A long-disproved and yet, persistent dietary mistake is the belief that we get fat just by eating fat.
The way fatty acids are consumed in our diet affects whether we gain or lose weight. The fact is some dietary fats, like those found in avocados, can actually help with weight loss. One of those metabolism enhancing foods are avocados with their high levels of beneficial monounsaturated fats, so it might be worth adding more, not less avocado, to your diet if you want to lose weight. One of the major benefits of eating avocados, is replacing non-vegetable carbohydrates with healthy fats found in avocados.
While avocados are relatively high calorie food with 100 grams providing around 160 calories, more than two thirds of those calories come from monounsaturated oleic acid (these are utilised by your body as a slow-burning energy source). Avocado is one of the best sources of omega 9 fats which reduce blood levels of ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and, at the same time, as raising ‘good’ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Omega 9 fat also aids in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants from the food they are eaten with. The fact that avocados are so low in fructose is another great benefit of this fruit. It also provides close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients such as fibre, potassium (more than twice the amount found in a banana), vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. Due to its beneficial raw fat content, avocado also enables your body to more efficiently absorb fat-soluble nutrients from any other food eaten.
Use avocados in moderation, just as you would any other type of ‘good’ unsaturated fat. Fat is an important part of any diet as it helps you regulate hormones, pad internal organs, promote skin and hair health, and facilitate vitamin absorption. You should include between 20 and 35 percent of daily calories in the form of fat. If you include half of a standard avocado in your daily diet, you are taking in roughly 15g of fat.
When to eat avocados? Breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day for weight loss, so I recommend having a low-carbohydrate and high-protein avocado meal to start off your morning – with your hunger satisfied and not feeling the need to eat for much longer than if you had toast or cereal. However, if this is not for you, then avocado for lunch may help you still manage your weight as eating just one half of a fresh avocado with lunch may satiate you, which will help prevent unnecessary snacking later.
Try these healthy recipes:
• Char avocado slices on the grill.
• Shred ripe avocado chunks in the blender for a fruit smoothie.
• Throw avocado in the blender with chopped tomatoes and peppers, vegetable broth and seasonings for a thick dip.
• Toss some avocado into chicken stock and use an immersion blender to make a creamy, savoury soup.
To help prevent an already sliced avocado from browning, sprinkle lemon juice on the exposed flesh, and then refrigerate in a plastic bag.
So there’s no reason to be afraid of eating fats—as long as they’re the right fats!
