Food for thought: Avocados

(courtesy of google images)
One of my favorite foods right now is AVOCADO. It's commonly mistaken as a vegetable, but it's in fact a fruit! It has a giant seed at the core of the fruit and it's a very creamy, meaty, and hearty fruit that makes a great substitute for meats.

Why I love avocado
I like substituting avocado for meat sometimes, even though I'm not a vegetarian. Lately, I've been eating less and less meat. More than for dietary reasons, I'm just not a big fan of meat. Avocado makes a great substitute because it has a meaty flavor and it's filling! You can enjoy sliced avocado in a sandwich or eat it by itself with a little bit of salt and/or pepper. It's flavorful by itself, but the flavor of avocado is very subtle and more creamier than it is sweet, which makes it unique for being a 'fruit'.

Why avocado is good for you
Avocado is also commonly mistaken as a super fatty food. Poor avocado. It's only trying to be a wonderful super food and all we do is judge judge judge! Fact is, avocado is indeed a "fatty" food, BUT, it's a good fat. The main fatty acid contained in the avocado fruit is MONOUNSATURATED FAT, which is a good fat and can be beneficial to your body when eaten in moderation. Also avocado is low in carbs and low in fat calories. Basically, eating an avocado can be a healthy alternative to super fattening foods and it's delicious and filling! It's a food that doesn't substitute taste for a low carb, low fat diet.

Know the fats
Just to inform you really quick about fats in foods, there are different kinds of fats and not all fat is bad. Saturated fats are what you want to avoid. This is the fat that raises cholesterol levels and if it isn't burned, will store in your body as body fat. Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated, however, are the fatty acids that help raise LDL cholesterol. What's that you ask? "LDL" stands for "low density lipoprotein" and is a type of cholesterol that isn't bad for your body. Cholesterol is a natural part of our body that is required to maintain our membranes. But there are also different molecules of cholesterol, that when raised, can affect our arteries and cause fat to build up, which in turn, can cause things like heart attacks, strokes etc. So it's important to maintain our cholesterol levels, but make sure that it's not "high density lipoprotein" or "HDL" cholestrol that enters our bodies, which is found in foods high in SATURATED, HYDROGENATED, and TRANS fatty foods.


What else is monounsaturated?
Salmon, most nuts, and really anything that labels "MONOUNSATURATED" or "POLYUNSATURATED" under "FATS" when you read the nutrition facts. The nutrition facts is your friend. It can keep you from eating super fattening, high cholesterol, high carb foods that are bad for your body. 


There are always great alternatives to eating healthy. All it takes is a little research. :) 


Happy eating!