Avocados are a unique and delicious fruit. Most people consider avocados to be healthy as they are rich in nutrients and healthy fats. Some people also believe that the healthy fats they contain are perfect for weight loss. However, others fear that these fats could cause you to gain weight. This article explores whether avocados are weight loss friendly or not.
The avocado is originally native to Central America, where it was cultivated 8,000 years ago. The “ahuakatl”, as the Aztecs called it, was said to have true miraculous powers, which is why it was considered, for example, a remedy that increased potency. It was very popular with Spanish explorers because its high protein and fat content made it a good substitute for meat and butter on long sea voyages. Today the avocado is grown in all tropical and subtropical areas. The main producers are Israel, Mexico, Florida, California, Brazil, Spain and Italy. They are available throughout the year.
Index
Avocado Nutritional Information
Avocados are packed with vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber. It is estimated that 100 gr of avocado can contain up to 160 kcal .
- Vitamin K : 26% of the RDI.
- Folate : 20% of the RDI.
- Vitamin C : 17% of the RDI.
- Potassium : 14% of the IDI.
- Vitamin E : 10% of the RDI.
Avocados also contain a good amount of niacin, riboflavin, copper, magnesium, manganese, and antioxidants. Also, avocados are low in carbohydrates and a great source of fiber. Each serving contains just 9 grams of carbohydrates, 7 of which come from fiber. Unlike most other fruits, avocados are relatively high in fat, about 15% of their weight.
While avocados can be considered a reasonably high calorie food, about two-thirds of those calories come from healthy monounsaturated fats like oleic acid. Research has shown that monounsaturated fats like this are much more likely to be used as slow-burning energy for your body than saturated fats. They are also significantly less likely to be stored as body fat. As an added benefit, diets high in oleic fatty acids found in avocados have been shown to help lower your blood levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol, while also increasing your beneficial HDL cholesterol. Monounsaturated fatty acids also aid in the absorption of nutrients. The nutritional properties of avocado alone are outstanding, but when eaten in a salad or with other antioxidant-rich vegetables, it can greatly increase nutrient absorption.
They are also full of vitamins and minerals like potassium and antioxidants. Potassium helps support the heart, kidneys, and many other organs by keeping the blood circulating properly. It is recommended to take at least 4,700mg of potassium a day. So be sure to buy avocados, bananas, and green leafy vegetables. By the way, you’ve probably heard that bananas are great for potassium levels, but avocados have more potassium in them!
Does Avocado Make You Fat?
Aside from the obvious health benefits of getting more nutrition from the food you eat, this can also help reduce excessive hunger over time. This is because the feeling of being hungry is not always associated with our bodies’ real need for more food. We often mistake thirst for hunger , so it’s always a good idea to have a glass of water before grabbing an unhealthy snack. Other times, especially if you’ve eaten not too long ago, feeling hungry can be our body’s way of telling us it needs more nutrients.
When you regularly eat highly nutritious foods like avocado, you are less likely to feel hungry again shortly after eating. In fact, with their rich flavor, healthy fats, low carbohydrates, and high protein and fiber content, avocados are well known for increasing satiety, that feeling of being full after eating.
Have you tried eating more healthy fats like those found in avocado to lose weight? I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has been successful in going against the old calorie counting methodology and how it made them feel. When preparing low-carb, high-protein avocado recipes, such as a delicious avocado omelette for breakfast, most people will find themselves satisfied with their meals for a long period of time. And that, without avoiding healthy fats or starving yourself, is the key to losing weight and keeping it off .
Stop worrying about whether you are eating a lot of avocados and start thinking about the number of chocolate bars you eat when you are hungry, the constant snacks you make at the office or when you get home and take the first thing there is because you have not enough during the day.
How to Include Avocados in Your Diet
Make an avocado dip with reduced-fat sour cream and serve with baked tortilla nachos or vegetable slices instead of nacho chips. Reduce the fat of the guacamole, and add nutrients and texture, prepare it with lots of chopped onion and tomato. Another option would be to include the thin slices of avocado to a sliced tuna or turkey salad served on whole wheat bread.
You can also opt for an Avocado Smoothie Recipe .
Types of Avocados
The three main types of avocados, named for the areas where they were first grown, contain different amounts of fat and grow to different sizes. Mexican types contain the highest fat content and have the creamiest taste, Antillean types have the least amount of fat but grow to the largest size. Guatemalan avocados would be the most balanced of all, being medium in size and with a medium amount of fat.
