Does An Avocado Count as a Vegetable?
I have to
credit my friend Eric with the inspiration for this post because he was stuck
on the ambulance with me for the last 24-hours while we engaged in a heated
debate about a piece of produce. The culprit that sparked this feverish
discussion was just a measly avocado. What started out as a lighthearted
discussion about portion control ended up morphing into a monstrous quest to unravel
the true genealogy of the avocado. So is it a fruit or a vegetable? The funny
thing is that if you are a diabetic, it’s neither. Yes, you heard that right.
If you are using the diabetic exchange system
for consistent carbohydrate intake; the avocado is actually listed as a fat
exchange! Clearly, that tid-bit did not go over so well when I tried to
convince my partner that an avocado is a fat.
Ok, for
those of you who aren’t using the diabetic exchange system, technically
avocados are considered a fruit because they fit all of the botanical criteria for a berry. Also, in case you
are as curious as I was, I will also tell you that an avocado is about 50
calories a serving. Keep in mind however, that a serving size is 1 ounce or 2
tablespoons, or 28.3grams (however you’d like to measure it). Which
incidentally, is only about 1/5 of a medium avocado.
www.avacadocentral.com
Going back
to avocados as a fat, as my friend Eric correctly pointed out, avocados have
the “good fat.” I’d like to point out that being labeled, as a “good fat”
doesn’t give you the liberty to have as much as you want. Fats are still fats
and should be used sparingly. It’s all about portion control, especially when
you consider that if you put an entire medium sized avocado on your salad, you
are adding an additional 250 calories and 23g of fat. I’m not knocking the
avocado, in fact I think they are amazing and delicious. They contain mono and polyunsaturated fats, which do make them
a good substitution for foods rich in saturated fat. Plus with 20 vitamins
and minerals, avocados are a good nutrient choice. Even “good for you” things like nuts; seeds,
fruits and avocados should be consumed in moderation.
By Loriann
Leonard North, DTR, DSS, NC
