An Avocado a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Avocados have become one of my favorite foods lately! After seeing the surprised look on everyone’s face when I tell them I eat 1-2 avocados daily, I decided to devote an entire blog to how amazing, non-fattening and important they are to our diet.

I have been focusing my diet these past couple months on eating about 70-80% raw foods. I found that I rarely felt satisfied for very long even while eating sprouted nuts and seeds. One day I spread ½ of an avocado over raw flax chips with Dijon mustard and Celtic salt…YUM!! I felt nicely full, had lots of energy and digested it quickly and easily J Since then I have been eating up to an entire avocado every morning for breakfast. Sometimes I spread it on an Ekekiel sprouted tortilla, raw dehydrated breads/chips crackers, or chop it into a salad.

My goal today is to convey that avocados don’t make you fat. Sure, if you are eating a diet high in saturated animal fats, white bread and very little raw foods, adding an avocado daily is not going to initiate weight loss. The key is substitution. If you can substitute avocado for other heavier, cooked fats it is a win win situation.

Cutting back on processed oils and butter while replacing them with avocado is a smart choice. While avocados have good fats, they also contain fiber, nutrients and antioxidants. People are not afraid to spread butter, oil or cheese onto bread and meals but they are afraid of eating too many avocados – does not make sense to me! True, an average avocado has about 250 calories and 25-30 grams of fat but these are raw calories/fats and the body digests them very easily. If anything, the fat and fiber in avocados enhances the daily cleansing process of the body.

Another star for avocados is their ability to fill you up and keep you satisfied. Avocado in the morning can actually help stabilize your blood sugar making you feel more satisfied and less munchy throughout the morning/day. Fat, especially raw fat, provides sustained energy and good calories. Yes, healthy raw fats are key to preventing the munchies and eating less. Eating a sprouted cracker, tortilla or salad will leave you lacking and wanting more 15 minutes later. Use avocados in place of butter, chunks of cheese, blended as dressings or simply as a delicious spread on any and everything.

Spring and summer are avocado season so we are coming into the tastiest avocado time next month… take advantage J

Interesting tidbit: Guacamole originated from the Aztecs…gotta love them and the guac! Below are nutrition benefits of avocados which should help persuade to try eating them more often (try it for one week and see how you feel)…

They are a good source of protein.
Rich in potassium, even higher than bananas.
Cancer prevention (mouth, prostate and breast)
Eye health – higher in lutein (81 mcg per serving) than any other fruit – protects against cataracts & macular degeneration.
Lowers cholesterol – high in beta-sisosterol which has proven to lower cholesterol levels.
High in folate, monounsaturated fats & glutathione (good for heart health)
Antiaging – because they are rich in glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps slow down the aging process keeping the body healthier
Highest fruit source of vitamin E
High in fiber, folic acid, B6, C, and copper
Good for blood pressure because of the potassium