How bad is to have avocados?

[Rinse & rePeat]

We wish :/

"Animal proteins, and fruits, because they contain the lowest levels of toxins, should form the basis of the diet. Not all fruits, of course, are perfectly safe--avocados, for example, contain so much unsaturated fat that they can be carcinogenic and hepatotoxic." -Ray Peat

 

[Dr. B]

We wish :/

"Animal proteins, and fruits, because they contain the lowest levels of toxins, should form the basis of the diet. Not all fruits, of course, are perfectly safe--avocados, for example, contain so much unsaturated fat that they can be carcinogenic and hepatotoxic." -Ray Peat

I think what he means there is not that a single avocado contains too much unsaturated fat, i think its more like avocados can't be gorged on the way we can just eat a bunch of fruit and milk all day.
"A whole avocado provides up to 30 grams of fat, 4.2 grams of saturated fat, almost 20 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 3.6 grams of polyunsaturated fat."

so an entire avocado has pretty much near the maximum daily pufa intake. you'd need to avoid eggs, chicken, pork, fish, etc if having an avocado a day.
i think its probably better to avoid avocado, eggs, and all those meats and do an all cow sourced diet. you could implement small amounts of olive oil, 500mg of black seed oil if you want, 500mg of fish eggs if you want. if you're having a half gallon milk a day, that's already providing probably 2g or so pufa. so adding in an entire avocado or egg, pufa will start to get high.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I think what he means there is not that a single avocado contains too much unsaturated fat, i think its more like avocados can't be gorged on the way we can just eat a bunch of fruit and milk all day.
"A whole avocado provides up to 30 grams of fat, 4.2 grams of saturated fat, almost 20 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 3.6 grams of polyunsaturated fat."

so an entire avocado has pretty much near the maximum daily pufa intake. you'd need to avoid eggs, chicken, pork, fish, etc if having an avocado a day.
i think its probably better to avoid avocado, eggs, and all those meats and do an all cow sourced diet. you could implement small amounts of olive oil, 500mg of black seed oil if you want, 500mg of fish eggs if you want. if you're having a half gallon milk a day, that's already providing probably 2g or so pufa. so adding in an entire avocado or egg, pufa will start to get high.

I will always enjoy a little avocado. It certainly has it's pro's and con's, but I make occasional allowances for them, because it is my favorite part of sushi and mexican food. Make no mistake I am not a perfect "Peater" and I don't want to be. I care to much about the enjoyment of my food. When i eat avocado, and sometimes a lot, if guacamole is around, I am not fooling myself into thinking I am doing good and it is "Ray Peat approved". Yay for avocados!

 

[ursidae]

I think avocado may be special due to the K1 in it. Other plants like leaves contain it too however they are very low fat, and you need to add butter/olive oil to absorb it, which may not that be that efficient seeing as it’s a bit artificial. However I assume in a food that has naturally high fat content, the K1 is more strongly bound to the fat and more easily absorbed

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I think avocado may be special due to the K1 in it. Other plants like leaves contain it too however they are very low fat, and you need to add butter/olive oil to absorb it, which may not that be that efficient seeing as it’s a bit artificial. However I assume in a food that has naturally high fat content, the K1 is more strongly bound to the fat and more easily absorbed

Some of the fats are definetly good for the skin, the PUFA, not so much, but an aspirin remedies that. The bigger concern is avocado's toxicity to the liver. Jack is young and can afford to not worry too much, but for me being 58, I am wanting to bolster my liver. Having avocado at my age while "Peating" is like taking 3 steps forward and one step back. I could not deny myself fresh made guacamole sitting in front of me. Somebody would have to "double dip" to save me from it ?

 

[Dr. B]

Some of the fats are definetly good for the skin, the PUFA, not so much, but an aspirin remedies that. The bigger concern is avocado's toxicity to the liver. Jack is young and can afford to not worry too much, but for me being 58, I am wanting to bolster my liver. Having avocado at my age while "Peating" is like taking 3 steps forward and one step back. I could not deny myself fresh made guacamole sitting in front of me. Somebody would have to "double dip" to save me from it ?

the avocados liver toxicity is due to the pufa, or is it something else in addition to pufa? theres many foods to limit due to pufa, like pork, chicken, even eggs and goats milk especially if the goat/eggs are not pastured/grass fed. just an egg or two can provide similar pufa to an avocado!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

the avocados liver toxicity is due to the pufa, or is it something else in addition to pufa? theres many foods to limit due to pufa, like pork, chicken, even eggs and goats milk especially if the goat/eggs are not pastured/grass fed. just an egg or two can provide similar pufa to an avocado!

