Food Trends: About the Avocado

I’m often surprised when clients tell me that they are afraid ofAvocado’s. How in the world could a fruit so versatile have ever gotten such a “bad” reputation? Not only does an avocado provide natural unsaturated fats but it also acts as a nutrition booster. You see the fat provided in the avocado helps with absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, all which are very important for your immune integrity, bone strength, eyesight, and blood clotting factors.

Let’s go back to that bad reputation. My client’s have admitted it’s really the fat that makes them nervous. Every other fruit has little to no fat. So let’s clear some things up. It’s important to note that the fat in the avocado is mostly monounsaturated. Instead of getting nervous about that I think it’s a bonus! Remember monounsaturated fat in food has been proven to lower our “lousy” or LDL cholesterol and potentially increase your “healthy” or HDL cholesterol. Both of these factors prove to decrease cardiovascular risk.

In addition to the nutrition benefits, the fat in the avocado can help with satiety as well as add additional texture to meals. You can even use an avocado to substitute a saturated fat when using it as a spread or more. I love this resource from the Loveonetoday.com site that provides tips on how toeat Haas Avocados.

The lesson here is that the avocado is a great example of a food that needs to be analyzed in its entirety. Yes it contains monunsaturated fat but also protein, fiber, and over 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. It also acts as one of your 5-a-day servings of fruit. Forget about the fat and look at the whole picture. Could this be the perfect fruit? Challenge yourself and incorporate avocados into your day. It's worth it. Need some recipes?

Disclosure and Disclaimer:

Although I did receive financial compensation for writing this post, all views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely and entirely my own and based on my own unique experiences. For nutrition information on avocados, please be sure to visit LoveOneToday.com website.

Comments

Unknown said…

Great column!

December 22, 2013 at 5:30 PM

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