The humble, delicious, nutritious SUPERCADO (which is what it should be called) - is one of those Banting/LCHF superfoods.
Also known as "ahuacuatl" which translates to testicle tree in the ancient Aztec language, Avocados are a known aphrodisiac which is apt, don't you think?
Eat Something Sexy says: "We now know that avocado nutrition delivers a punch of nutrients essential to sexual health, including beta carotene, magnesium and vitamin E, (which is sometimes called the “sex vitamin”). Also, an avocado delivers more potassium than a raw banana." - but I'll delve into a little more about the nutrient profile of this in a bit.Avocados are also known as an alligator pear. They're the fruit with the highest protein content too.
Avocados date back to 10000BC - yip - they knew what they were doing way back when!
Avocados never ripen on the tree - they have to be picked to ripen. So...you can never pick a ripe avocado.
Avocados are fiber rich fruits - yes - that's right - they're considered a fruit and one with the highest fiber content too!
An Average Avocado which weighs around 150g has the following nutrition profile:
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 23g
Total Protein: 3g
Net Carbs: 3g
Dietary Fibre: 10g
The nutrients contained in a whole avocado are quite impressive too:
Potassium: 760mg-960mg
Folate: 135mcg (Note: Folate is naturally occuring - whereas folic acid is the synthetic version!)
Vitamin A: 10mcg
Vitamin B6: 0.4mg
Vitamin C: 13mg
Vitamin E: 3IU
Calcium: 20mg
Iron: 0.9mg
Magnesium: 45mg
Zinc: 1mg
Sodium: 10mg
Vitamin K: 33mcg
Phosphorous: 80mg
So what's the bottom line? Eating a whole Avocado that has been well salted will have you replenish key electrolytes when on a Low Carb/Banting Diet - add in a food that is high in magnesium and you're good to go!
A whole Avocado, skin and pip removed, salted with 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt will deliver the following electrolytes:
Potassium: 865mg
Sodium: 1147.80mg
Magnesium: 50mg
Nutrition according to USDA: