If you’ve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, or even if you’ve had the condition for years, you probably feel like your diet gets a little boring from time to time.
You might stick to eating the same foods over and over, knowing that those ‘safe foods’ have been keeping your blood sugar in check. But having diabetes shouldn’t mean you are stuck having to eat the same few foods.
Many foods can fit into your diabetes meal plan and avocados can be that perfect new addition boosting flavor and nutrition. So, is avocado good for diabetics?
Unlike most varieties of fruit, avocado does not contain sugar, is incredibly versatile in recipes and has been found to offer many health benefits – including some that may improve diabetes management.
If you need a little convincing to start adding avocado to your diabetes diet, here are three reasons why avocados are good for diabetics and should be on your ‘must eat’ list.
Avocados Make the Perfect Ingredient Swap
If you’ve ever passed on dessert worried that it may contain ingredients that could spike your blood sugar, then you want to consider avocado as a healthy ingredient swap. With its neutral flavor and soft texture, mashed avocado can be used in a 1:1 ratio as a fat replacement in most dishes. Let’s say you are really craving a cold, refreshing dessert – try making your own avocado ice cream! You can satisfy your sweet tooth while being mindful of your sugar and carbohydrate intake. Plus, avocados can help increase the amount of good fat in your recipe. Eating foods higher in unsaturated fats, like fresh avocados, in place of foods higher in saturated fats has been shown to help reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and promote overall health, making avocados good for diabetic diets.
Avocados May Aid Weight Management
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight can be important to controlling diabetes. To do this, monitoring your portions throughout the day can be key. But if you struggle to stay satisfied in between meals, adding avocado might just be your answer. Fiber-containing foods, like healthy avocados, help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Further, fiber adds bulk to the diet and can help you feel fuller faster, which can increase satiety and help manage weight. If you feel less hungry in-between meals, cutting down on portions and mindless snacking gets a lot easier.
Avocados May Promote Heart Health
Having a diagnosis of diabetes puts your heart at greater risk, which is why avocados can be good for diabetics. But with a few dietary adjustments, you can improve heart health and help protect against future disease. One of the best ways to do this is to stop fearing dietary fat. Unsaturated ‘good’ fat, like the fat found in avocado, can be beneficial to your heart. In fact, over 75% of the fat in healthy avocados is monosaturated “good fat”. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend replacing bad fats with good fats as they can help improve intake of dietary fat without raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
If you are looking for easy and delicious ways to add avocado into your diet, make sure to check out our large database of recipes here. And be sure to tag #LoveOneToday to share with us your favorite ways to add avocado into your diabetes meal plan.
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