Does eating avocado every day make you gain weight?

Star of brunches and aperitifs, the avocado is often considered a “healthy” food despite its high fat content (around 20 g of lipids in one fruit, the equivalent of 2 tablespoons of oil). So can we eat it as much as we want? Every day ? “It is a fatty food but it is healthy insofar as it contains good fats (oleic acid and linoleic acid), phytosterols which help to control our cholesterol level, in particular “bad cholesterol” and to protect our cardiovascular system “ confirms nutritionist Raphaël Gruman. It is also an excellent source of vitamin E (antioxidant) and vitamin K (blood sugar regulator).

Ideally, we eat avocado for breakfast, crushed on a slice of wholemeal bread and with a source of protein such as a slice of salmon or a soft-boiled egg to keep you feeling good all morning. Although high in calories (150 calories per half), it can help maintain a stable weight, in particular thanks to its satiating effect due to the presence of fiber (7 g per half) and mannoheptulose, a molecule from the carbohydrate family with properties “appetite suppressant”.

Recently, a study published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition has also shown that people suffering from abdominal obesity who ate an avocado per day for 6 months found better eating habits. By consuming a whole, raw food like avocado daily, they tended to eat more vegetables and fewer fatty, salty, sugary foods and refined grains. They had not gained weight at the end of the study (and not lost weight either).

So, can you enjoy eating an avocado a day? Without gaining weight? It is an oilseed fruit (like almonds or walnuts) “useful for the body provided of course that it is not abused” answers Raphaël Gruman. Avocado can be part of a balanced and diversified diet if it is consumed in reasonable quantities, even every day. “Generally, I recommend that my patients eat up to half an avocado per day, the equivalent of 3 avocados per week.“, continues the nutritionist. Be careful of course not to add other sources of fat which could quickly double the calorie addition: simply season it with lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper or Espelette pepper (no salt). extra olive oil or mayonnaise!).