Avocados Can Be Part of a Diabetes Diet

California Avocados are a delicious fruit and their nutrient-dense profile makes them a smart addition for anyone with (or without!) diabetes.

Eating a diabetes-friendly diet is often perceived to be a challenge, but rest assured you don’t have to sacrifice flavor and satisfaction when creating an eating plan that will help contribute to your healthful eating pattern, a key component of diabetes health management.

A Healthful Eating Pattern

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends a healthful eating pattern as a key component in managing diabetes, with meals and snacks that emphasize nutrient-dense foods in appropriate portion sizes. As a nutrient-dense fruit, California Avocados are a natural food choice for a healthful eating pattern, a key component of a diabetes eating plan and here’s why:

Good fats

A 1 oz. serving of avocados (1/5 of a medium avocado) offers good mono-and polyunsaturated fats. People with diabetes are at risk for heart disease. Limiting saturated fat and including good fats in your diet is an important part of a sensible eating plan. For example, when preparing foods, replace sources of saturated fat with good fats like those in avocados as well as nuts, olives and canola oil.

Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber is not broken down (digested) by the body, so it does not raise blood sugar levels. Keeping blood sugar levels constant is an ideal goal as part of a diabetes control plan. A 1-oz. serving of avocados provides 8% of the Daily Value for dietary fiber

Carb-Conscious

During digestion, carbohydrates from food break down into glucose (sugar) in the body and they have the greatest impact on blood sugar levels. A 1-oz. serving of avocados has three grams of carbohydrate (1% of the Daily Value) making it a delicious food solution if you’re counting carbohydrates in meals and snacks

Sodium and Cholesterol-Free

Avocados are naturally sodium and cholesterol free, two dietary components of which to be mindful of as part of a diabetes diet

Avocado Recipes for Diabetics

Include these flavorful dishes featuring California Avocados as part of your healthful eating pattern, a key component in a diabetes eating plan:

California Avocado and Roasted Asparagus Salad

(Diabetic Exchange List Information: 4 fat, 2 vegetable)

Grilled Chicken with California Avocado

(Diabetic Exchange List Information: 2 fat,0.25 fruit, 1.5 meat

Do you have any favorite recipes that you prepare for yourself or others that must follow a diabetes diet? We’d love to hear about how you incorporate avocados. Let us know in the comments below.