Here is a better explaination from a site I found onbthe top 5 most toxic foods thatvare touted as being healthy, and avocado was number one.

"When exposed to oxygen, the meat of the avocado fruit immediately starts to brown and rot. It smells bad, but no one thinks why these are signs that this “health” food may not be good for your body. When the fat is exposed to room temperature oxygen (70 degrees), it begins to break down. Now imagine what happens to those fatty acids while in your oxygen-rich body at 98.6 degrees. Or when your skin is even hotter while sunbathing (1). Their chemical structure is deficient in oxygen so they are prone to lipid peroxidation (2). Can you say skin spots? You probably can’t say lipofuscin, which means “dark fat” because I can’t either (4).“Unsaturated oils get rancid when exposed to air; that is called oxidation, and it is the same process that occurs when oil paint ‘dries.’ Free radicals are produced in the process.” – Ray Peat, pHDAvocado is mostly unsaturated fat – 15% saturated, 71% monounsaturated, 14% polyunsaturated (3). Unsaturated fats break down rapidly due to heat causing the process known as lipid peroxidation.” (5). Polyunsaturated fats also inhibit reduce thyroid hormone T3, affecting proper thyroid function, which is arguably the most hormone in the body (5, 6). Although monounsaturated is less bad (monounsaturated fats still affect thyroid function) than polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated is also contained in milk fat and olive oil with lower amounts of polyunsaturated fat."

 

[Dr. B]

Here is a better explaination from a site I found onbthe top 5 most toxic foods thatvare touted as being healthy, and avocado was number one.

"When exposed to oxygen, the meat of the avocado fruit immediately starts to brown and rot. It smells bad, but no one thinks why these are signs that this “health” food may not be good for your body. When the fat is exposed to room temperature oxygen (70 degrees), it begins to break down. Now imagine what happens to those fatty acids while in your oxygen-rich body at 98.6 degrees. Or when your skin is even hotter while sunbathing (1). Their chemical structure is deficient in oxygen so they are prone to lipid peroxidation (2). Can you say skin spots? You probably can’t say lipofuscin, which means “dark fat” because I can’t either (4).“Unsaturated oils get rancid when exposed to air; that is called oxidation, and it is the same process that occurs when oil paint ‘dries.’ Free radicals are produced in the process.” – Ray Peat, pHDAvocado is mostly unsaturated fat – 15% saturated, 71% monounsaturated, 14% polyunsaturated (3). Unsaturated fats break down rapidly due to heat causing the process known as lipid peroxidation.” (5). Polyunsaturated fats also inhibit reduce thyroid hormone T3, affecting proper thyroid function, which is arguably the most hormone in the body (5, 6). Although monounsaturated is less bad (monounsaturated fats still affect thyroid function) than polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated is also contained in milk fat and olive oil with lower amounts of polyunsaturated fat."

are apples/strawberry/bananna etc also bad?
most of the comments seem to be regarding PUFAs issues...
monounsaturated fat hopefully doesnt affect things too much or have issues with peroxidation because olive oil has a lot, and even beef fat and milk fat are 40% MUFA or more!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

are apples/strawberry/bananna etc also bad?
most of the comments seem to be regarding PUFAs issues...
monounsaturated fat hopefully doesnt affect things too much or have issues with peroxidation because olive oil has a lot, and even beef fat and milk fat are 40% MUFA or more!

No, because apples, strawberries and bananas are not HIGH in fat like avocados.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

are apples/strawberry/bananna etc also bad?
most of the comments seem to be regarding PUFAs issues...
monounsaturated fat hopefully doesnt affect things too much or have issues with peroxidation because olive oil has a lot, and even beef fat and milk fat are 40% MUFA or more!

The fat in grass fed versus conventional makes all the difference in milk, meats and eggs. The rule is, if it is non-grass fed, buy the leanest because all of the toxins are in the fat. When buying grass fed buy the fattiest because all of the nutrients are in the fat.

