If you're an avocado lover who's strapped for cash, I have the perfect opportunity for you. A "job" exists that'll pay you a few hundred dollars to eat a free avocado every day for six months, and it sounds like a pretty great gig. I mean, let's face it: Avocados are expensive, and if you can eat them for free and get paid for doing so, what is there to lose? Sure, you won't be looking at a weekly paycheck, but money is money (and avocados are avocados). If you're into the idea, I'll show you how to enter the Hass Avocado Study at Loma Linda University.
Signing up for the Hass Avocado Study — aka the Habitual Diet and Avocado Trial — is pretty simple, but it doesn't mean you'll automatically get a chance to partake in the snacking. In fact, you'll need to fill out a short screening survey on the study's website in order to be considered. Then, researchers at Loma Linda University will select lucky avocado lovers to join the study. Don't get too excited, though, because the team has currently received and "overwhelming" amount of applicants, per the study's website. As of Aug. 31, they suggest coming back in two weeks to complete the questionnaire if you're interested in being a part of it.
I'm guessing that you do want to be a part of it and that you will be back in a few weeks.
Once you do come back and complete the survey, there are a few things you should know. For starters, you'll need to be living within 50 miles of Loma Linda, California, in order to be chosen. (If you don't live anywhere near there, you can visit this website and look for research sites closer to you.)
Now that I got those details out of the way, let's talk about the study requirements. If you're willing to partake in the Hass Avocado Study, you must be willing to eat one avocado a day for six months. Or, you can eat two avocados a month for six months, per Travel + Leisure. The main goal is to see if eating one avocado each day for a prolonged period of time impacts the amount of fat in your body, and the way it's distributed.
You'll need to do more than eat avocados throughout the allotted six months, though. According to the study's "Requirements" webpage, participants will also need to visit Loma Linda University every two weeks to pick up "study items." (I'm going to assume that means avocados.) They'll also need to undergo two MRIs, and attend eight clinic visits at the LLU campus during the six-month period.
Worth it?
Believe it or not, Loma Linda University isn't the only school that's diving into the Hass Avocado Study. Other research locations involved are Wake Forest University, Pennsylvania State University, Tufts University, and University of California at Los Angeles. If you live near one of those locations, maybe you'll get a chance to partake in the trial.
Now, I'll answer the question that's probably been on your mind this entire time. How much will participants get paid to eat avocados for six months? The answer is a hefty $300. In addition to the cash, they'll also get "small gifts" during the study, and free avocados (obviously).
As someone who spends an embarrassing amount of money on avocados regularly, I'm ready to sign up.
