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Nutritional Choice of the Month - October 2007: Avocadoes
Current dietary guidelines recommend Americans eat plenty of fruits and vegetables- news flash, right? One macronutrient that still doesn’t get enough attention is fat. As you may or may not know, there are 2 main types of fat- saturated (derived from foods such as red meat) and unsaturated (derived from foods such as salmon). The latter of the two types of fat are healthier, particularly to the cardiovascular system. While people typically think of healthy oils such as olive oil, canola oil, and flaxseed oil when they think about good fats, one food (fruit) often forgotten about is the avocado.
According to Yahoo Health, one serving- about one-fifth of an avocado- contains around 55 calories. While avocados can be a source of fat, they only provide one gram of saturated fat per serving, are trans-fat free, and offer mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fats. In addition, avocados are a rich source of at least 25 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, vitamin E, the B vitamins, and folic acid. The avocado’s creamy texture can often be used as a substitute for mayo in sandwiches or as a delicious dip, rather than some of the high calorie/high saturated fat dips available in most grocery stores.
