Many people have food fear when it comes to avocados because avocado nutrition facts include a high fat content and calories per serving. It contains a whopping 50 calories in one 1 inch slice with 35 of those coming from fat.

However, if you can use it wise and in moderation, you can get amazing benefits from eating avocado as part of your weight loss diet.

Avocados look very healthy. They are green, which always screams healthy, and they are often used in salads. The general public, however, is aware of the darker side of avocados, which is the fat and calories the innocent looking avocado contains. Let’s look at the nutritional stats to consider.

Major Nutrients In An Avocado

As you can see from above, the avocado is one of the higher calorie fruits that you could be eating.  This is due to the larger amount of fat content it contains, however take note that this fat is of the healthy variety.

If you are able to practice portion control and make sure not to eat too much of the avocado as to increase your daily calorie intake too high, then you should definitely be able to include this in your meal plan.

Avocados also contain lutein which is an antioxidant that is great for the eyes. It helps to prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.  In addition to this, they contain many other antioxidants that can fight against free radicals in your body that can cause cancer. These antioxidants are so powerful that they can even reverse the signs of aging.

According to studies done on the use of avocado in a diet another positive impact they have is to reduce cholesterol, as the monounsaturated fat in avocados helps to reduce triglyceride levels and increase HDL, which is the good cholesterol.

So as you can see, there are many benefits to including this fruit in your diet and they should not always be shunned.

Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, your body will be getting all of its necessary nutrients and you will be feeling full because of the avocados good amount of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Also, eating avocados with other fruits and vegetables will make it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients from those other foods as well. Most of the nutrients are fat soluble nutrients and, well, we’ve already established that avocados contain fat. So eating them together will make for one healthy body!

How To Use Avocados

So, how should you use avocados in our next meal?

Avocados are great sliced in our salads or sandwiches. I like to mash them and spread it on my bread. That way I don’t get one overpowering bite. I like avocado in cold soups, like gazpacho and can be added to your homemade protein shakes.

I think the most popular use for avocados is in guacamole. Guacamole, made with sour cream and all that is definitely not a good choice for weight loss, but the authentic mexican guacamole is very delicious and great for weight loss.

Here is the recipe for authentic guacamole:

2 Medium avocados

1/2 an onion

1 bunch of cilantro

1 or 2 jalapenos(depending on how spicy you want it)

the juice of 3 limes

salt

Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. Serve with just about anything for a zing to the bland day!

For more great foods to eat to lose weight, check out our review of Fat Burning Furnace.