Avocado – a Fruit to Enjoy!

Posted on July 21, 2014
Written by Diana Cullum-Dugan, RDN, LDN
      

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There’s been a new discovery. If you eat a whole avocado with orange-colored tomato sauce or raw carrots, the absorption of carotenoids, plant pigments that convert to vitamin A, is enhanced. Well, this isn’t really news.

Nutrition scientists and experts have known for years that fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K need fat for your body to use them.  Fat soluble vitamins actually dissolve into the fat we eat and then are absorbed into the circulatory system so they can do their jobs —

  • Vitamin A is key to great vision
  • Vitamin D supports bone health
  • Vitamin E is a free radical fighting antioxidant
  • Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting.

Avocados contain fat and two-thirds of that fat is monounsaturated fat, which is considered a heart healthy fat. Avocados also have a delicious and creamy mouth feel and provide a good source of fiber.

Due to the high fat content, avocados contain lot of calories. One avocado is about  320 calories. While this study suggests eating an entire avocado with orange colored-foods, it only takes a couple of bites of fat to get vitamins A, D, E and K absorbed during digestion.

So next time you create a salad add a few slices of an avocado to maximize the amount of fat soluble vitamins that are available to your body.