Avocado has to be in my top five favorite food items. I love it plain with a sprinkle of salt. I can smear it on bread, tortillas, eggs, you name it. I also love a great guacamole – which of course is a staple in my house. So, the question is, “How much is too much avocado?” I know that I could polish off at least half of a medium sized avocado in one sitting – which may or may not be optimal.
For a 2000-calorie diet, the daily intake of fat, including monounsaturated fats, is capped at 65 grams. A five-ounce, medium-size avocado (roughly one cup) contains 23 grams of fat — that’s almost one third of your fat intake for a day — and roughly 250 calories. For comparison, a medium apple is just under 100 calories and is relatively fat free. I am sad to say, a serving size of avocado is not the entire piece of fruit, but one-fifth of it, which is only an ounce. That’s about two to three slices.
Now, if you’re accustomed to topping your salad with an entire avocado, fear not. Nutritionist Julie Upton says that habit is OK as long as you adjust your diet to account for those extra calories and use it to replace “low-quality carbs or other foods rich in saturated fats.” She suggests skipping the croutons and topping your greens with avocado, or replacing the cheese on your turkey sandwich with avocado. She qualifies her statement by adding that “a half of an avocado per day is a more reasonable serving.” Come clean and tell us, how much avocado do you usually eat?
