The Science of Avocado Toast: What Makes It So Healthy?

Supposedly, millennials are obsessed with avocado toast, but any generation can enjoy this healthy, nutritious snack and all its health benefits. Whether you order this popular meal in a restaurant or make it at home, avocado toast consists of crusty, toasted bread topped with the delicious flavor of a ripe avocado, mashed to perfection and sprinkled with the perfect amount of salt and pepper. Part of the draw of this sweet snack is the diversity: you can eat avocado toast in any number of ways. Drizzle it with balsamic vinaigrette, top with sliced fruit, or enjoy on fancy bread. Hungry yet? While avocado toast is a delicious meal, just what exactly makes it so healthy and desirable? Let’s discuss the science behind avocado toast.

The Science of Avocado Toast: Satisfaction

Avocados are high in fat, which sounds like a bad thing, but it isn’t! The fat found in avocados is monounsaturated fat or “good” fat. Fat takes longer for your body to digest than other macronutrients, which results in you feeling fuller, longer, and oh so satisfied. Pick a whole grain bread for your avocado toast breakfast, and the filling fiber will help keep you feeling plenty full until lunch. 

It’s Good For Your Eyes

Avocados have many health benefits and are rife with nutrients. Two of these nutrients are lutein and zeaxanthin, which are carotenoids. These two natural plant compounds give vegetables their orange, yellow, and green coloration. Lutein and zeaxanthin appear in high concentrations in the macula, which is the part of our eyes that give us sharpness and the ability to read. Research shows that consuming foods high in these two carotenoids can delay our eyesight’s degeneration as we age. So eat more avocado toast and enjoy the potentially unchanged sight as you grow older!

Avocado Toast Reduces the Risk of a Heart Attack

Choosing avocado over other breakfasts can be good for your heart. The monounsaturated fats in avocados are a healthy alternative to other fatty foods that contribute to clogging our arteries. The American Heart Association recommends replacing as much saturated fat with unsaturated fat, like that found in avocados, as possible to reduce the risk of heart attack or even strokes.

Transport Vitamins

The health benefits of avocado toast don’t only come from eating the avocado itself; there’s the added benefit of what avocado toast helps you absorb from other foods. As we’ve said already, avocados have plenty of healthy fats in them. Coincidentally, some vitamins require fat to be absorbed in our bodies. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are called fat-soluble vitamins. If you don’t eat fat with these vitamins, your body can’t absorb them. Think of the fat from your avocado toast as the vehicle that vitamins A, D, E, and K ride through your digestive system and into your bloodstream. 

You Can Gain Weight  

At first glance, you might be thinking, how does this help me? The high amount of fat in avocados, while “good” fat, shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s worth noting that half of an avocado spread on two slices of toast can reach 500 calories, which is no small snack. Those calories can add up if you’re trying to watch what you eat. However, in appropriate serving sizes, avocados are still an immensely healthy alternative to many other foods. Just be sure not to overindulge. For some who need (or want) to gain weight, avocado toast enjoyed regularly is a healthy and delicious way to pack on a couple of pounds.