AVOCADOS Lots of nutrition, but know your limits

By Bradley Morris

As always, everyone’s health is different, and you never know how changing your diet could change your health. Always consult a doctor or nutritionist before making dietary changes.

Let’s start with the positives: avocados are rich in nutrients. If you’re looking for a good source of fat, carbohydrates or fiber, avocados might have something for you. While it’s hard to get an exact number of the nutrients in avocados (after all, they can come in many different sizes), some sources say a medium avocado has 22 grams of fat, and those 22 grams happen to be split between mostly monosaturated fats and polysaturated fats. You can also expect avocados to have about half of that amount in carbohydrates, the majority of which is fiber. This means many low-carb diets can include some avocado without breaking their mission.

While avocados are packed with nutrients, they’re also packed with calories. A medium-size avocado can have 200 calories, meaning someone on a 2,000-calorie budget eats roughly 10 percent of their daily calories when they have a medium-size avocado. If you’re struggling with your weight, you probably want to temper how much avocado you’re eating since those calories can really add up. Of course, the flip side is if you’re looking to build a lot of muscle, that warning won’t hold as much weight since you’ll be wanting a source of good fat anyway. Do be warned avocados also have a few grams of saturated fats, which can contribute to the buildup of cholesterol, though the risk of this isn’t very high if you eat avocados in moderation.

One interesting thing I found in preparing this article was that avocados have a chemical folate. Folate is a B vitamin that helps circulation and the delivery of necessary nutrients to the brain, and low folate levels have been linked to depression. While depression can come on for a variety of reasons, a folate deficiency can be a risk factor for depression. This doesn’t mean avocados are some sort of cure for depression, but ensuring you consume enough folate can help decrease your risk for it.

In no way am I trying to stop anyone from eating avocados – I’m probably just as guilty of going overboard on them as anyone else.