The pair shade fruit, which consists of a large stone in the middle, surrounded by the creamy, smooth fruit. Yes that's right, avocado is considered a fruit! This is because of the large single seed found inside of the avocado, as well as the fact that avocados are grown on trees. Avocados, nicknamed alligator pears, are one of the few fruits that contain healthy unsaturated fats, which is an important part of a healthy diet.
What’s in an Avocado? The Basic Nutrition Facts
Half an avocado (70g) obtains:
133kcal
2.4g dietary fibre (10% RI*)
2.9g saturated fat (14% RI)
8.5g monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (29% RI)
1.5g polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (10% RI)
315mg potassium (16% RI)
0.13mg copper (13% RI)
0.14mg manganese (7% RI)
2.2 mg vitamin E (19% RI)
0.98mg pantothenic acid (16% RI)
0.25mg vitamin B6 (18% RI)
They do not contain any sodium, sugar, cholesterol or trans fat!
*RI = the Reference Intake, which refers to the amounts of nutrients that is recommended to consume in a day. It is there to provide a guideline to make a balanced diet, set by European law, and is based on an adult female eating a 2000kcal diet. RI is not a target for people to consume, but more of a guideline to help you make healthy dietary choices and consume a balanced diet.
Nutrient Status Benefits
Knowing the nutrition breakdown of half an avocado shown above, we can say that consuming avocados can help with improving diet faulty, as well as increasing intake of important nutrients. Additionally, avocados can also increase the absorption of phytonutrients, the natural chemicals or compounds produced by plant foods. There are several studies that have shown the health benefits of diets rich in phytonutrients, mainly due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which could contribute towards reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes [1].
There are many phytonutrients found in plant foods, but one of the common ones are carotenoids (which is found in foods such as kale, spinach, watermelon, bell peppers, tomatoes and carrots). So, to explain how avocados can help increase absorption of phytonutrients, listen to this. Adding some avocado to some salsa or salads can significantly increase carotenoid absorption derived from the salsa or salad. For some carotenoids, in particular beta-carotene, the body is able to convert into vitamin A, and consuming avocado with foods high in beta-carotene (such as spinach, kale, carrots and sweet potato) has been reported to increase the efficiency of the body to convert beta-carotene into vitamin A by 5-13 times greater [2].
Cardio-metabolic Health
Previous studies have concluded that eating avocados can prevent traditional risk factors to cardio-metabolic diseases such as dislipidemia, glycemic control and hypertension.
Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that eating avocado can improve lipid profiles. Although avocados are high in fat, that doesn't mean it is unhealthy or more cholesterol. In fact, avocados don't contain any cholesterol, and they include both polyunsaturated (PUFA) and monounsaturated (MUFA) fat, also known as 'healthy fats'. Studies have shown that a diet rich in MUFA (such as avocados, olive oil and nuts), could reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular by up to 30%, in particular in individuals who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease! [3]. Avocados improve lipids profile mainly due to the fact that they contribute towards increasing higher levels of HDL-cholesterol [3]. HDL-cholesterol is known as 'good' cholesterol because it helps remove other forms of cholesterol, which can cause a build of plaque-like substances and massively affect your cardiovascular system, from the bloodstream.
Diets rich in MUFA are considered alternatives for the dietary treatment of T2DM and since avocado have a substantial amount of MUFA it could be used as an option for glycemic control in diabetic patients [3]. Another reason as to why avocados are a good choice for people with diabetes is that they are low in carbs, which means they have little effect on blood sugar levels, as well as high in fibre. Many other high-fiber foods may still spike blood sugar levels. High fibre diets are an important component of diabetes management, resulting in improvements in measures of glycemic control, blood lipids, body weight, and inflammation, as well as a reduction in premature mortality [4].
Weight Management
Including avocado in a meal can contribute towards increasing satiety (the satisfied feeling of being full after eating) and reduce hunger. A study reported that consuming approximately half an avocado at a lunch meal can influence of satiety following the meal for the next 3 to 5 hours consumption [5]. They found that the subjects in the trial increased satisfaction and reduced desire to eat following a lunch that added half an avocado compared to eating the meal with no avocado. However, there is need for more studies to determine whether avocado consumption results in changes in overall daily caloric intake in comparison to daily caloric intake which includes no avocado intake.
The reasoning behind this is because avocado is high in fat and fibre, which both can help with making you feel fuller for longer and feeling satisfied after eating. Fibre and fat slow the release of food from your stomach, so these are present in your stomach for a longer period than any other nutrients. Therefore, if you are feeling fuller for longer, it might help you to go longer between meals, reduce snacking between meals, and potentially lead to a reducing in overall calories consumed in the day.
I do want to note that although avocados are healthy, they are also high in calories. So, it can be easy to eat too much calories without realising it, and is therefore important to stick to reasonable portions when adding to your meal. I recommend consuming between a quarter and a half of an avocado - not the whole thing! Avocados are also not cheap, so if you want to keep the uneaten cut avocado, then I do recommend buying an 'avocado hugger' or an 'avocado pod'. These are like containers, which you can then store in the fridge, and should keep your avocado good for another day or two. Another tip is to cut the avocado and remove the pit. Immediately coat the flesh of one half with fresh lemon juice. Wrap the avocado half in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Conclusion
Avocados are a healthy and nutritious fruit, especially due to their healthy fats content, as well as its content of key vitamins. Due to their high-fat and high-fibre content, they can also make you feel fuller for longer and feel more satisfied after your meal. The consumption of avocado also seems to be related to cardio-metabolic health by preventing traditional risk factors such as dyslipidemia, glycemic control and hypertension.
References:
da Silveira Vasconcelos, M., de Oliveira, L. M. N., Mota, E. F., de Siqueira Oliveira, L., Gomes-Rochette, N. F., Nunes-Pinheiro, D. C. S., ... & de Melo, D. F. (2020). Consumption of rich/enrich phytonutrients food and their relationship with health status of population. In Phytonutrients in Food (pp. 67-101). Woodhead Publishing.
Ford, N. A., & Liu, A. G. (2020). The Forgotten Fruit: A Case for Consuming Avocado Within the Traditional Mediterranean Diet. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7.
Weschenfelder, C., dos Santos, J. L., de Souza, P. A. L., de Campos, V. P., & Marcadenti, A. (2015). Avocado and cardiovascular health. Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, 5(07), 77.
Reynolds, A. N., Akerman, A. P., & Mann, J. (2020). Dietary fibre and whole grains in diabetes management: Systematic review and meta-analyses. PLoS Medicine, 17(3), e1003053.
Wien, M., Haddad, E., Oda, K., & Sabaté, J. (2013). A randomized 3x3 crossover study to evaluate the effect of Hass avocado intake on post-ingestive satiety, glucose and insulin levels, and subsequent energy intake in overweight adults. Nutrition journal, 12(1), 1-9.
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