Is the fat contained in avocado 100% good?

How much fat is too much?

– Coco (last name unknown)
Via the blog

Avocados are largely made up of healthy monounsaturated fats, hence its status as a nutritional darling.

However, there is no such thing as a “perfect” fat.

The “downside” to avoados, for example, is that they offer a fair share of omega-6 essential fatty acids and practically no omega-3 fatty acids.

Although both omega-6 and omega-3 fats are essential (meaning we must get them from our diets), the typical US diet is too high in the omega-6 variety and too low in omega-3s.

People — and diet books written mostly by quacks — love to characterize foods as “100% good” or “100% bad”, but nutrition is more complex than that.

Avocados are an absolutely wonderful addition to the diet (the fact that they are high in omega-6 does not make them “bad”), but they should not be your only source of fat.

Look to other sources for omega-3 fatty acids (flax, hemp, walnuts, fatty fish, brown kelp seaweed).

Remember, too, that different fats offer a variety of different antioxidants and polyphenols.

Olives and olive oil, for example, offer a high amount of monounsaturated fats along with exclusive components that have been found to benefit cardiovascular health.

How much fat is too much?  Again, it depends on what kind of fats you are speaking about.  Here are some general guidelines:

• The majority of your fat intake should come from monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids
• Saturated fats are okay in smaller amounts (for healthier saturated fats, look to coconut and cacao).
• Avoid trans fats at all costs

Remember, too, that most foods are a combination of different fats.  Avocados and olive oil contain some saturated fats; similarly, bacon contains a fair share of monounsaturated fats.

In general, you can safely have up to forty percent of your diet come from fats (remember the hierarchy, though!)