Nutrition Bite of the Week: Avocados...So Good for You, Now Science Backs It Up!

Fats have long been considered the enemy in many circles of individuals who want to lose weight and lose it fast. It is understandable why many people want to have a low fat diet, fat is the most energy dense of the macro nutrients, carrying a whopping 9 kcals (Calories) per gram, compared to 4 kcals per gram for carbohydrates and protein.  The only other food that comes close to fat in energy density is alcohol which packs 7 kcals per gram.

However, the one thing that people do not realize is that in order to lose/burn fat, you need to consume fat in your diet.  But we need this fat to be 'good fat.'  Yes, there are differences between good fats and bad fats, and your body can distinguish, and processes them differently. Also, your body burns fat for fuel, especially during aerobic conditions.  I won't bore y'all with the aerobic or oxidative phosphorylation process of how we turn fat into fuel, but just know, we burn it as fuel when doing aerobic activities.  I've had many people ask me, 'well, if my body burns fat as fuel, why doesn't it take it from the stores in my body, where I want to lose it from and why do I need to consume it?"  To which I respond, that no matter what, you need calories. If you go for long periods of time without calorie consumption, your body will turn on starvation mode, and then start storing just about anything it takes in versus burning it for fuel.  Your body needs fat intake to burn fat off.  Your body will burn fat from its internal stores when you put yourself into caloric deficit, but not from not eating!  When you put yourself into caloric deficit, you want to do this by burning off more than you are taking in, moving more, exercise!

I realize I am not including a lot of physiological processes and details here, but the main point, you need fat in your diet, and I'm happy that science is now backing these things up.

Recently, an article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that a diet rich in avocados, led to a decrease in LDL or bad cholesterol.  Woohoo! Follow the link for the Abstract.

Avocados are a tasty way to add flavor and color to just about any dish.  Whether you enjoy guacamole or a slice or to of avocado on a taco or with some salmon, there are just so many different ways to enjoy them!