Why do Avocados Have so Many Calories?

There is a very simple explanation for why avocados have so many calories as compared to most other types of fruit: fat content. Avocado has an amazingly high vegetable oil (fat) content of about 80%. The nutrition profile of most types of fruit is high in carbohydrates, but lower in fats and protein.

The good news is the great majority of the fat content in avocado is monounsaturated fat, which is very healthy for the body. It is now accepted fact that diets high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat help to reduce LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

But avocados are still dense with calories, so if you are watching your weight be careful with your portion size. Unless you exercise regularly or have a high metabolism, I recommend that you eat no more than a half of an avocado per serving in order to maintain a reasonable caloric intake.

Remember that fat contains more than twice the amount of calories per gram than both proteins and carbohydrates. Fats contain 9 cal per gram while proteins and carbohydrates both contain 4 cal per gram. So it’s easy to inadvertently consume excess calories when eating foods high in fat content such as avocado.

According to the avocado nutrition guide, 1 cup of avocado (150 g) contains approximately 240 cal and 25 g of total fat. But don’t be completely turned off by the high calorie count of avocado. There are reasons why the list of super foods, which are the healthiest foods on the planet, includes it.

Image: Vietnamese Avocado Shake by Julia Frost