Is avocado toast making me fat?

Q: Can avocado toast make you gain weight?

While avocado toast can be very healthy, its still possible to gain weight by eating it if you arent mindful of serving sizes, says Yawitz. The serving size for avocado is about one-third of a medium avocado, per the USDA National Nutrient Database. This amount has 80 calories.

Great - now we're fat and broke.

Table of Contents Show

Can avocado toast make you gain weight?
Are avocado toasts good for weight loss?
Is avocado toast good for weight loss breakfast?
What happens if you eat avocado toast everyday?

If there was one food that millennials could claim as their own it would have to be avocado, or more specifically avo toast - the simple combo of up to an entire avo, mashed into a chunky spread and served with your favourite crunchy sourdough, turkish or even gluten free bread. It is a must include item on any café menu and even though it can be priced at up to $20 a pop, is an extremely popular breakie choice across the board.

The question is, how healthy is it?

While the lashings of green fruit looks pretty healthy, the reality is that avo on toast can be a complete calorie bomb. So what does the research say and do you need to rethink your regular order of smashed avo?

Avocados are an extremely nutritious food - rich in monounsaturated fats, fibre, Vitamin E, folate and B group vitamins they have long been associated with heart health. Relatively high in fat, a single small avocado contains at least 20g of fat and as such they are a calorie dense food with at least 200 calories per avocado or roughly half that a standard meal would contain.

Of the small pool of research that specifically looks at the effect of eating lots of avocado, in general the results are positive.

One study published back in 2014 in the journal Nutrition looked at the impact of adding or substituting in half an avocado to the lunch of overweight adults. It was found that those dieters who added the avo in to their lunch were more satisfied several hours after eating compared to those who simply substituted the avo in.

More recently, research published in the journal Nutrients examined the effect of replacing the carbohydrate content of a meal, for example the toast for breakfast with avocado, or half the toast with avocado compared to a regular low fat breakfast with 31 overweight adults. It was found that the breakfasts that included avocado resulted in significant reductions in hunger but also in the insulin and glucose levels of study participants. High insulin levels over time are associated with weight gain. Researchers concluded that adding avocado poses no issue from a weight control of diabetes risk perspective, rather we need to pay more attention to what we actually eat our avo with.

If you consider that adding a couple of hearty slabs of sourdough toast to your standard breakfast avo order, you are adding up to 60g of extra carbs and 500-600 extra calories, suddenly your smashed avo on toast clocks in at up to 800 calories, or the equivalent of two meals worth of calories.

While the meal is healthy, it is high in calories, and calories we do not necessarily account for when we assume avo on toast is a healthy breakfast choice. While there is not one food that will cause weight gain, consuming excessive calories on a daily basis will lead to weight gain over time. This means an occasional smashed avo will do no harm, but if you are regularly downing an entire avo on toast you are probably eating a lot more calories for breakfast than you really need.

Overall the research shows there are many benefits from including a decent serve of avo (roughly half an avo) at breakfast or lunch but you do need to be mindful of what you eat your avo with. Served with minimal carbs such as protein bread or eggs is best and if you do team it with toast look for smaller, thinner slices. Or even better, if you enjoy your avo as the main focus of the meal, such as stuffed with tuna or salmon for lunch, or teamed with eggs for breakie, your overall calorie intake will be lower and you are likely to be kept full and satisfied for several hours after eating. So smash away, just be mindful of smashing minus the toast sometimes.

Susie Burrell is a nutritionist. Continue the conversation on Twitter @SusieBDiet

Originally published as Is avocado toast making you fat?

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These days, it would be a surprise not to see avocado toast on your favorite brunch menu. And it's one of the easiest meals to quickly whip up at home. But is it good for weight loss?

The short answer: yes, with some caveats. Let's take a look at the ingredients that typically make up avocado toast. First, there's the main ingredient. "Avocado is a good source of healthy fat and fiber," says Kim Yawitz, RD, a dietitian in St. Louis. "These both help keep blood sugar levels stable and promote feelings of fullness. Spread your avocado on a slice of high-fiber bread and you have the perfect breakfast for fending off snack attacks." Here's proof: In one small study published in Nutrition Journal, people who added half a Hass avocado to their lunch noted a 40% decrease in their desire to eat in the three to five hours following the meal.

Avocado is a great replacement for higher-calorie toast toppings. "An ounce provides just 45 calories, compared with 203 calories per ounce of butter," adds Yawitz. In theory, she says, someone who eats buttered toast every day could save more than 57,000 calories — about 16 pounds — per year by substituting an equal portion of avocado for butter. (Portion tip: An ounce of avocado equals about 2 tablespoons of mashed avocado.)

As for those caveats noted earlier, portion size and toppings can make or break the weight-loss benefits of avocado toast. "While avocado toast can be very healthy, it's still possible to gain weight by eating it if you aren't mindful of serving sizes," says Yawitz. The serving size for avocado is about one-third of a medium avocado, per the USDA National Nutrient Database. This amount has 80 calories.

"If you're trying to lose weight, it's best to slice off the portion you need and store the rest for later," suggests Yawitz. Prevent browning by brushing the cut portion with lemon or lime juice. Then tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a day. You can scrape off any brown sections before serving.

As for the toppings, load up your avocado toast with nonstarchy veggies. Think radish and cucumber slices, arugula, sprouts and pickled onions. To avoid adding hundreds of extra calories, skip toppings like olive oil and bacon, and try low-cal, flavorful add-ons like a drizzle of sriracha, or lemon or lime juice. Looking for more protein? A fried egg will do it.

And don't forget about the toast itself. "Any healthy avocado toast recipe starts with a good base," says Yawitz. Shop for a bread that says "100% whole grain" on the label and contains at least 3 grams of fiber per slice. Bonus points if the bread includes protein-packed flax, pumpkin or sesame seeds.

So there you have it: Avocado toast made with a slice of whole-grain bread, one-third of an avocado, one large fried egg and 2 tablespoons of sliced radishes contains about 260 calories. Serve with a side salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a perfect weight-loss-friendly breakfast, like in these Avocado Toasts (pictured above), Avocado Toast Three Ways, Avocado-Toast Breakfast Salad or Sweet Potato Toast with Avocado and Sprouts.

Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. She's a regular contributor to many publications, including EverydayHealth.com, ReadersDigest.com, NBCNews.com, and more. She also pens a recipe-focused blog, Amy's Eat List, where she shares easy, healthy recipes.

Can avocado toast make you gain weight?

"While avocado toast can be very healthy, it's still possible to gain weight by eating it if you aren't mindful of serving sizes," says Yawitz. The serving size for avocado is about one-third of a medium avocado, per the USDA National Nutrient Database. This amount has 80 calories.

Are avocado toasts good for weight loss?

So not only do avocados help promote weight loss, but they also significantly improve cardiovascular health, possibly contributing to longer lives. Avocados are also low in carbs but high in fibre, so they keep people satiated longer than any other vegetable or fruit.

Is avocado toast good for weight loss breakfast?

Because avocados are high in healthy fats and fiber, an average portion size of avocado toast delivers the right number of calories to leave you full, but not too full. Fiber is known to aid in digestion and can aid in weight loss.

What happens if you eat avocado toast everyday?

Studies have shown that avocados might help to limit the risks associated with high cholesterol levels. Eating a diet rich in avocados has been shown to reduce total cholesterol, blood triglycerides by as much as 20%, LDL by as much as 22%, and increase HDL up to 11%.