Avocado benefits
Eating a diet that contains lots of fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a lower risk of many lifestyle-related illnesses. Numerous studies have found that a predominantly plant-based diet that includes foods like avocado can help lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and overall mortality , while promoting healthy skin and hair , increased energy, and a lower overall weight.
We recommend reading these two articles to learn more about avocado:
Avocados are Rich in Nutrients
Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids .
Although most of the calories in an avocado come from fat, don’t panic! Avocados are full of healthy and beneficial fats that help keep you full and satiated. When you consume fat, your brain receives a signal to turn off your appetite. Eating fat slows the breakdown of carbohydrates, which helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
Fat is essential for every cell in the body. Eating healthy fats supports skin health, improves the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, contains minerals and other nutrients, and can even help boost the immune system.
Excellent For Vision
Avocados contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that are especially concentrated in the eye tissues, which provide antioxidant protection to help minimize damage, including ultraviolet light.
Because the monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados also support the absorption of other beneficial fat-soluble antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, adding avocados to your diet can help reduce the risk of developing age- related macular degeneration .
Helps prevent cancer
Adequate folate intake from food has shown promise in protecting against cancers of the colon, stomach, pancreas, and cervix.
Although apparently it can greatly reduce its appearance, it is currently not fully confirmed, researchers believe that folate protects against undesirable mutations in DNA and RNA during cell division.
Avocados may even have a role in treating cancer. Some research has found that the phytochemicals extracted from avocado can selectively inhibit the growth of precancerous and cancerous cells and also cause their death, while promoting the proliferation of cells of the immune system called lymphocytes.
These phytochemicals have also been shown to decrease chromosomal damage caused by cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapeutic drug.
The Role of Fat in the Diet
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, weight loss is possible on both a high-fat and low-fat diet. Including some fat in your daily diet is essential for health. The key to losing weight is simple, try to eat fewer total calories than you burn with your daily activity. All fats have nine calories per gram, while most proteins and carbohydrates provide only half of the calories per gram. But eating the right amount a few times a week is something that has been shown to be heart healthy .
Healthy fats
The nine calories from fat are not the same. Monounsaturated fats, like those in avocados, and polyunsaturated fats are better for us than saturated fats, which mostly come from animal sources. In fact, eating saturated fat is a major risk factor for heart disease. The fat in avocados helps lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol, so protect yourself against heart disease by replacing saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats.
Unhealthy fats
We must know that there are two types of unhealthy fats.
TRANS FAT
During processing, trans fatty acids can be created as a by-product of fatty acid saturation. Basically, trans fats are created by taking an unsaturated fat (soft or liquid at room temperature) and bubbling hydrogen ions through it. This changes the structure of the fat so that it behaves like a saturated fat. Natural oil “hardens” when it is hydrogenated.
Why do companies “hydrogenate” fats to create “trans” fats? Well, fats are hydrogenated by companies to improve mouthfeel and increase shelf life. Natural fats are generally not hard solids at room temperature and they break down more quickly. Therefore, “hydrogenation” is good for the end result, but not for our health. Now keep in mind that not all types of trans fats are unhealthy. Some occur naturally, such as the hydrogenation of unsaturated fat that occurs in the rumen of cows and sheep. (CLA is an example of a trans fat that can be beneficial to health.) It is only man-made fat that we should avoid .
SATURATED FATS
Along with trans fats, saturated fats are sometimes touted as “bad.” And they can be when consumed in excessive amounts. However, the amount found in non-“artificial” foods generally does not contribute to chronic disease. In excess and out of balance with unsaturated fats, lauric, myristic and palmitic acids are saturated fats that can raise bad cholesterol levels. Lauric, myristic, and palmitic acids are found in meat fat, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butter, cheese, milk, and palm oil. However, stearic acid (another saturated fat) can even lower LDL levels. Lastly, stearic acids are found in cocoa butter and beef.
Conclusion
Put aside the belief that avocado is bad and fattening, and try to include it more often in your diet without any fear or worry.
Avocado Reader Resources
Kathie Sand always saw the world of beauty as the terrain on which to build her professional career, a goal that was clear to her when she was only 15 years old. Her great concern to expand knowledge led her to settle in Paris where she studied hand in hand with the best beauty professionals and with the most advanced techniques for skin care.