

Avocado: Good Food with a Bad Rep
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Avocado: Good Food with a Bad Rep

Whenever a member tells me about a piece of wrongheaded "health advice" that they heard growing up, I can't help but get upset. Even though the misinformation wasn't malicious, I constantly meet people who are missing out on absolutely delicious foods that are also powerful sources of vitamins and nutrients, all because these foods have a high fat content.

Consider for example, the avocado, which contains the following:

  • ✓ Vitamins B6, C & E
  • ✓ Calcium, magnesium, and potassium
  • ✓ Fiber
  • ✓ Heart healthy Omega-3s

Avocado also has a high fat content: one serving contains 4.5 grams of fat.

Heart Healthy AvocadoI cannot count the number of people I've met who have avoided avocado because they associate gaining fat with fattening foods. It's important to remember that there are different kinds of fat: mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, saturated fat, and trans fat.You always want to avoid trans fat, while saturated fat is great for cooking (coconut oil). The vast majority (3 grams) of avocado's fat content comes from "good" monounsaturated fat which, when eaten in moderation, helps to remove excess LDL cholesterol - that's the bad kind - from your blood.

In addition to avocado's cholesterol-fighting powers; this healthy fat actually aids your body's absorption of nutrients from the foods you eat with it. Adding avocado to your salad, sandwich, smoothie, or side dish actually enables your body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients.

Avocado Toast

If you want to know how to diet, know this: Your body needs fat to function, and avocados provide an ample serving of heart healthy fat.

Easily incorporate avocado into your diet with these simple tips:

  1. Spread avocado on Sprouted Whole Grain toast: Ripe avocado is creamy, makes a delicious spread, and it's a simple way to get healthy fats into any meal or snack.
  2. Add avocado to your salad or sandwich: Avocado is a great substitute for unhealthy dressings loaded with hydrogenated oils.
  3. Serve heart healthy snacks: Knowing how to diet when entertaining guests can be stressful, but avocados can absolve you of feeling guilty for snacking at parties. Make your own guacamole! Store bought versions are usually loaded with preservatives to improve shelf life. You can get all the ingredients necessary at your local grocery store and provide your guests with a healthful snack (bonus points if you switch out the chips for veggies).


Plus, avocados have a thick skin, so they're less likely to be affected by pesticides. You don't have to buy avocados organic, which helps your wallet and your health.

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Lots of people get intimidated when they cut up an avocado, but it's really simple! Carefully cut into the middle of the avocado until you can feel the pit. With the knife still piercing the fruit, rotate the knife around the avocado until it makes it all the way back to where you started! Next, remove the pit by quickly snapping a sharp knife directly into the pit and giving it a twist. Carefully, make crosswise slits in the avocado meat so you end up seeing something that resembles a checkerboard. Grab your spoon again and scoop out the avocado meat.

Looking for more heart healthy nutrition?

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States, yet, many women are not aware of what causes heart disease or how to prevent it. One of the major causes is chronic inflammation that often goes unnoticed.

If you're familiar with Beyond Diet you know that a lot of health concerns can be eliminated by adding the right foods and supplements to your diet, including chronic inflammation. Click on the link below to find out how you can prevent heart disease and 90% of other common diseases in 30 seconds a day!

»How to Fight Dangerous Heart Inflammation in 30 Seconds a Day