Is there such a thing as too much avocado?

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Is there such a thing as too much avocado?

If there’s one food item I can’t live without, it’s avocado.

Words can’t describe the elation I feel when I slice a perfectly ripe one open. Or the excitement that grips me when I spot a two-for-one special at Woolies (hello, buttery green breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Just writing about avos is enough to make my stomach rumble.

But I digress. If, like me, you eat a LOT of avocado, you probably already know avos have lots of healthy fats and other goodies in them. Yay.

You may also be interested to know whether there’s such a thing as having too much. 

Well, Google says the serving size is just one ounce. That’s a bit less than 30 grams – or just one fifth of a medium avocado. 

So, barely enough to cover half a piece of toast (*sad face*). 

With this in mind, nymag.com spoke to a nutritionist about the benefits of avo. 

According to R.D., C.D.N. and founder of bestowed.com Heather Bauer, it’s important not to think of avocado as a fruit or vegetable.

It’s a fat, first and foremost. 

Thankfully, the fat is mostly monounsaturated fat – “the healthiest kind”.

In fact, it’s been proven to help lower cholesterol. #winning.

“That being said, calorically speaking, it does accumulate,” Bauer says. 

Uh-oh.

“A whole avocado is somewhere between 250 and 280 calories, depending on the size.”

This is due to the 22 grams of fat and 10 grams of fibre the average avo contains – the components that leave you feeling oh-so-satisfied. 

Sadly, the high fat content means you probably can’t get away with eating a whole one every day (especially if you’re trying to lose weight). Which adds to this very real struggle

“What I tell my clients is half an avocado would be sort of the max per day,” says Bauer. 

“There are many people out there that struggle with five to ten pounds and they’re eating all the right things, but they’re eating too much of the right things.”

So you can have too much of a good thing. Hmm.

When it comes to delicious guacamole, Bauer is more concerned about the accompanying chips than the avo. 

She recommends swapping them for raw capsicum, cucumbers, or celery with some lime juice and a little salt, which I think sounds almost as yummy. But still…

Overall, Bauer wants us to keep in mind that moderately active women in their 20s need to consume 2,000 to 2,200 calories a day – including about 56 to 86 grams of fat. 

Women in their 30s and 40s with the same activity level should aim for 56 to 78 grams. 

In any case, plant-based fats are always a better option than saturated fats (bye-bye, bacon). 

If I wanted to gain weight, I’d probably scrap the avo in favour of 12 of the most high calorie foods in the world

Now THOSE are some foods that are really best avoided!

Do you love avocado? What’s your best ever diet tip?

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