Is Avocado Toast
Good for
Weight Loss?

 

Is avocado toast good for weight loss? Yes, avocado toast can be good for your weight loss journey when paired with an overall healthy diet.

 

Weight loss journeys are unique, but one key factor to losing weight and keeping it off is often overlooked: enjoyment. Sticking to a healthy eating pattern or exercise routine is easier when you look forward to your next meal or workout. That’s where avocado toast comes in.

 

Avocado toast is versatile enough to fit nearly any eating style and delicious enough to feel like a treat while delivering superpowered nutrients and minerals. Here, I highlight four nutritionist-approved tips to make the most of your avocado toast to aid your weight loss journey.

 

1. A Good Breakfast Fires Up Your Metabolism for the Day

The National Weight Control Registry studies people who have successfully lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for one year or more, and their habits are illuminating. A major takeaway is that 78% eat breakfast every day.

 

What’s the big deal about breakfast? Early humans didn’t eat three meals a day; they hunted and gathered to eat when they could. Our metabolism evolved to survive famine. If you’re not using calories for a vital process, your body stores them as fat. This is why breakfast is so important. From a physiology standpoint, if you eat a balanced breakfast, you’re starting your metabolic “engine” earlier in the day, prompting your body to use calories more efficiently. Also, eating a nutritious meal in the morning will help prevent extreme hunger from building up by the afternoon, decreasing the likelihood of overeating.

 

What you eat for breakfast also matters. Good fat, like the kind in Hass avocados, is proven to leave you feeling satiated. In a clinical trial of overweight and obese adults, scientists found that eating a whole avocado at breakfast suppressed hunger and improved meal satisfaction. Greater satisfaction from the foods you eat can help you follow an enjoyable, nutrient-dense eating plan and better sets you up for honoring hunger cues throughout the day.

 

 

2. Add Protein to Maintain Lean Body Mass

The not-so-secret secret of weight loss and weight management as you age is maintaining lean body mass (or muscle mass). The involuntary loss of muscle mass progresses as we age and decreases at a rate of 3-8% every decade after the age of 30. It’s essential to engage in physical activity such as strength training as we age to hold onto this metabolically active muscle mass that helps you burn more calories. The more muscle in your body, the higher your resting metabolism, which determines how many calories and macronutrients (fat, protein, carbs) you need to eat to maintain, gain, or lose weight. It’s not simply about the number on your scale; your body composition is important to your overall health.

 

Eating protein provides the amino acid building blocks that maintain lean body mass. As you age, even if you eat less, if you’re not consuming enough protein from foods, you’ll be less efficient in maintaining your body weight. Clinical trials show that consuming more protein as we age can reduce fat mass in the body while preserving fat-free mass (muscle), regardless of whether you’re on a low- or standard-calorie diet.

 

Most fruit and vegetables are not significant sources of protein, so if you love to eat avocado toast and your objective is weight loss, it’s a good idea to add protein in many delicious ways. Adding protein is easy, and there are so many affordable options too! At breakfast, top your avo toast with eggs, salmon, or cheese; shredded chicken, lean ham, or canned tuna are great savory toppings for a heartier lunch. For plant-based protein, gently mash ½ cup of beans, chickpeas, or edamame with your avocado to pump up the protein and/or sprinkle nuts or seeds of your choosing.

 

 

3. Avocado Toast Can Fit All Eating Styles

Some people find the most success in losing weight with the help of a standardized eating style. There are many to choose from: Mediterranean, plant-based, high protein, gluten-free, etc. Here are a few ways to modify your avocado toast for weight loss:

• Mediterranean: This eating pattern is one of my favorites because of its focus on lean meats and good fats. Fresh seafood is a big factor in this eating pattern, so break out the baked salmon, shrimp, or lox and use whole grain, seedy bread for Mediterranean-style avocado toast.
• Plant-based: Looking for a plant-powered breakfast? Pile your toast high with berries, sliced fruit, or greens. (Spicy mango lime avocado toast, anybody?) Add nuts and beans for protein and fiber.
• High protein: This eating style focuses heavily on eating protein and de-emphasizes the quantity of carbohydrates. However, no matter how you like to eat your toast, whether it’s on a slice of dietitian-approved whole grain toast, a low-carb tortilla, or bread, try avocado egg toast or a mini salad a la mean green guac toast with kale, pumpkin seeds, and pistachios.
• Gluten-free: And who says avocado toast has to include bread? For folks with this eating pattern, swap out bread with slices of baked sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, or a corn tortilla.

 

4. Healthier Snacking with Fruits and Veggies

Avocado toast tastes great around the clock and is a decadently nutritious choice that helps you to add more fruits and vegetables into your diet. There’s a reason your mom (and dietitians) wants you to eat your vegetables — they provide vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, such as dietary fiber, that are hard to come by in other food groups. Less than 5% of Americans consume adequate dietary fiber (daily recommended intake ranges from 19-38 grams, depending on age), yet it plays a vital role in overall health.

 

Dietary fiber aids digestion, reduces blood cholesterol levels, reduces the risk for Type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and is key for people wanting to shed a few pounds! Dietary fiber absorbs water in the GI tract and adds bulk to food, improving satiety — the feeling of “fullness.” So, the next time you get those afternoon grumbles try snacking on avocado toast with cheese or roasted beet and avocado toast.

 

 

A Toast (Avocado Toast!) to Good Health

In a nutshell: Yes, avocado toast is good for weight loss, and adopting a healthier eating pattern can help you lose weight, which reduces your risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes. It can also improve your quality of life by providing the nutrients your body needs to perform at its best. When you eat better, you feel better. So, toss out empty calories — and make room for avocado toast!

 

Learn more ways to eat avocados while losing weight.