Natural Weight Loss Food: Avocado

Avocados are a famously fatty fruit.  The green fleshed avocado for a long time was thought of as the dieters nightmare, containing more fat and calories per pound than almost any other food.  But recent scientific research has discovered that avocados are actually loaded with "good" monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.  These types of fight though still relatively high in calories actually help lower cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for Americans. 

The trick to buying avocados is determining the ripeness of the fruit.  The skin of a ripe, ready to eat avocado will give a little when you press it firmly.  If it is hard, the avocado is not ready.   If your thumb practically breaks through the skin, it is overripe.  To ripen a green avocado you can place it in a paper bag on the kitchen counter for a few days.  To speed up that process even more, toss in a ripe banana or apple.  These fruits give off ethylene gas, a natural ripening agent. 

Avocados have a tremendous amount of nutrients packed in one small little package.  They're loaded with dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium (60 percent more than bananas), magnesium and folate, and they contain absolutely no cholesterol or sodium.

The fat content of avocados is truly impressive. A medium-sized avocado contains 30 grams of fat -- as much as a quarter pound of beef.  But as we mentioned before, this is mostly "good" fat. Of the 4.5 grams of fat in each serving of avocado (7 percent of the daily allowance), 3.5 grams are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.


These unsaturated fats raise the body's levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) -- also known as "good" cholesterol -- and lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol that contributes to heart disease. For that reason, the American Heart Association recommends a diet that contains 30 percent of calories from healthy unsaturated fats like avocado.

When eaten in moderation, avocados can provide healthy fats for a balanced diet and contribute to long-term cardiovascular health.