The #1 Anti-Inflammatory Ingredient to Add to Sandwiches

Ever since I started learning to cook professionally more than two decades ago, I had this dream to open a small lunch café specializing in soups, salads and sandwiches. Everything—and I mean everything—would be handmade, from the sandwich bread to the stock for soups. My life and culinary career brought me down a different path, but now, as a busy father, food writer and recipe developer, I still fantasize about that café on a daily basis, from the cream color of the walls to the rotating menu featuring farm-fresh produce.

I took healthy inspiration for this conceptual café from a few lunch spots in the small New Hampshire town I covered as a newspaper reporter fresh out of college. My colleagues and I would grab a sandwich in these bustling, cozy restaurants and trade stories from our beats. To this day, I still remember one of these restaurants blowing my mind by offering fresh sliced avocado as a sandwich topping. Yes, I’m old enough to remember when avocados were not so readily available and the popularity of avocado toast was still years in the making.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and I never pass up a chance to add avocado to my sandwiches. My daughters, in particular, are obsessed with the buttery green fruit (my oldest insists on mashed avocado on her bagel, not cream cheese, thank you very much). The good thing about loving avocados is that they come with a host of health benefits, especially their incredible anti-inflammatory properties.

Improving Your Sandwich Game

Whether you like it mashed with a squeeze of lime juice or cut into long slices, avocado can add a delicious, creamy and nutty element to your sandwich. I like to keep it simple: I slice half an avocado and add it to one slice of toasted whole-wheat bread, then mash it lightly with a fork so it doesn’t slide off as I eat the sandwich. This, of course, is the basic, yet incredibly satisfying, avocado toast. But I don’t stop there.

I like to load on sliced fresh vegetables like red peppers and tomatoes, some pickles, lots of crisp green lettuce, a slice of cheese and even a schmear of hummus for a high-fiber, protein-packed sandwich. The creaminess of avocados can stand in place of condiments like mayonnaise and provides a delicious buttery, fatty texture that perfectly ties together the combination of fresh vegetables and cheese.

While I don’t generally eat a lot of meat, my all-time favorite sandwich is a BLT, and adding some lightly mashed avocado truly elevates this classic sammy to a whole new level. (This is called a BLAT.) The richness of avocado coats the tongue in a bit of fat and provides a balance to the salty crisp bacon, tangy, juicy tomatoes and fresh lettuce.

For even more flavor, I like to snip some fresh herbs from my garden into mashed avocado. Just a big pinch of freshly chopped basil, chives, scallions and cilantro imparts a delicious, herbaceous flavor to avocados. I’ll squeeze some lemon or lime juice into this herb-packed avocado mixture, spread it on a baguette or ciabatta, then add a layer of herb-marinated white beans.

How to Pick a Perfect Avocado

To get the most out of avocados, you need to know what you’re looking for when shopping for these buttery berries (botanically speaking, avocados are berries). The skin should be dark green or black without blemishes, slightly tender when pressed, and you should find green if you remove the stem. These are all telltale signs of a perfectly ripe and delicious avocado. You can encourage hard avocados to ripen more quickly by placing them on the counter in a brown paper bag.

That perfectly ripe, brilliantly green avocado flesh will turn black quickly as it oxidizes. That is why it’s important to know how to store an avocado once you’ve cut into the flesh. I keep my leftover avocado half in the skin along with the pit to minimize the oxygen exposure. I then wrap the cut side tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Also refrigerate whole, ripe avocados to prevent them from turning mushy and overripe.

Health Benefits of Avocados

Avocados are one of the best foods to fight inflammation, alongside dark leafy greens, nuts and fatty fish. A half of an avocado has 5 grams of fiber, an important nutrient that has many health benefits including improving the gut microbiome and helping maintain a healthy weight. Avocados are also high in antioxidants. As part of a heart-healthy diet, avocados can help protect against oxidative stress to reduce inflammation. They are also packed with healthy monounsaturated fats, potassium and magnesium, nutrients that promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It’s safe to say avocados are not only delicious, they are a nutritional powerhouse.

The Bottom Line

Adding avocado to your sandwich not only provides a delicious nutty flavor and buttery texture, it also packs in important nutrients that can help fight inflammation. Mash ripe avocado with a bit of lemon or lime juice to cut through the richness, and stir in some chopped fresh herbs to create a flavor-packed spread. Try experimenting with other flavors and seasonings, like chili powder, cumin, charred tomatillos or even salsa. However you enjoy it, adding fresh avocado to your sandwich is a great way to boost the anti-inflammatory properties of your lunch.