ER doctor’s urgent warning about avocados –…

A US emergency room doctor has shared the ultimate life hack for slicing an avocado quickly and safely – as pit removal injuries continue to land thousands in hospital.

And with peak Hass season underway in Australia, his expert tips couldn’t be more timely.

The bright green fruit, packed with heart-healthy fats known to help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, has become a staple on breakfast tables around the world.

Dr Joe Whittington shared a video to his 2.2 million followers, demonstrating the safest way to remove an avocado pit.

It sounds simple in theory, but according to Dr Joe (as he refers to himself), it’s a move that’s landed thousands in the emergency room with sliced palms and severed tendons.

‘Avocado hand is a real thing,’ he warned in the clip. ‘Craving some guac but you end up with stitches.’

The popular medic, who regularly shares health tips and hospital insights with his audience, said the seemingly harmless brunch staple is actually one of the leading causes of kitchen-related hand injuries in America.

According to one study cited by Dr Joe, 8,900 people ended up in the ER in a single year after botching an attempt to remove the pit, usually by stabbing straight into it with a sharp knife.

‘The difficulty usually arises when people try to remove the pit of the avocado and accidentally stab themselves in the hand.’

The good news for avocado lovers is there’s a simple, safe way to avoid injury altogether, which starts with how to hold the knife.

‘Grip the blade at the base, close to the handle, and use your index finger and thumb to create a small wedge of blade that will be used to stab the pit,’ he explained.

‘Then stab the pit, turn to release the pit, and enjoy your avocado without injury.’

His clever kitchen tip has since racked up thousands of views across TikTok and Instagram, with fans thanking the doctor for saving their hands – and their next avocado toast.

‘I’m Mexican, so I had no idea this was an actual danger,’ one commentator joked.

‘Push with two thumbs on the back where the pit is and it pops out by itself,’ another safety-conscious fan recommended.

‘I feel like I’m the only one who has never needed a knife to get it out. I just pull it out or use a spoon,’ a third wrote.

And if you’ve sliced into an avocado and found it turning browndon’t throw it away – it’s perfectly safe to eat for up to two days, experts say.

The change in colour isn’t a sign it’s gone bad but simply a harmless chemical reaction that happens when the fruit is exposed to air.

After a couple of days, however, the healthy fats that give avocados their creamy texture and rich flavour begin to turn rancid, leaving a bitter taste – although it still won’t make you ill.

‘If you let it go too far – I’m talking like days – you can get kind of a rancid taste,’ said Matthew Fatino, a subtropical crops expert at the University of California, speaking to LiveScience.

According to Mr Fatino, the browning process is simply oxidation – the same natural reaction that occurs when you slice into an apple or banana.

‘When you cut open an avocado, you’re exposing enzymes in the cells to oxygen in the air,’ he explained. ‘That reaction creates melanin, the pigment that turns it brown.’

The enzyme behind it – polyphenol oxidase (PPO) – exists naturally in both avocados and apples.

As the reaction continues, it can alter the flavour by slightly breaking down the creamy fats within the flesh.

This change doesn’t happen right away, however. For the first day or two, the brown surface is purely cosmetic.

Beyond that point, the fats can oxidise into compounds that taste unpleasantly bitter or ‘soapy,’ a telltale sign they’ve started to go rancid.