are a perfect addition to your diet as they're nourishing, satisfying and easy to build into quick meals.'

Though often used in savoury dishes, the avocado is not a vegetable but is actually considered a large berry due to its fleshy pulp and a single, large seed. It is closely related to aromatic plants such as cinnamon.

Native to the Americas, avocados are sometimes known as butter pears because of their oily flesh, or as an alligator pear because of their knobbly textured green skin.