Especially avocado on toast, it’s one of my all-time favorite breakfasts but it always exceeds atleast 300-400 calories, and that’s if you’re having only one piece of toast, which let’s be honest won’t really keep you very full
During quarantine I had avocado toast for lunch EVERY DAY which was 2 slices of toast and 2 eggs including an apple and peanut butter with chocolate chips mixed in which is around a 700 calories lunch and I lost almost 30 pounds. It’s a really good source of healthy fat and it also depends on what the rest of your day looks like calorie wise.
Calories don’t make something “healthy” or “unhealthy”. Actual nutrients (or lack there of) is what makes a food healthy or not.
Avocado toast, while trendy, isn’t the greatest breakfast anyway. Find something with a decent amount of protein and it’ll help keep the hungries away. Something like Oatmeal, Berries and Greek yogurt will keep you satiated longer.
But then again, if you enjoy it, it’s not detrimental to your goals or lifestyle, have at it.
Just don’t equate “calories” with “healthy”. Some low calorie items are not healthy (Come Zero) and some high calorie items are very healthy (nuts) for example.
Because people are still not able to differentiate between eating healthy and eating in a way that makes you lose weight.
Avocados are healthy. Avocados are only good on a diet when their high calory count is accounted for otherwise.
Healthy Fats. Monounsaturated fats are healthier for you and won’t clog your arteries like saturated fats. Avocados are a superfood. Good for your skin, heart health, keep you fuller longer, brain health, and overall disease prevention. This is not a food to feel guilty about my friend.
Lots of mention of the monounsaturated fats on here, but a big part of what makes avocado a good part of a healthy diet is the high concentration of vitamins and minerals. Consuming “nutrient dense” foods, even if they are themselves high in calories, are a great part of a healthy diet because they provide you with more complete nutrition and can can keep you satiated longer.
Calories are not in and of themselves unhealthy. Avocados are nutrient dense along with being energy dense.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3664913/
>Hass avocados, the most common commercial avocado cultivars in the world, contain a variety of essential nutrients and important phytochemicals. Although the official avocado serving is one-fifth of a fruit (30 g), according to NHANES analysis the average consumption is one-half an avocado (68 g), which provides a nutrient and phytochemical dense food consisting of the following: dietary fiber (4.6 g), total sugar (0.2 g), potassium (345 mg), sodium (5.5 mg), magnesium (19.5 mg), vitamin A (43 μg), vitamin C (6.0 mg), vitamin E (1.3 mg), vitamin K1 (14 μg), folate (60 mg), vitamin B-6 (0.2 mg), niacin (1.3 mg), pantothenic acid (1.0 mg), riboflavin (0.1 mg), choline (10 mg), lutein/zeaxanthin (185 μg), phytosterols (57 mg), and high-monounsaturated fatty acids (6.7 g) and 114 kcals or 1.7 kcal/g. The avocado oil consists of 71% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and 16% saturated fatty acids (SFA), which helps to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and enhance the bioavailability of fat soluble vitamins and phytochemicals from the avocado or other fruits and vegetables, naturally low in fat, which are consumed with avocados.
Not only are avocados themselves nutrient dense, their composition contributes to the bioavailability of coingested foods, making dishes like guacamole not only tasty party favorites but also more nutritious than consuming the constituent parts on their own.
Because society has made us believe that calories are the most important thing, which is not true. What is most important is that your body gets the nutrition it needs. Our bodies need 2 things in order to function properly… calories for energy and nutrients for our bodies systems to perform the way they should. When you reduce calories, you also make it more difficult to get the nutrition your body needs. Focusing on reducing calories and ignoring the nutrient side of things is a recipe for disaster.
It’s a little complicated but different types of food are involved in influencing the body’s messaging system as to how much is stored, used or rejected. So some fats don’t get automatically stored but are used by indirectly making a person more active and thus burning more calories than are consumed.
Like other commenters have said, high calories doesn’t automatically mean unhealthy. But also, avocados are only high in calories depending on what you’re comparing them to. Like other fruit. They’re 160 kcal/100 g, while, say, an apple is 52 kcal/100 g. But in your avocado-on-toast breakfast I’m betting the toast was much higher in calories than the avocado. Most bread I eat is at least 250-300 kcal/100 g.
