We’re in the midst of an avocado shortage, thanks to droughts in California and Mexico.
For those who spend their mornings mashing the creamy green fruit onto a thick slice of toast, it might be time to re-assess whether avocado is actually beneficial to your health.
Or whether you’re eating a tad too much of it.
Dr Sapna Parikh from D News explains that avocados are packed with fat. “In fact about three quarters of the calories in an avocado are pure fat,” she says.
But that doesn’t mean that eating them will make you gain weight, as most of the fat found in avocados is thought to be good for you.
Dr Parikh explains that 10% of the fat in avocados is saturated fat, which you do want to avoid in excess. But the rest is made up of healthy fats called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
One clinical trial found that diets which contain avocado can help lower bad cholesterol.
This is because avocados contain sterols (or steroid alcohols), a sub-class of steroids, which serve the same function in avocados as cholesterols do in the human body. So when you eat an avocado, its sterols are absorbed by the body instead of cholesterol.
Another trial from UCLA discovered that the tasty fruit might also improve vascular health and have anti-inflammatory effects.
To conclude, avocados are good for you - but in moderation.
Want to know more? Read about the nutritional benefits of avocado here.