Avocado Confusion

[quotidianlight]

Okay, the book says we can have half an avocado a day. But I am confused, does this count as a veggie or a fat when considering the 3 cups veggie limit?

[quotidianlight]

oops, okay I guess this is a "special food". There is a list of them but I am assuming we can only pick one a day?

[itsme12i]

yes...I am confused about that too...

[Elizellen]

Yes - the 'special' foods are an either/or choice to add variety and interest to your meals, so choosing one of these now and again is advisable rather than making them an everyday addition.

They would be extra to your normal 'allowance' of foods, so extra to your 3 cups of veg.

[Designbabe]

This newbie still does not get how avocados can be a "free" food.
After all, it has 8g carbs per 100g, Please see below:

Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 100g
Total Calories160.000kcalTotal Fat14.660g Saturated Fatty Acids2.126g Monounsaturated Fatty Acids9.799g Polyunsaturated FattyAcids1.816g Cholesterol0.000mgSodium7.000mgTotal Carbohydrates8.530g Dietary Fibre6.700gSugars0.660gProtein0gWater73.230gVitamins Vitamin C10.000mg Riboflavin0.130mg Niacin1.738mg Pantothenic Acid1.389mg Vitamin B60.257mg Vitamin B120.000mcg Folate58.000mcg Vitamin A146.000IU Vitamin E2.070mg Vitamin D Vitamin K21.000mcg Folic Acid0.000mcgMinerals Calcium12.000mg Iron0.550mg Magnesium29.000mg Phosphorus52.000mg Potasium485.000mg Sodium7.000mg Zink0.640mg Copper0.190mg Manganese0.142mg Selenium0.400mcg

[Bettestress]

That's not net carbs, avacados have like a 1 to 3 fiber ratio, and it's not "free" you still have to count all carbs in a day.

[Bluebelt2007]

1 Mexican Avocado 12g Carbs, 8.5g of fiber=3.5g Net Grams of Carbs

[quotidianlight]

A california avocado (like Hass) is much better than the smooth skinned mexican ones. For a full Avodado,

Total Carbs. 14.9
Dietary Fiber. 11.8
Sugars 0.5

So that's what a net of 3.1 for a full avocado and a ton of FIBER!

I've always lost weight better when I ate them and my skin is better but they are an odd fruit so I wasn't sure how to count them.

[Bettestress]

That's awesome, I'm in Texas so I don't think we can get any other than the Mexican avacados, but I'll keep an eye out for those.

Little avacado fact I posted in the women's forum, other folks might like to know they're good for your skin..

Avocados
Free radicals are a good complexion's worst enemies. Generated by the environment, ultraviolet light and even our own bodies, these minute particles invade cells causing permanent injury. When it comes to neutralizing them, vitamin E is a major player, and avocados contain more vitamin E than any other fruit.
To help us effectively absorb the avocado's vitamin E, nature has conveniently packaged it along with a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat. If that weren't enough, the avocado is also a prime source of the antioxidant glutathione, responsible for deterring the development of skin cancer, as well as staving off premature aging.

[not2late]

The Special Category Foods list says "one half a small avocado" is the amount. What is a "small" avocado? Beats me! But I think the part about "one half" is what we have to pay attention to the most.