Smashed avocado breakfast – unofficial Slimming World avocado syns guide

Smashed avocado is a popular breakfast and most people would class it as healthy due to the type of natural fats found in the avocado.

Just Average Jen is an independent blog. It is not connected with any weight loss plan. The reader is responsible for checking nutritional values, Slimming World syns and WW points. Information given is approximate to the best of my knowledge.

Health benefits of avocado

Avocado is believed to be very good for you and has a number of health benefits. It is favoured by those on the Keto diet and many other diets encourage enjoying it too.

Here are some of the health benefits it has.

1/5 of an avocado contains 64 calories, 6 grams of fat and 3.4 grams of carbohydrates.

Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, K, E and B6 as well as a number of minerals.

Due to the fats in avocado, it allegedly slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates making it great on a diet. In my eyes, things like this mean the avocado syns on Slimming World are reasonable.

Avocado is believed to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Prevention of vision problems such as macular degeneration due to avocado’s monounsaturated fatty acids which support the absorption of beta-carotene.

The amount of vitamin K in half an avocado is 25% of the amount you need in a day. Vitamin K is essential for bone health and increases calcium absorption.

The folate in avocadoes is important for a healthy pregnancy and reduces the risk of miscarriage and neural tube defects.

Also helped by the folate is depression. Folate prevents the build-up of homocysteine which can interfere with the production of serotonin and other hormones which regulate your mood, sleep and appetite.

I do wonder if increasing folate could stop me from comfort eating? I do hope so!

Avocadoes are full of natural fibre which as we all know helps to prevent constipation! This fibre also helps your bowel to get rid of toxins which of course helps the immune system.

How to tell if an avocado is ready to eat

Whilst some people would tell you it is all about colour this is not strictly true.

Darker avocadoes tend to be more likely to be ready to eat but as the colour of them varies a lot the best way to tell is by the feel of the fruit.

If an avocado is slightly soft to the touch but not mushy then it is perfect.

If you have a few that are starting to ripen and you want to slow down the ripening process then pop them in the fridge. They will still ripen in there but much more slowly.

If you are looking to make guacamole you will need avocado that is very ripe whereas smoothies or salads can be made with them when they are only just ripe.

Can you freeze avocado?

Yes, you certainly can but when it is defrosted it is really only best for smoothies or guacamole.

The best way to freeze an avocado is to prepare it as normal and then place it in a freezer bag. Remove all the air, or as much as possible from the bag then pop it straight in the freezer.

For best use of the avocado use the frozen fruit within a month. Adding a few chunks of frozen avocado to smoothies is a great way to add many nutrients to your smoothie and also a creamy texture.

How many syns in avocado? Why Slimming World Syn avocados

Slimming World asks you to syn avocado on the plan, this is something which causes a lot of controversies as they are also described as healthy by many diets.

Avocados, compared to other fruits, are not low in calories and a medium avocado has around 250 calories and 23g of fat. That said these are often referred to as healthy fats.

They are a good source of dietary fibre, like many fruits and vegetables, and a lot of research suggests they help you to stay feeling full for longer.

Avocados are high in a variety of vitamins and minerals so are very much a superfood when it comes to a concentrated source of vitamins and minerals.

This doesn’t stop Slimming World from asking you to syn them, unfortunately.

A whole avocado either fresh or pureed is 14 syns. If instead, you prefer to work out the syns based on weight or are not having a full avocado then 100g of avocado is 9.5 syns.

Avocado oil (paid link), if this is something you are interested in using, is synned in the same way as other oils, approx 2 syns per teaspoon or 6 syns per tablespoon.

Other articles you may like

If you are struggling with healthy breakfast ideas then here is a long list of suggestions with recipes you may enjoy.

Have you made dips with avocado before? There is a tasty one here.

If you fancy avocado in a salad you could save syns by making your own salad dressings, check out my salad dressing recipes.

Print

If you found this helpful please share!

Just Average Jen Shopping Guides

My guides to help you spend your money wisely on whatever you need for your happy healthy lifestyle.