Whole Foods may have yet to cut their 2 for $4 deal on California avocados, but with a continuing drought and water shortages happening internationally, our avocado-abundant lifestyles are about to be penetrated by soaring prices and drastically limited availability. The price for farming avocados is becoming significantly more expensive than that of most fruit, and predictions lead to a two or three-fold rise in prices in a brief time period, if the water supply issues do not improve.
You may roll your eyes at Chipotle now, when they remind you that the guacamole is an extra two bucks, but just wait until your meal skyrockets above fifteen dollars, and then you will really have something to complain about. If you are like me and you proclaim yourself Queen of Sweetgreen and any other avocado salad-making joint, your margin for splurging on a salad that exceeds the price that any salad should realistically be, will suffer the consequences and increase significantly.
Avocados are about as trendy as ripped white denim, and Brandy Melville right now, so you are not to be blamed for an emotional downfall in the news of this potential international cutoff. I, myself, had a slight spell of panic in the heat of the moment, afraid that my caving love for the superstar of fruits is falling to extinction. Will avocado become a delicacy and fall short in my diet due to price caps that are on par with luxury foods like seafood, caviar, and high end lean meats? If this is the case, we are all screwed, and it will be nearly impossible to console all of the broken souls.
The alternatives to avocados and their health benefits are not hard to find -- super foods high in vitamin E like almonds, apricots, and spinach can offer you the same potent antioxidant that avocados do, minus the creamy texture and culinary versatility. Many include avocado in their diet as a healthy fat, but this can be swapped for coconut oil which has about the same fat content but different health benefits. If we're being real, no one actually likes the taste of coconut water -- we drink it to get potassium and flush out our system, and behind closed doors, we chug it while plugging our nose. Though coconut oil has a similar acquired taste to coconut water, it can be eaten raw as a solid (it has an extremely high melting point) or used in cooking....The things we do to stay #healthy.
Don't Panic. I know that my raw avocado and sriracha snacking habits may suffer, but the change in price will not necessarily happen immediately. The drought issue in California has been going on for years now, but by the grace of God, there may be a streak of luck that saves the crops and the lives of biddies everywhere. In the meantime, do not overload on your favorite green power pack, but indulge in flavors and textures that are similar instead -- you can never have too many bananas!