I didn’t see this mentioned yet, but wanted to add they’re an excellent source of fiber (like 10g per avocado). When I was doing a weight loss program and needed to hit my macros with 30g of fiber a day, using avocado was a great way to get there :)
We have very different opinions on avocados. I’m always shocked by how low in calories it is as I’ve always heard how high in fat it is.
Yes, my avocado on toast is approx 400 calories but that is with 2 slices of bread, avocado (usually between 1/4 and 1/2 depending on the size), fetta and cherry tomatoes. It’s very filling and hits all my macronutrient goals with ease.
How much avocado are you using? Could the bread be swapped for something else? A thinner slice?
I guess if you are trying to minimize energy density, it isn’t great. But it is otherwise low in saturated fat and sodium and has fiber.
I also think people typically only use half an avocado, so it is more like 150 calories.
I think that the OP has a valid point if one is trying to lose weight and stay in a calorie deficit. Often times people look at popular trends (especially from “influencers”) like avocado toast and think “this fit person is eating avocado toast, so it must be healthy.” It’s not that avocados aren’t nutritious and can’t be part of your diet, even in calorie deficit, but it is a good example of how a person has to be hyper aware of how eating something like avocados can affect total calorie intake. Same thing could be said for tree nuts. They’re very nutritious and can be a great snack, but you can quickly consume 1,000 calories without realizing it.
It’s because they are high in healthy fats. Per the USDA, one medium avocado has 240 calories and 22 grams of fat, but only 3 of those fat grams are saturated. It also has 10 grams of fiber, so don’t discount how filling they can be.
An entire avocado in one sitting might be a bit much so maybe dial that back. But otherwise they are a wonderful source of nutrition.
The avocado market is hardcore and has basically turned avocado farming in Mexico into a black market. Avocados are making so much money by telling everyone that they’re this all-holy health food. They’re a better choice of fat, but they’re so high in calories so it’s really just up to personal preference and what your goals are.
I commented about avacados the other day in a post what are “healthy” things that are actually unhealthy. Well avacados are plenty healthy, BUT most peoples discipline for moderation is way off when it comes to portion sizes. It’s easy to have too many cals or too much fat, even if it’s good fat, just don’t over do it! Realize that avocado toast is going to have to be balanced. Eat w.e you want just pay attention to your daily macros and cal goals. Another mention as for avacados not being very filling, again balance. Balance it with some more carbs and protein so the avo isn’t all ur getting and it will help keep you satisfied. Scratching the fat itch will help you feel full when you balance it ^^^^
calories are not always a good indicator of health! “healthy” food should be food that nourishes your body. avocados are a great source of monosaturated fats, and they’re also delicious. avocado toast is an amazing meal, and if paired with protein (eggs, nutritional yeast [great source of B vitamins], etc) it’s an amazing meal that will keep you satisfied for longer.
in short, low in calories ≠ healthy
You can’t consider calories when deciding if something is healthy because everyone has different calorie needs.
If you ran 3 miles every morning then you probably should eat at least that much for breakfast.
Yeah not every calories is the same. For example if you eat a 100 calories whole banana vs a single cookie that is also about 100 calories. Compared to the cookie, the bananas may have a slower rise in sugar in your blood stream which is better for your body. Also the banana has fiber and enriched potassium. The cookie is just sugar and carbs. So even though guacamole might have extra calories- it is full of HDL or good mono saturated fats. Having high HDL levels prevents heart disease.
Caloric density =/= healthy or unhealthy. Fats are often higher in calorie but are vital for brain function, skin health, etc. for women fats are necessary for a healthy reproductive system. A low calorie food isn’t necessarily a healthy one. Rice cakes might be low calorie but they don’t have the same nutritional value present in an avocado.
That’s why you’d ideally want to balance your avocado toast with a protein source (eggs/egg white scramble, Turkey, Greek yogurt etc.) also note that if calories are a concern you can just have less avocado.
I consider myself pretty healthy and I eat plenty of avocado, nut butter, and eggs with yolks - lots of good fats. Olive oil is another example.