The Power of the Avocado: An Everyday Superfood

by Nate Widom

What’s green, creamy, and celebrated by nutritionists? Avocados! These vibrant fruits deliver an impressive nutritional punch. In the kitchen, their versatility knows no bounds. I sat down with Registered Dietitian Ashley Boyer to explore the numerous benefits of avocados and her tips for incorporating them into your meals.

Amazing Nutrition

Like all fruit, it’s no secret that avocados are full of nutrients. Ashley explains that avocados are “one of the best sources for fiber,” which is ideal for managing blood sugar and making you feel fuller. Additionally, they provide ample amounts of vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are rich in potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, and zinc. Ounce for ounce, they even have more potassium than bananas!
“There’s a lot of crossover with some of the vitamins and minerals found in our greens and fruits,” Ashley says. One medium avocado is 240 calories but contains 10g of fiber and 3g of protein.¹ The USDA even writes, “Avocados have the highest protein content of any other fruit.”²
And in avocados, there are B vitamins galore. B vitamins turn carbohydrates into fuel for your body and boost your mood, energy, and metabolism. Plus, they’re linked to an improved immune system, better brain health, and reduced risk of heart disease and some cancers.³

A list of B vitamins includes B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin). Eight of the thirteen vitamins your body needs are B vitamins.³

But where avocados stand out is their high levels of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. “The nutritional profile differs from all of the other fruits,” Ashley says. “Generally, fruits are made up of carbohydrates and fiber with very little to no fat. So, it is very unusual.”
These healthy fats are wonderful for our health. They’re recommended for our diets and improve inflammation and unhealthy LDL cholesterol in the body. A medium avocado will contain about 22 grams of fat total, with 19 being healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They’ll also have very low amounts of sodium and no cholesterol.¹

Not all fats are equal. Unlike monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, saturated fats can raise harmful LDL cholesterol and block arteries. Hence, it’s best to monitor their intake. Trans-fats, linked to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, were once common in margarines and junk food but are now banned.⁴

All fat, healthy or unhealthy, is very calorie-dense. As stated, one medium avocado is 240 calories. However, Ashley urges not to fret. “They are calorically dense, but they are very high in nutrients,” she explains. “Whenever I encourage people to choose foods, I always say look at the nutrient density of the food because that’s the priority when you think about health.” Plus, thanks to their combination of high fat, fiber, and protein, avocados are super filling!

Other common fruits with high amounts of healthy fat include olives and açaí berries.⁵

How to Incorporate Them into Your Diet

Ashley says the possibilities with avocados are almost endless. You’ve undoubtedly seen them as toppings for many foods and a base for dips like guacamole. Ashley also suggests more unique ways to introduce avocados into your diet.
“One of my favorite ways to incorporate it would be to use it as a substitute for mayo. Especially when I make chicken salad or tuna salad,” she says. “It’s a good neutral base to use for so many different things.”
After all, fat is considered a flavor enhancer. Since avocados are creamy yet high in healthy fats, they are ideal for replacing less nutrient-dense ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, and butter. “A lot of the time, we get fat as a flavor. If you’re looking at butter, well, what does butter do? It gives us flavor. Avocado can do that in a much healthier way for us.”
If you’re feeling doubtful, Ashley says she can’t taste the avocado in her recipes. “It really just takes on the flavor of whatever you’re trying to accomplish.”

Suggestions for Incorporating Avocado into Your Foods

Of course, you can always top your meals with avocado chunks for a boost of flavor and nutrition. Still, there are many other ways to enjoy avocado, too. Here are some suggestions.

Chicken, Potato, Pasta, and Tuna Salads: Improve the nutrition of your favorite creamy salads by replacing mayonnaise or sour cream with avocado.

Toast: Skip the butter or cream cheese and try spreading avocado instead. Ashley recommends topping it with everything bagel seasoning for an extra punch.

Smoothies & Shakes: Add frozen avocado slices to your drinks for a creamier texture and extra healthy fats.

Salads: Adding avocado is one of the easiest ways to make your salads heartier and more filling.

Chips and Dip: Yes, avocado-based dips like guacamole are very commonplace, but still worth mentioning! Guacamole is much more nutritious compared to cream-based dips.

Plus, Healthline suggests using avocados as a butter substitute when baking treats and as a great way to enhance creamy pasta sauces.⁶

Tips for Avocado Shopping

If you haven’t worked with avocados before, you may have to get used to some things. Avocados that are hard and green aren’t ready just yet – they’ll need several days to ripen. But once they’re a little bit soft and a deep green color, then they’re ready to eat!
Overripe ones will be mushy, but they can still be used in baked goods and dressing as long as they don’t smell, taste sour, or appear discolored or moldy.⁷

Ashley shares her tips for picking out avocados:

Need your avocado to ripen faster? Stick them in a paper bag. Pairing an apple or a banana with the avocado also works. They release a gas that speeds up the ripening process.
Need to slow down the ripening? Put the avocados in the fridge.
Want to store your chopped avocados? Try adding a dash of lemon juice! This slows down
any browning.
Saving half for later? Keep the pit in your unused avocado half to help slow the ripening process.

Still having trouble?
You don’t need to have a fresh avocado. Try using frozen avocado chunks or avocado mash. Most avocado mashes don’t have any harmful additives. Usually, they’ll contain natural preservatives like salt, lemon juice, or citrate (an acid derived from citrus fruits).

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