www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com | 27 July 31 is National Avocado Day, and, if you’re looking to celebrate this healthy fruit by incorporating avocado into your summer meal planning, you might be on the right track. Wait, did we say fruit? Yes, technically, an avocado is botanically classified as a fruit and not a vegetable, even though its savory qualities may suggest otherwise. It contains a large pit or seed in the middle, making it biologically similar to other fruit such as berries. “But nutritionally, we would classify it as a fat,” explained Laura Nance MA, RDN/LD, CDCES, a wellness dietitian with the Medical University of South Carolina’s Office of Health Promotion. “Most of the avocado – about 70% – is actually fat, with a little bit of carbohydrate and protein.” The good news, as Nance noted, is that avocado is a monounsaturated fat, a heart healthy fat that has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease, especially when used in place of saturated fats. A long-term research study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has shown a link between substituting avocado for saturated fats such as butter or cheese and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. As a monounsaturated fat, avocado can lower LDL – the bad kind of cholesterol – and it may be favorable in improving your ratio of good – HDL – to bad cholesterol. Eating avocado as a replacement for saturated animal fats can also reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. “A lot of heart health benefits with the monounsaturated fats,” asserted Nance, who is also certified in diabetes care and an education specialist. An ancillary benefit of avocado being a significant source of fat is that it makes you feel full, said Nance. “It’s one of those foods that you physically can’t really overdo. Not many people could eat several avocados in a day just because the fat content keeps you more satisfied, takes longer to digest. Fat does {take longer to digest} in general.” She added that avocado is a rich fiber source as well, with a healthy mix of soluble and insoluble fibers, which are good for your heart and gastrointestinal tract. A whole medium avocado actually contains around 10 grams of fiber, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. And lest you think bananas have a monopoly on potassium, eating just half an avocado provides as much potassium as a small banana, said Nance. They also feature vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, B vitamins, folate and magnesium. Though not as robust as fish, avocados are a good plant-based source of the omega-3 essential fatty acids. Avocados have been ascribed the label of a so-called “superfood,” which Nance thinks is not necessarily untrue. She clarified, however, that there are hundreds of foods on the market that have been similarly characterized. “Super foods typically are plant-based foods packed with vitamins and minerals like antioxidants, fiber and potassium – very similar to the profile in avocados,” she said. “That’s why it would be dubbed a superfood if you were going to.” Nance emphasized that the important thing to remember is to get a variety of healthy foods in your diet with different nutritional profiles. For instance, blueberries are rich in antioxidants and olives, nuts and olive oil are other healthy fats conducive to heart health. FITTING AVOCADO INTO YOUR DIETARY REGIMEN So how often should we eat avocado? Nance said half to one avocado a day is “very reasonable as part of a healthy diet.” A medium avocado has about 240 calories, so, if you intend to incorporate it into your meal planning, Nance advised altering your regular daily intake accordingly. Once you’ve made room for it however, she stated that “there is no wrong way to eat an avocado,” although, she qualified, it does help to consider what foods you’re complementing it with. Nance gave her seal of approval to the millennial food trend of avocado toast, particularly if the avocado is paired with whole-grain bread. “You’ve got double the fiber there. It’s a great satisfying breakfast,” she said. Salad aficionados could mix in half an avocado to add even more green to their greens. Even little adjustments like using guacamole in place of queso with chips does your body the favor of swapping a saturated fat with a monounsaturated one. Substituting guacamole for sour cream on Taco Tuesday offers another way to make a small, positive change. “And that is a perfect example of replacing a saturated fat – which sour cream would be because it’s an animal fat – with a monounsaturated fat. It’s a wonderful trade-off,” stated Nance. Additional sources: American Heart Association - newsroom.heart.org/news/ eating-two-servings-of-avocados-a-week-linked-to-lower-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease#:~:text=The%20analysis%20found%3A,never%20or%20rarely%20 ate%20avocados. Harvard School of Public Health, hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/avocados/#:~:text=A%20whole%20medium%20avocado%20contains,fiber%2C%20and%2011%20milligrams%20sodium.
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