Avocado for lunch

Avocadoes were regarded as aphrodisiacs by the Aztecs because of their resemblance to testicles. For this reason young girls were not allowed into the avocado grove at harvest time. These days we are less inclined to superstition and people of all sexes and ages wander around fruit shop s with barely a thought for their moral welfare. Avocadoes in particular are embraced now as everything from a salad addition, to a dip base, to a meal on their own. The good news about this is that avocadoes may help you with weight loss.

Avocados are rich in fats but they contain a monounsaturated oil rather than a saturated one which is a good thing. As well as the monounsaturates avocadoes contain folate, vitamin C, riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), vitamin A, iron, potassium, and thiamine (B1). In a new study it has been found that this nutritional package might help you to lose weight by reducing hunger.

In the study otherwise healthy but overweight people were required to eat their normal breakfast followed by three different lunch test meals on different occasions. On one occasion they had a standard lunch with no avocado, on another they had lunch where avocado replaced some of the other foods, and on a third occasion they had lunch with half a fresh avocado added.

The results showed that adding an avocado to lunch led to a 40 per cent reduction in the desire to eat for the three hours after lunch and a 28 per cent reduction in hunger up to five hours later compared to people who had no avocado for lunch. Additionally, although the people eating the avocado did increase their kilojoule and carbohydrate intake they showed no increase in blood sugar levels compared to people who had no avocado.

It seems that avovadoes are somehow playing a role in blood sugar management.

It is worth noting that the Hass Avocado Board funded this study, but given everything we know about the healthy nature of the avocado it just provides another reason to add avocado to your lunchtime menu.