An Avocado-Rich Breakfast Can Help You Feel Fuller for Longer
Avocados contain high amounts of fiber and healthy fats, both of which can slow digestion and improve satiety.
Meals that replace some carbs with avocado are more satisfying, provide better blood sugar control, and can suppress hunger for hours, according to a new study published in the journal Nutrients.
The avocados appeared to suppress hunger by stimulating something called peptide YY (PYY), an appetite-regulating gut hormone.
When it comes to our meals, most of us have one goal (aside from deliciousness, of course): to feel satisfied. One way to increase that satisfaction and stave off hunger is to manipulate your macros-fat, protein, and carbs-to slow digestion, control blood sugar spikes, and manage hunger hormones.
Though there’s no one correct combination for everyone, a new study published in the journal Nutrients finds that adding more avocado into the mix could be a simple solution for some.
The study released by the Center for Nutrition Research at Illinois Institute of Technology reports that meals including fresh avocado as a substitute for refined carbohydrates can significantly suppress hunger and increase meal satisfaction without adding or subtracting calories.
The researchers chose to test avocados because they’re a unique fruit that contains both fats and fiber, both of which are known to slow digestion. One medium Hass avocado contains 13.3 grams monounsaturated fat and 10 grams of fiber.
To test the satiating effect of more avocado and fewer carbs in a meal, the researchers gave a group of 31 adults-average age 38 with an average body mass index (BMI) of 29- one of three varieties of bagel sandwich: One with a whole bagel spread with a butter/cream cheese spread and topped with lettuce (76 percent carbs, 14 percent fat, and 12 percent protein); one slightly hollowed out bagel with less spread and half an avocado worked in (51 percent carbs, 40 percent fat, and 12 percent protein); and one with a considerably hollowed out bagel, less spread, and a full avocado worked in (50 percent carbs, 43 percent fat, and 10 percent protein). All of the breakfasts delivered roughly the same number of calories, about 630.
For six hours after the meal, the researchers assessed fullness, hunger, satisfaction, energy levels, and drew blood to measure insulin, blood sugar, and other hormone levels related to hunger and appetite.
The researchers found that meals including avocado appeared to stimulate the appetite regulating gut hormone peptide YY (PYY), and also reduced hunger and increased how satisfied the volunteers felt after eating.
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The avocado eaters also experienced significantly fewer insulin and blood sugar spikes. Insulin iAUC (a measure of blood sugar increases) was 31 percent lower in those eating the whole avocado meal compared to the volunteers who had the breakfast sandwich sans avocado.
Now, funding for the study was supported by the Haas Avocado Board-who obviously have vested interest in making sure you’re loading up on the tasty green fruit-but the study did undergo peer review before publishing, and its findings do fall in line with previous research without the avocado slant. In fact, a study by UC Irvine pharmacologists found that unsaturated fatty acids, specifically oleic acid, like those found in nuts, olive oil, and avocados, stimulate the production of a hunger curbing chemical messenger called OEA. Follow up research found that people ate less after eating bread with oils rich in oleic acid on it.
Plus, the study population was healthy, but not necessarily active. So there’ll be times when you may want more toast than avocado to crush a big ride. But on days you are riding your desk chair instead? It may be good to have strategies on hand for manipulating your diet to keep you full to lunch.
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