6 elm-pr-5 elm-pointer-events-auto elm-cursor-pointer elm-font-sans elm-bg-transparent elm-text-lg elm-border-0 elm-px-0 elm-w-full elm-py-3. 6 elm-text-dd-gray-900 elm-cursor-pointer half avocado calories-pointer-events-auto elm-text-lg elm-transition elm-no-underline elm-py-3. Rich taste, creamy texture, and undeniably filling — these are just a few reasons why avocados are incredibly popular. What’s more, they are nutritious, versatile, and may even help you lose weight.
Read on to learn everything you want to know about avocados, including the best ways to enjoy them. Get instant access to healthy low-carb and keto meal plans, fast and easy recipes, weight loss advice from medical experts, and so much more. A healthier life starts now with your free trial! Is avocado a fruit or a vegetable? Avocados are usually grouped with vegetables because they aren’t sweet and are typically used in salads, guacamole, and savory dishes. However, the avocado is technically a fruit that grows on the Persea americana tree that is native to Mexico and Central America. 1 Today, avocados are also grown in several other regions, including the US.
Avocados are high in fat — another feature that’s uncommon in fruits, with the exception of olives and coconut. Yet they do have some features in common with other fruits. Like mangos, peaches, and dates, avocados contain one large seed or pit in their center. Avocados are rich in nutrients Avocados have an impressive nutrition profile. This is more than you’d get from a medium banana — and with a lot less sugar. However, more research is needed to confirm their effects in humans. LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels and raised their HDL levels.
4 However, some of these changes may not occur in everyone who increases their avocado intake. LDL particles — the type considered to have the strongest link to heart disease. 4 to 12 times more of that beta-carotene to vitamin A, compared to eating identical meals without avocado. This effect is particularly beneficial for vegans and some vegetarians, because vitamin A is only found in animal sources like fatty fish, organ meats, and dairy. Therefore, they depend more on the natural conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A. Avocados are high in fiber Avocados provide an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fiber.
9 In fact, they’re at the top of our list of 15 high-fiber foods. In systematic reviews of randomized trials, fiber has been found to help lower blood sugar and LDL cholesterol. 11 Adding a large avocado to a meal — or dividing it among two meals — is an easy and delicious way to get an impressive 14 grams of fiber. Avocados are low in carbs A growing number of high-quality studies demonstrate that low-carb diets can help people lose weight and achieve better type 2 diabetes control. 12 If you’re cutting back on carbs, eating avocado can help you stay within your daily carb budget. However, 7 of those carbs are fiber, which your body’s digestive tract can’t digest and absorb. 13 Therefore, half an avocado contains only 2 grams of net carbs, also known as digestible carbs.
How many calories does an avocado have? An avocado contains about 250-320 calories, depending on its size. Although avocados are considered fairly high in calories, they’re also very filling due to being high in both fat and fiber. What’s more, their calories come with important nutrients. At Diet Doctor, we don’t recommend counting calories to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Instead, we advise you to make your calories count by choosing nutritious, satisfying foods — like avocado. Avocados may be helpful for weight loss Avocados have a reputation for being fattening.
Yet results from studies don’t support this idea. 16 In fact, research suggests that eating avocado may help rather than hinder weight loss by making you feel full. A 2013 trial showed that adding avocado to a meal helped participants feel full for several hours. PYY and GLP-1 that play a strong role in making people feel satisfied.
18 Of course, the rest of your diet will have a large influence on your weight. How to choose a ripe avocado When selecting an avocado, first look at the color. Avocados that are darker green are riper than those with lighter, brighter green skin. However, if they appear nearly black, they may be overly ripe. Although color can give you a clue about an avocado’s ripeness, checking its firmness is the only way to know for sure. Pick up a medium-dark avocado, hold it in the palm of your hand, and gently press it with your thumb. Unripe: If the avocado feels hard and does not yield to your thumb’s pressure, it isn’t ripe yet.
It will ripen in anywhere from 2-5 days, depending on the temperature and humidity in your home. Nearly ripe: An avocado that’s almost ripe is slightly soft but does not yet yield to pressure. It will ripen in 1 to 2 days. Ripe: If the avocado yields to gentle pressure with your thumb and feels soft but not mushy, it is ripe and ready to eat that day. Refrigerating it once you’re home can extend its shelf life for a day or so. Overripe: An avocado that is past its peak feels extremely soft and mushy.