 

[Dr. B]

No, because apples, strawberries and bananas are not HIGH in fat like avocados.

but the browning then has nothing to do with food being dangerous , that post implied its the rotting and browning that is a bad sign. it seems it all comes down to PUFA content not the browning/rotting of the foods

The fat in grass fed versus conventional makes all the difference in milk, meats and eggs. The rule is, if it is non-grass fed, buy the leanest because all of the toxins are in the fat. When buying grass fed buy the fattiest because all of the nutrients are in the fat.

im not sure if you can get 100% grass fed eggs, even the pastured organic eggs seem to be high in PUFA! in most cases youll be getting some pufa with eggs. I haven't seen nutrition labels for pastured eggs to see the comparison. the fat would only have fat soluble nutrients, the meat/proteins themselves still retain the nutrients dont they? costcos eggs contain 2.5g PUFA, 1g MUFA and 1.5g SFA which is a worse ratio than even olive oil or avocado which at least have SFA and PUFA in 1:1 and are mostly MUFA.

with milk even the very poorly raised, soy and corn fed cows have mostly SFA/MUFA fat. actually the difference in grass fed vs not grass fed with cows, doesnt affect PUFA that much, thanks to the cows digestion and saturating the fats they eat.
if youre keeping PUFA under 4g a day you have to be more selective but still have some wiggle room. it could be an avocado some days, eggs other days, olive oil other days, pork/chicken some days. or just overall extra fat. since even 100g of beef fat/milk fat will contain 3-6g PUFA depending on cows diet etc.

was that a quote from Peat saying monounsaturated fat is bad? that's strange, ive seen quotes of him saying MUFA is fine, and even 100% grass fed, soy estrogen free cows will still have 40% of their fat and milkfat as monounsaturated. I think excess sugar you eat also turns to MUFA

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

This is Ray's part in that post....

(4).“Unsaturated oils get rancid when exposed to air; that is called oxidation, and it is the same process that occurs when oil paint ‘dries.’ Free radicals are produced in the process.” – Ray Peat

 

[LauriePartridge]

I love a good California roll on occasion. I'm not sure if it's the same as what you eat, but I don't think the amount of avocado is that high in this sushi. It depends on how it's made. Conometer says 6 pieces of a California roll contain about 1.6 grams of PUFA in general. I also think you should consider your cravings, and deviating a little might not cause harm. If your body doesn't mind then you should be ok. Avocados are high in oxalates which can cause problems but if the avocado is very ripe it is supposed to have much less oxalates and be safer to eat.

 

[Michael Mohn]

Crafted avocado like Hass and Fuerte are very fatty and a bit higher in pufa but if you enjoy it occasionally it is OK I think. Wilder avocado like criollo or Lula are less fatty and more fruity. I ate a lot of avos over an 18 month period and I lost 30 pounds.

 

[Dr. B]

Crafted avocado like Hass and Fuerte are very fatty and a bit higher in pufa but if you enjoy it occasionally it is OK I think. Wilder avocado like criollo or Lula are less fatty and more fruity. I ate a lot of avos over an 18 month period and I lost 30 pounds.

what do u mean by crafted? what are the two popular ones in stores btw, its hass and one other one which are the most popular right

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I love a good California roll on occasion. I'm not sure if it's the same as what you eat, but I don't think the amount of avocado is that high in this sushi. It depends on how it's made. Conometer says 6 pieces of a California roll contain about 1.6 grams of PUFA in general. I also think you should consider your cravings, and deviating a little might not cause harm. If your body doesn't mind then you should be ok. Avocados are high in oxalates which can cause problems but if the avocado is very ripe it is supposed to have much less oxalates and be safer to eat.

I did not know they were high in oxalates? Good to know!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Crafted avocado like Hass and Fuerte are very fatty and a bit higher in pufa but if you enjoy it occasionally it is OK I think. Wilder avocado like criollo or Lula are less fatty and more fruity. I ate a lot of avos over an 18 month period and I lost 30 pounds.

Yeah they are touted as good for weight loss, because they are so satiating.

 

[Michael Mohn]

what do u mean by crafted? what are the two popular ones in stores btw, its hass and one other one which are the most popular right

Correct, avocado Hass has the nobby skin and is the most popular. Fuerte is the second most popular, both varieties are called the Mexican varieties. Crafted is a term in horticulture where you take a branch of a tree that you want to propagate and plug it on a wild tree root. This will developed into a tree producing your desired fruit.

 

[Mito]

An avocado a week may lower heart disease risk

A Harvard study finds that people who eat two or more servings of avocado each week may lower their risk of cardiovascular disease compared to people who rarely eat avocado.

news.harvard.edu