Breakfast

Loaded Avocado Toast & All About Dietary Fats

Nutrition Bites | Week 23

Welcome back to Nutrition Bites! We are just a few weeks away from the end of our series. This week, we are going to focus on a delicious breakfast recipe for Loaded Avocado Toast. We are also going to discuss some of the benefits of avocados as well as the different types of dietary fat. Let’s begin!

Loaded Avocado Toast

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

• 4 slices sprouted whole grain bread
• 4 tablespoons hummus
• 2 ripe avocados, sliced or mashed
• ½ a cucumber, sliced
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 cup arugula
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons sesame seeds
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Toast bread.
• Slice and slightly mash avocado on to toast.
• Layer tomatoes, cucumbers, and arugula on top, followed by lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Enjoy!

Benefits of Avocados 

If you are a millennial like me, you might already have a love of avocados. If not, I encourage you give them a try, as they are a super healthy food to include in a whole food, plant-based diet. Avocados have a high unsaturated to saturated fat ratio. This means that they contain a lot more unsaturated fat than they do saturated fat. An avocado usually contains about 5 grams of monounsaturated fats and 1 gram of polyunsaturated fats. Avocados also contain both soluble and prebiotic fibers, which can support heart health and the gut microbiome. They also have a fairly low caloric density, especially considering that they are a fat-containing food. They also are a great source of carotenoids, a powerful phytochemical. For more on the benefits of avocados, check out this infographic from Love One Today.

All About Dietary Fats

There are a few main categories of dietary fats. These include saturated fats, trans fats, and unsaturated fats, which can then be further categorized into monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats, which are the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Overall, when it comes to fat in the diet, we want to limit saturated fat and avoid trans-fat as best as possible. The standard recommendation is that 20-35% of your daily calories should come from fat, preferably from mono and polyunsaturated fats. If you eat 2000 calories per day, that means about 44-78 grams of fat should be consumed.

Additional recommendations, especially when it comes to preventing or managing chronic conditions like heart disease, recommend about 10% of calories come from fat. On a 2000 calorie diet, this means about 22 grams of fat total for the day. This is where working with a Registered Dietitian or other trained lifestyle medicine professionals, can help to determine what a good macronutrient breakdown would be for you and your risk factors. If you are interested in working with our team, click here to schedule a free appointment.

Saturated vs. Unsaturated  

Let’s go a bit deeper into the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats. One of the key differences to help you determine this, is to look at whether it is in a solid or liquid state at room temperature. Saturated fats, such as butter and coconut oil, are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats, like olive and avocado oil, are liquids at room temperature.

Saturated fat is mainly found in high amounts in animal products, with a few plant-based exceptions such as coconut oil and palm oil. It is also found in smaller arounds in other plant fats like nuts and seeds, but it is to a much lesser extent than animal products. Saturated fats have been shown to raise LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as increase insulin resistance. Unsaturated fats, which are the predominant fat in nuts, seeds, avocados, and plant oils, have been correlated with lowering LDL cholesterol, as well as raising HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and decreasing insulin resistance. Check out our other articles for even more information dietary fats and cholesterol.

More Fun Toast Recipes 

Just because I love avocado toast, I also wanted to share some additional toast recipes that are delicious. Check out this article from the No Sweat Vegan for 6 different plant-based toast recipes to add to your weekly routine.

Weekly Challenge 

I hope that I have passed my love of avocado toast on to you. This week, I want to challenge you to try a new breakfast toast recipe. Enjoy!

By Kelsie White Kelsie is passionate about helping others adopt healthy lifestyle practices through sharing nutrition education and setting goals. She believes that optimal nutrition is essential for health and well-being and may look different for each individual. This is why she values getting to know each of her patients and what motivates them. Kelsie grew up in Washington state and completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Promotion at Walla Walla University prior moving to Southern California. She most recently attended Loma Linda University, completing a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics. Kelsie enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, and activities such as hiking, playing volleyball, cooking, baking, and reading