|
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The avocado is one of my favorite forbidden foods to write about. Botanically a fruit, it is classified nutritionally as a fat; hence my favorite fatty fruit. And a favorite of mine, it is! A buttery smooth textured fruit, the avocado has been given a bad rap just like the banana, grape and cherry (these are classified as fruits). While avocados are higher in calories and much higher in fat than other fruits, they are not as fattening as most of us think (it’s calories come from fat, but the healthy kind)! So, with my “Summertime Salad” series running now, I couldn’t resist sending this tip out this week. And to my faithful readers who have read this before, here’s a reminder that we really can enjoy this healthy fatty fruit without guilt.
The Avocado
Domestic avocados are grown in California and Florida, and they differ significantly in the amount of calories and fat they each contain. Florida avocados are generally larger in size, cost less, and contain less fat and calories than the California variety. Of course, the trade-off is that their texture is not as creamy, but it might be worth the trade-off to eat a little more. How many calories and fat grams do avocados have?
California avocados have about 180 calories for 3 1/2 ounces with 17 grams of fat. Florida avocados have about 112 calories for 3 1/2 ounces with 9 grams of fat. So, if we were to eat half an average sized California avocado, we would be consuming about 170 calories (this is for an entire half!) and out of this we would be eating about 115 fat calories. Keep in mind that almost all of the fat is the monounsaturated kind (just like olive oil), which is our heart healthy oil. While we may not want to eat half an avocado every day, how many of us are taking in more calories and fat from just 2 tablespoons of salad dressing every day? If we look a little closer in fact, just 2 tablespoons of an oil/vinegar dressing would be a minimum of 175-200 calories and we can double this for those creamy dressings!
Surprisingly, one half of a Florida avocado contains 8 grams of dietary fiber, and more potassium than a banana. Add in beta- carotene, no cholesterol (remember, it’s not a saturated fat) along with other vitamins and minerals including quite a bit of folacin, and the avocado is sounding like a great nutritious package.
So while my favorite avocado dish is guacamole, I love to add some slices to my daily salad. We can even add a slice to our toasted morning bread as a butter substitute. I owe this idea to one of my favorite clients, Lisa. Rachael, another reader wrote ” I love toasted avocado whole wheat pannini sandwiches. Thin slices of avocado, sliced tomato and a slice of Jarlsberg lite cheese toasted in a flat bread pannini is a wonderful combination”!
Well, I think I’ll add a slice of avocado to my salad tonight, topped with a pinch of shaved parmesan and 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and I definitely will not feel guilty (1/8 avocado plus 1 tsp oil is 90 delicious calories).
Have a creative way of using the avocado? E mail me at [email protected] and I’ll share it in my upcoming salad series.
Avocado anyone? It’s not forbidden anymore!
June M Lay M.S.
June Fit Tips
It’s “Summertime Salads and the Eating is Easy” series with this week “Junefit’s Mex Salad” posted now http://www.junefit.com/tips_recipehp.htm)
Junefit is included in Google’s top ranked women’s health resources scroll midway!http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Women’s_Health/Resources/
June is Lifestyle Columnist at www.healthnewsdigest.com/
copyright 2009, junefit. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7.
HealthNewsDigest.com