Fat often gets a bad rap when it comes to a healthy diet, but good fats, like those found in avocados, can often help make your client’s already healthy diet, even healthier.
As dietitians, we know that food quality and nutrient density are important factors when making recommendations to our clients. This is especially true when working with those on calorie-controlled diets who strive to get the most nutrient bang for their calorie budget. With that in mind, I’m always looking for ways to increase nutrient density while maintaining satiety levels. One way to do this is by suggesting a few simple food swaps.
For example, when eating guacamole as a snack, switching out the tortilla chips for cut-up vegetables like baby carrots is an easy way to increase nutrient density and save on calories. This swap offers an added benefit, as well. Pairing carrots with the good fats found in fresh avocados increases the bioavailability of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin and powerful antioxidant that plays a critical role in maintaining immune health, healthy vision and healthy skin.
A recent study conducted by The Ohio State University (and funded by the Hass Avocado Board), found that fresh avocado significantly increased both the absorption of provitamin A and its conversion to an active form of vitamin A when eaten with a high beta-carotene tomato sauce or raw carrots, two beta-carotene-containing foods. The addition of 150 g of avocado to the meal more than doubled participants’ (24 healthy men and women) beta-carotene absorption and more than quadrupled the conversion to the active form of vitamin A, compared to those who ate the same meals without avocado.
The study findings illustrate the role that avocados can play in helping people on calorie-controlled diets increase nutrient absorption from foods they’re already eating. Not only can avocados help enhance nutrient absorption from foods containing fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), they also contribute valuable nutrients on their own. Avocados add naturally good fats to the diet, are a good source of fiber and contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrient compounds per serving (one-third of a medium avocado) that may help enhance the nutrient quality of your client’s diet.
These results are based on the consumption of five servings of avocado (one whole avocado) with each test meal. Previous research showed a similar enhancement in nutrient absorption with one-half of an avocado (75 g); additional research is needed to determine whether the results could be replicated with consumption of a single serving, 1/5 of a Hass avocado.
Check out our designed, scientific summary here.
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