I know I’ve been going on and on about the weather, but NYC has been beautiful this week!
My running has also been stellar – Tuesday was an easy-ish 7.3 mile “steady state” run – not as quick as a tempo but still a little peppy.
I want my legs to be ready to go for my first race since January (!!) on Saturday, so I kept the pace comfortable. I followed the tempo with an easy 7.5 miles with Megan, Maria and Elyssa this morning (Wednesday), and at least part of our conversation (no joke!) was about how much we love avocados.
So let’s talk avocado.
I’ll admit there was a time a less knowledgeable Kelly avoided foods like avocado because they contained fat, period. Luckily I got smarter (well, one can hope…) and realized that not all fat is created equal. The majority of fat in an avocado is monounsaturated – a “healthy” fat – and one ounce (or about 1/5 of a medium-sized avocado) has 3 grams of the stuff.
According to the 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, replacing saturated fats (the “less good” fats in butter and other animal products) with monounsaturated fats in our diets can lower “bad” cholesterol in the blood and reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. Foods high in monounsaturated fats, like olive oils and nuts, also tend to contain more of the vitamins and minerals we need. Avocados are packed with tons of these – vitamin K, folate, potassium, vitamin E and C, to name a few.
I like to think of avocados as “nature’s butter” – have you ever tried ripe avocado spread on a piece of whole grain toast? Heavenly.
But this past Sunday was all about my favorite form of avocado – guacamole (guac for short). 21 different kinds of guac, endless plates of tortilla chips and beer.
It was none other than Guactacular, and the fact that Sofia was competing (and won people’s choice with her Indian-inspired guac, hooray!) was an excellent excuse to go. Like I needed one.
After tasting guac after guac, I almost got sick of it. Almost. Luckily, a chocolatey, spicy cupcake,
free avocado t-shirt and time with blogger buddies followed this massive guac consumption and sent Tracy and I home on the subway happily.
A little more about fats (and why they are awesome)
Typically, 20-35% of our daily calories should come from fat (about 65 grams if you eat a 2,000 calorie diet). This is a decent chunk because we need fat for so many things. Fats:
- Give us energy! Sure, carbohydrates are a main energy source for the body, but fats are essential too
- Help us absorb fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K
- Help transmit nerve impulses and insulate nerve fibers
- Help keep our skin healthy
- Transport nutrients across cell membranes
- Necessary to help our body produce hormones
Fats also help keep us full because they take longer for the stomach to digest – I make sure to have some healthy fats in every meal, which has definitely helped satiate my post-run hunger lately!
Question: Do you love guac? What’s your favorite type of healthy fat? Do you think you get enough?
21 kinds of guac?!?!?! Omg…
I have an avocado that I’m about to throw away at home… 😦 It was soft, so I cut into it, but it’s just kind of “funky”. What a waste!
I’m glad I look quasi-normal in the photo you posted – I look truly insane (maniacally happy about the t-shirt!) in each of the ones taken with my phone!! I wore the shirt Monday, too. What a great evening!
haha I have like three shots and in the other two we are both insanely happy looking. I love it!
mmm I love guac! I think the days I get enough fat are the days I eat the bad fats..oops! I have started eating chia seeds every day though and I think those have healthy fats
PB for sure although I do love me some good avocados 🙂
Love this post. You just reminded me I have an avocado that needs to get used.
A long, long time ago, I was also sort of afraid to eat avocados, PB, coconut…I was missing out, big time. If I could go back and tell my 15-year-old self that her hair would look sooo much better if she just used a little of the good stuff, I like to think she’d have listened.
I’ve been loving chia seeds and sunflower butter lately, but I change my mind all the time about my favorites.
Thanks Jess! Totally agree – my 15 year old self was so misinformed (yet she thought she knew everything…)
I LOVE GUAC AND AVOCADO!! i eat SO many fats!! 35% for sure!… my favs= nuts and nut butters!
I’ve been wanting to incorporate avocados into my diet lately b/c I used to be afraid of them because they had a lot of “fat”, or so I told myself. But, after this post, I’m definitely going to the store and purchasing one to use as a spread on my evening slice of bread with dinner! Can’t wait. Thanks for the great post about the importance of fat in our lives:)
I can’t get enough guac! So good. I used to think all fats were the same and they were all bad…crazy how I never learned that in all of my health/gym classes in school (or maybe I did any didn’t pay attention?) Anyway, I’m glad avocados are in my life now 🙂
Looks like such a fun event! And yay for the awesome-weather running!! Can’t wait to hear about your race!
OMG, I *love* avocados. I, too, used to avoid them because they contained fat. Then I went to Mexico and they prepared fresh guacamole tableside, and I have been hooked ever since. Guactacular looks like a blast!
I was also thinking about how amazing the weather has been in NYC lately, particularly for running. Not too hot, not too cold! I do see some rain in the forecast, though, so enjoy it while we can!
great post!! jealous of that tshirt! I want one?! Where could I get it from ?
guactacular is the best new word ever.
I heart avacado, walnuts, and salmon and olive oil- they are all just delish AND super healthy! oh and peanut butter and almond butter.. i could go on forever!
I don’t know where to get them from, but they are amazing aren’t they??
Fats are the BEST!! Hehe I think normally I’m definitely in the higher end of the 20-35%! I LOVE avocado but for me it’s nut butters all the way!! 😀
If you like avocados you MUST check out this month’s issue of Food Network Magazine. The front part has 1 different thing to do with avocados for each day of the month 🙂
ooh, I will check it out – that sounds amazing! Thanks 🙂
Glad that my love for avocados is validated by my nutritionist! 😉 And I love that you guys got free shirts. Yay for being ontime, unlike me! Ha.
I LOVE avo!!!! I am currently eating a salad with a half one in it 🙂 yum.
LOVE LOVE the tshirts!! I love avocado- just had some in mango shrimp tacos tonight. The young misinformed lizzy used to think that guac had mayonnaise in it since it was so creamy and therefore did not eat guac or avocado until 5 years ago. Such an amazing discovery- one of the best healthy fats you can eat. In my opinion avocado is SO good with lime juice and salt and pepper. Awesome job on your tempo too!!
peanut butter ftw! i don’t think i’ve ever had an actual avocado. and i’ve only had guac a handful of times. i guess i’m weird.
I love love love guac. I definitely get my fair share of healthy fats with the full blown peanut butter addiction I’ve had my whole life.
Avocados are great! Love ’em! I have only recently become a guacamole fan, but I definitely am now. 🙂
A guac event?! Sounds amazing! I definitely get enough healthy fats from avocados, nuts, and nut butters.
I am pretty sure my diet is about 85% fat (avocados! coconut! evoo! peanut butter!) so I probably get enough 😉
Hehe, okay maybe 85% is an exaggeration – but I do love the monounsaturated fats! I want to make Deena’s avocado enchiladas ASAP!
I allow myself to eat way too much guacamole because it is HEALTHY fat! lol It is just so good!