Under Review: Avocados – A Closer Look at Their Nutritional Value. Do They Live up to the Hype?
Read the original, updated, and expanded article on FooDosage.com
Introduction
In recent years, there have been more and more reports of the environmental and humanitarian cost of the world's hunger for avocados. Despite this, production numbers continue to rise. And why wouldn't they? Avocados are, after all, a nutrient packed super food. One of the most valuable and healthiest foods known to man! Aren't they? Well, that's certainly what we've been hearing, isn't it?
Is the world's hunger for avocados justified?
In this article, we will not be delving any deeper into what avocado farming is doing to Central America. Instead, we will take a closer look at the nutrient content these fruits are so praised for, and whether avocados are all they've been hyped up to be.
The Nutrients Avocados Are Being Praised for, ...
...whether the amounts avocados deliver are actually noteworthy, and alternative foods rich(er) in those nutrients. For this article, we will be using Californian avocados as a basis of comparison.
Because avocados are vegan, we will only feature other vegan options as alternative foods. In many cases, meats or animal products would be much richer in the nutrient in question, but that wouldn't be a relevant comparison.
Note that all recommended intake figures below are based on the needs of a 31 year old non-pregnant, non-lactating woman on a 2000 kilocalorie diet. Your personal requirements may differ (wildly). One way to figure out your individual needs, including calories per day, is the FooDosage Nutrition Calculator. It’s free, by the way.
FooDosage Nutrition Calculator - Avocado, Raw, California, 100 g - Nutrient Profile
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Final Thoughts
Perhaps you're about to comment "Hang on! Yes, avocados may not be leading in any individual nutrient, but isn't it the combination that makes them special? The amount of nutrients of which they feature at least a decent amount?".
Well, yes and no. If we just take the per 100 gram numbers, they certainly don't look bad. And many of our presented alternatives are not rich in such a diverse offering of nutrients. BUT: You have to consider how satiating those 100 grams are. For me personally, one avocado (of about 150-200 grams) constitutes a meal. I won't be eating anything else for a few hours. A lot of our alternatives, however, are very light in comparison. If I have 200 grams of spinach, it's usually as a side with an equal amount of fish and potatoes, for example. These additional foods per meal more than compensate for the imbalance in nutritional diversity between avocados and lighter alternatives.
In the end, avocados are certainly not a bad food. They are also delicious. But I would not classify them as a super food, and you have to ask yourself: Are they worth the environmental and humanitarian cost?
I would recommend buying only both organic and fair trade avocados, or striking them from our diets.
What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below :-)
Sources:
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Nutrition/SummaryDRIs/DRI-Tables.aspx
https://www.hassavocadoboard.com/shipment-data/historical-shipment-volume
Interesting thoughts, the environmental cost of a 'superfood trend' is definitely something to consider especially in light of the goods that they actually deliver. Really interesting article comparing the nutrient content and relative alternatives. Eating local and seasonal and paying attention to how and where our food is coming from while being aware of the many options for a balanced diet is very important. loved it! keep the posts coming :)
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. And I absolutely agree. It's part of the reason why I made that nutrition calculator for myself, to see all the possibilities for a balanced diet. And because I found most online sources to be incomplete in one way or another.
PS: Have you seen my newest article on Vitamin A? https://steemit.com/nutrition/@ponimayu/vitamin-a-top-food-sources-recommended-intake-rda-and-the-dangers-and-side-effects-of-overconsumption
But the next Article in the "Under Review" category will take a while. I need to do some background research / groundwork first. Probably, it will be about Chia Seeds.
Avocados are an excellent source of good fat, essential fatty acids, which are necessary in a complete diet. And they're delicious!
You are right, they are an excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids. But they are not peerless in that regard either. Also, those fatty acids are not exactly essential. They are better than saturated fatty acids, but not as important or beneficial as polyunsatured fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6. I would recommend having a bit of olive oil on your salad and eating fatty fish instead of avocados to get your requirement of fat. I should update my article to reflect this. Thank you for reminding me.