Avocado is life… Chances are, you’ve heard it a million times. People enjoy avocados mashed on toast, sliced in sandwiches, omelets, wraps, fruit and veggie smoothies, and even in soups.
Nowadays, avocado is also used in vegan ice creams, brownies, and puddings. That’s because this fruit has a rich, healthy, monounsaturated fat content.
The claim that avocado boasts tons of benefits is absolutely true. It has been proven to promote a better intake of nutrients and lower the risk of metabolic syndrome. (1)
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However, eating too much avocado can do more harm than good to your body. Although few studies have been conducted to show the health risks of over-eating avocados, here’s what happens when your daily meal plan is overflowing with this nutrient-dense food:
Weight Gain
Of course, you can put on pounds by just eating avocados all day long because, let’s not forget that, despite its health benefits, avocado is also high in calories and fats.
Depending on the size of an avocado, one fruit contains up to 20 grams of fat and 250 to 320 calories.
According to the California Avocado Commission, the serving size of avocado is 1/3 of medium sized fruit or 50 grams of an avocado (2); however, most people eat much more than the serving size. Although there is nothing dangerous about this, people with a slow metabolic rate, who tend to put on weight fast, should be extra careful with avocado consumption. Eating too much avocado can result in significant weight gain.
Sure, you can still eat one large avocado each day, but try to limit it to only one or reconsider your whole eating plan – especially if it includes other foods high in healthy fats, such as olive oil, seeds, and nuts.
If your metabolic rate is fast, you shouldn’t have to worry about calories at all. You can eat 2 avocados each day and see little to no weight gain at all.
It really depends on the way your own body functions. If you’re on a weight loss diet, it doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate avocado from your eating plan. Just make sure you eat half or one avocado per day.
Digestive issues
Have you ever experienced any stomach issues after eating avocado? If you eat up to 2 avocados each day, you might have an increased risk of digestive issues like gas, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea.
People, who have digestive issues like FODMAP intolerance or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), are more likely to suffer from common stomach issues if they consume too much avocado.
If you have any digestive disorders, limit your avocado consumption to 1/8 part of a fruit or less per day and see how you feel after that. Again, it depends on your own health condition and body function.
Many people today think that eating dozens of nutrient-dense avocados every day will make them live longer and be healthier than ever. The sobering truth is that this can actually result in numerous digestive disorders. Learn how to manage your avocado consumption so that you can reap the maximum benefit.
How much avocado to consume each day
According to a study mentioned in the Journal of the American Heart Association, eating one whole avocado per day might aid in managing bad cholesterol levels in obese and overweight people. (3)
This means that more than one can increase your calorie intake and worsen the situation.
If you don’t need to count calories and you stick to a healthy diet to supply your body with essential nutrients and antioxidants, include one avocado a day in your meal plan. If you do need to count calories or you’re trying to lose weight, keep in mind the following numbers when creating your weekly menu:
- several slices of avocado might contain 60 to 65 calories.
- 1/3 of the average sized avocado contains about 80 calories.
- half of one average sized avocado contains about 120 calories.
- 1 cup of avocado cubes contains a whopping 240 calories.
Moreover, make sure your eating plan includes a variety of other fruit and veggies to meet your nutrient needs, and reduce your consumption of processed foods.
A lot of people believe that if they eat one or two avocados each day while also consuming a lot of fast food or processed foods, they will stay healthy. Avocado is a superfood, but it won’t make you slim and trim or healthy if you don’t watch what else you put into your body.
The final word
For those of you who are avo-obsessed, it’s important to pay attention to moderation. Even though no nutritionist will tell you that avocado is bad for your health, when it comes to deciding how much to eat, listen to your body. If you feel amazing after eating a whole avocado, keep eating it. If half of it is enough for you, stick to this portion serving.
To sum up, avocado is an amazingly healthy food that positively affects your well-being. Unless you eat 5 avocados during the day, you’re unlikely to experience any side effects but look out for those calories!
