Answer: Actually, avocados are technically fruits, although it’s easy to think of them as vegetables because of their green color. And of course, we’ve been encouraged since childhood and in Prescription for Life to eat our greens. Some people have mistaken avocados as nuts as well, since they are fatty in texture and can be spread like a nut-butter.
Regardless of their classification, avocados are good for you in spite of their saturated fat content. The key lies in the fact that a high percentage of an avocado’s total fat is monounsaturated fat. This is one of the three good fats that improve your HDL/Total Cholesterol ratio. The other two are polyunsaturated fat and omega-3 fat.
Half and avocado can make a good addition to a salad or mashed with lime juice to make a “sauce” for pasta, chicken, or fish. As a stand alone snack however, half an avocado might feel less filling since the fiber content is not as high as other fruits.
As stressed in Prescription for Life make habit of snacks being fruits and nuts for the perfect combination of filling fiber and heart-healthy fats.
“Avocado” photo courtesy of pakorn at www.freedigitalphotos.net
