Gathered TableAsk any diet experts and they will surely tell you that you need to eat all colors of the rainbow if you want to stay healthy. That means you need to consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat, and other food to survive.
But what if you had to live off of just one food for a period of time? Is there a food that can sustain your requirements for protein, fat, and carb? Can you live off avocado alone, for example?
Well, you will definitely be pleased to know that yes, you can live off avocados, the favorite creamy fruit of almost everyone today.
Why is It Possible to Live Off Avocado Alone?
A nutritional powerhouse, avocados have become very popular among young and old alike. But if you need something that can help you survive for a time, these fruits are also a good option because of the following reasons:
Avocados are Packed with Essential Nutrients
Making avocadoes a regular part of your diet can help contribute a lot to your daily intake of essential nutrients such as zinc, iron, and vitamin E. In fact, avocados contain more potassium than bananas. Potassium can help improve your vision, strengthen your bones, and even ward off depression.
Avocados are Pesticide-Resistant
Nutritionists usually include avocados to the list of the so-called “clean 15,” which is basically a selection of thick-skinned vegetables and fruits that helps protect their soft inner flesh from the chemical sprays applied to help keep off insects. You don’t even need to get organic avocados just to enjoy this benefit!
Avocados Encourage Better Nutrient Absorption from Other Foods
The human body can absorb certain nutrients, such as beta carotene found in tomatoes and carrots, more easily if these are consumed together with fat. This is the reason why some studies reveal that adding avocados to your meals will help you make the most out of the rest of the food you eat.
Avocados Satiate Hunger Pangs
Avocados are fruits but many people usually think of them this way. After all, avocados are creamy and savory instead of juicy and sweet, which are the key characteristics of fruits. Avocados also have very minimal amounts of sugar.
However, they are excellent sources of fiber, healthy fats, and even some protein, a rare characteristic of fruits. All of these are a winning combination that is guaranteed to keep your hunger at bay for a longer time.
Avocados are Rich in Good Cholesterol
Avocados, unlike most types of fruits, are also rich in monounsaturated fats, or the so-called good fats. Studies reveal that these fruits can increase the levels of HDL cholesterol, a type of cholesterol that allows the liver to flush out LDL or bad cholesterol from the body, which helps reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Can You Eat Too Much Avocado?
If you love eating your avocados every day, and now that it seems that it is possible to live off the fruit alone, you might be wondering if it wouldn’t be overkill.
While there is no such thing as overdosing on avocado, you might be wondering if you can ever have too much of this fruit. According to dietitians, there is actually no simple answer to this since every person is different and unique.
There is an obvious reason why you should add avocado to your diet. After all, it offers a long list of health benefits. However, just like all the good things in this world, people often tend to go overboard.
Avocados have now become the biggest craze and for a good reason. These fruits can be savory or sweet. You can also add it to smoothies for texture or even prepare guacamole. However, it is one of those cases where there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to recommendations.
Basic Guidelines for Eating Avocados
When trying to decide how many avocados you should buy, it is important to consider your goals for your gut health, weight, and overall diet. You also need to consider your genes, body type, and activity level. Experts often recommend that the reasonable amount of avocado to eat in a day is ½ up to one.
Since avocados are great sources of healthy monounsaturated fat, these fruits can make you feel more satisfied. It means that it is more difficult to go overboard with eating avocados because they can fill you up faster. You can get up to 15 grams of monounsaturated fat out of the total of 20 to 25 grams of fat in avocados.
You also need to keep in mind that avocados are not low in calories, and a whole fruit generally contains 200 to 300 calories, which depends on the size. However, functional medicine experts don’t just focus exclusively on calories. Instead, they look more at adding more whole foods to the diet first. They discovered that things often fall into place if you eat less processed food and more real food.
Avocados Shouldn’t Be Your Exclusive Source of Healthy Fat
If you find yourself falling in love with avocado, make sure you don’t eat it too much to the point that you no longer add other healthy fats to your diet.
If all of your healthy fat comes only from avocados, you won’t be able to get all the perks from other things such as nuts, seeds, olives, and olive oil. To keep your diet as healthy as possible, the secret is variety so that your body gets everything it needs.
Fat per se is not the culprit as to why you become fat. The true reason behind many different health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome is processed carbohydrates instead of the fat you consume.
Other Benefits of Avocado
Aside from healthy fats, there are still many other lesser-known reasons why avocados deserve to be part of your diet.
Avocados are rich in fiber, which is essential to make you feel full in between meals, lower your cholesterol, and keep your digestive tract moving.
It is also rich in potassium, which is among the good electrolytes that are important for your muscles, heart, and many different body processes. The vitamin E in avocado is also essential for immune function. The fruit supports healthy memory and brain function made possible by its healthy fats.
At the end of the day, there is no single source of food that contains all the things you need to live a healthy and long life. However, it is always good to know that you can live off avocado alone as it is a healthy option if you find yourself in a pinch.
