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Forget the numbers on the scale for sec and think about how great you’ll feel on the inside – and look on the outside – if you maintain a healthy weight. That number puts a lot of pressure on some of us. We prefer to see weight loss as a lifestyle makeover. The first way we’re going to initiate change is by tweaking our eating habits. And that starts with breakfast. If you can add this anti-inflammatory ingredient to your morning routine, you’re off to a great start.
Anti-inflammatory foods combat the internal inflammation we all experience. When left to its own devices inflammation results in packing on pounds and overall lethargy. Yuck. Enter avocado! “The healthy fats in avocado decrease your appetite and supply your body with a healthy balance of minerals,” says Dr. Marizelle Arce, a naturopathic physician. Avocados have fiber and monounsaturated fat to keep the belly feeling full, aid digestion and increase the absorption of nutrients. They’ve also been linked with blood sugar and weight control. Think about what you normally eat for breakfast. Carbs maybe? Yeah, us, too. Just stopping high-carb morning meals is a start towards weight loss. Replacing those carbs with anti-inflammatory avocado helps your body use fat for fuel, aka it ups your metabolism.
A 2013 study in the Nutrition Journal was way ahead of the avocado toast trend. Researchers found that people who ate avocados on the regular had smaller waistlines than those who didn’t. “In other words, eat an avocado a day!” says Sophia Borghese, a nutritional consultant for All Inclusive Health in New Orleans. Another study divided people into three groups: one kept a low-fat diet with no avocados, the second had a diet slightly higher in fat but still no avocado. As for the third group, it stuck to a diet of equal amounts of fat as the second, but with the addition of a daily avocado. Group three was the winner with participants having lower levels of “bad” cholesterol that can prevent weight gain.
Avocado can be sweet or savory. Add them to smoothies for a creamy texture (we promise the mild flavor will blend beautifully with the natural sugars in berries). Our fave method is to spread Greek yogurt and honey on high-fiber bread, add on slices of avocado and then a sprinkling of sea salt. It seems like an unusual pairing but we can’t get enough and have actually eaten this every morning for a month. For real. You can even use them to bake muffins and make pudding.
Now for the savory side of avocados. Try a breakfast salad that teams avocado up with tomatoes, feta cheese, and roasted red peppers. Have you ever included guacamole in your breakfast? This might be the time. A study found that people who had just one half of an avocado (that’s 6 grams of fiber!) with their meals greatly reduced their desire to snack for hours after. Try making an egg and black bean burrito with a dollop of guac on top. The sriracha is optional. Or use the avocado as a plate. Slice one in half, scoop out the seed and place a poached egg in its place. It would be delish with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or just a squeeze of lemon.
[Photos: Shutterstock]
