Avocado lovers tend to eat less calories and consume healthier foods

By Joe Morgan via SWNS

People who regularly eat avocados tend to have a lower calorie intake and consume healthier food, according to new research.

While now trendy in hipster cafes and Instagram culture, the benefits have been shown to outweigh its reputation as a fatty food.

Indigenous to Central and South America, avocados have long been a staple for over 3,000 years.

Avocados have high levels of oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat), making it beneficial for individuals whose diets are not high in animal fats (meat, dairy, fish) and it has good levels of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium.

In a new study, families who consumed 14 avocados a week over six months reported hugely beneficial health effects.

The study of 72 Mexican families, or 231 individuals, found eating more avocados appeared to speed the feeling of fullness after eating.

Families who also ate 14 avocados per week, compared to three or less a week, also reduced their consumption of processed meat, chicken and eggs.

But surprisingly, high avocado consumers also recorded decreased intake of calcium, iron, sodium, vitamin D, potassium and magnesium, which researchers said might be associated with eating less.

Professor Matthew Allison, at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, said: "Data regarding the effects of avocado intake on family nutritional status has been non-existent.

“Recent trials have focused on individuals, primarily adults, and limited to changes in cardiometabolic disease blood markers.

"Our trial’s results provide evidence that a nutrition education and high avocado allotment reduces total caloric energy in Mexican heritage families.”

Dr. Lorena Pchego, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said: “Our results show that the nutrition education and high avocado intake intervention group significantly reduced their family total energy intake, as well as carbohydrate, protein, fat (including saturated), calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, potassium and vitamin D.

“In secondary energy-adjusted analyses, the nutrition education and high avocado allotment group significantly increased their intake of dietary fiber, monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium, vitamin E and folate.

“Testing of a culturally appropriate plant-foot on energy intake, by bicultural and bilingual community health workers, should be extended to other populations."

The study was published in the journal Nutrients.