Avocado: A Super Food which
works to combat high cholesterol

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Three ounces of avocado contains about 10 grams of monounsaturated fat - the type that has shown beneficial in reducing high cholesterol.

Although considered a bit pricey in calories, 1/2 of a small avocado contains only about 160 calories.

Nutrition Facts for the Super Food, Avocado

- Botanically speaking the avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable.

- It provides almost 1/2 of the recommended daily allowance of folate per serving.

- It is also is loaded with potassium, by-passing the popular banana depending upon where the specimen is grown and harvested.

Per 100 grams, bananas contain 358 mgs of potassium. The California avocado contains 507 mgs per 100 grams and the Florida specimen contains 351 mgs.

- This super food contains zero cholesterol values, in addition to zero caffeine; no jitters involved amid moderate indulgence. Isn't that nice?

- The Avocado is a good source for Vitamin C, Vitamin A, niacin, iron and magnesium.

Let's take a look at the nutritional data for both Florida and California grown and harvested avocados and their nutritional differences.

Avocado Nutrition Facts: Florida & California Comparison

AVOCADO, NUTRITION FACTS

FLORIDA VARIETY

FLORIDA VARIETY

Nutritional Elements

Units

100 g

1 cup, pureed

1 avocado

100 g

1 cup, pureed

1 avocado
Energy, Calories kcal 120 276 365 167 384 227
Protein g 2.23 5.13 6.78 1.96 4.51 2.67
Carbohydrates g 7.82 17.99 23.77 8.64 19.87 11.75
Fiber, total dietary g 5.6 12.9 17.0 6.8 15.6 9.2
Sugars, total g 2.42 5.57 7.36 0.30 0.69 0.41
Minerals      
Calcium, Ca mg 10 23 30 13 30 18
Iron, Fe mg 0.17 0.39 0.52 0.61 1.40 0.83
Magnesium, Mg mg 24 55 73 29 67 39
Phosphorus, P mg 40 92 122 54 124 73
Potassium, K mg 351 807 1067 507 1166 690
Sodium, Na mg 2 5 6 8 18 11
Zinc, Zn mg 0.40 0.92 1.22 0.68 1.56 0.92
Vitamins
Vitamin C mg 17.4 40.0 52.9 8.8 20.2 12.0
Thiamin mg 0.021 0.048 0.064 0.075 0.172 0.102
Riboflavin mg 0.053 0.122 0.161 0.143 0.329 0.194
Niacin mg 0.672 1.546 2.043 1.912 4.398 2.600
Vitamin B-6 mg 0.078 0.179 0.237 0.287 0.660 0.390
Folate, DFE µg 35 80 106 89 205 121
Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Vitamin A, RAE µg 7 16 21 7 16 10
Vitamin A, IU IU 140 322 426 147 338 200
Vitamin E mg 2.66 6.12 8.09 1.97 4.53 2.68
Vitamin K µg 0 0 0 21.0 48.3 28.6
Lipids, Fatty Acid Totals
Total lipid (fat) g 10.06 23.14 30.58 15.41 35.44 20.96
Saturated g 1.960 4.508 5.958 2.126 4.890 2.891
Monounsaturated g 5.513 12.680 16.760 9.799 22.538 13.327
Polyunsaturated g 1.676 3.855 5.095 1.816 4.177 2.470
Cholesterol mg 0 0 0 0 0 0

Recipe for Diet GuacamoleAvocado, Florida

Diet Good Golly Guacamole

Mix together the following:

1/2 ripe avocado
1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
1 Tablespoon of light Miracle Whip

This recipe serves two quite generously for about 100 calories each.

Add a bit of nutritional values to your next whole grain sandwich by adding a couple of thin slices of this super food.

It can also liven-up salads as well as casseroles.

For a meal, fill the seeded center of one-half of a fruit with reduced fat cottage cheese mixed with pineapple tidbits. Or chopped tomato. Be sure to make the hole a bit larger, reserving the flesh for another recipe or meal purpose. Waste not, want not.

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