You’ve probably read a million articles about the amazing Avocado. They say it’s a healthy food choice; but you’re not so sure about eating it because you checked the nutrition facts and you saw that avocado contains a decent amount of fat per serving. You like avocado but you’re trying to lose a few pounds to get ready for the Summer. You’ve bought a bunch of cute summer dresses, denim shorts and skinny jeans. And you want to make sure they’re going to look great on you all summer. So you want to know: is avocado fattening?
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The avocado is one of the most versatile foods in existence…
It can be used to enhance yummy delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner meals.
It can be used as part of your beauty regimen – to make a moisturizing face mask. It can be used to condition your hair. The oil can be used on the skin and hair as well as in your salads and other meals.
But is the Avocado fattening?
Simply put yes. Everything you eat is potentially fattening if you eat too much of it. Avocado can be part of a healthy diet; but if you go overboard with it then it can contribute to weight gain. But there is no reason that you should avoid avocado while dieting. Seldom will you need as much as 1 cup (sliced) of avocados for a single serving meal. That’s about 1 medium avocado. Usually the avocado nutrition facts you come across are for 1 (cup sliced) of avocado. For single serving meals using avocado you should never need to use a whole avocado.
A single serving of avocado (according to avocadocentral.com) is about 1/5th of a medium avocado:
A serving of avocado is based on 1/5 of a medium avocado or 1 oz.; there are five servings in a medium avocado. As sizes of Hass Avocados and other avocado varieties can vary, consider the 30 g/1 oz. serving for easier calculations. (source article)
And there are 50 calories, 4.5 grams total fat, 0.5grams saturated fat, 0.5 grams polyunsaturated fat, 3 grams monounsaturated fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams dietary fiber, 4 grams potassium, 0 grams sodium, 0 grams cholesterol, 0 grams sugar in a serving of avocado. Avocado also contains a bit of Vitamin C, iron, thiamin, niacin, folate, zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E and phosphorous.
A single serving of avocado can go a long way…
Avocado is packed full of nutrients that can help improve not just your physical health but also your mental and emotional well-being. That’s not to say avocado by itself will transform you into this healthy superhuman being. No food by itself can do that. But including avocado in your diet can bolster rather than thwart your efforts to achieve your healthful goals. Is avocado fattening–yes–-if you consistently eat more of it than you should. But as long as you are paying attention to how much avocado you are consuming and making adjustments as needed to ensure that you remain within the limits of your daily allowance of calories, fats and other nutrients that can increase weight, there is no reason you should gain weight on account of eating avocado.
Your cute summer dresses, denim shorts and skinny jeans will all still fit nicely as long as you eat healthfully and sensibly every day. And get exercise too!