Are Avocados Good For The Womb?

During pregnancy, paying attention to your nutritional needs is especially important. Avocados are an excellent source of unsaturated fats and other important nutrients -- a healthy food choice during this special time in life. Adding more avocados to your diet can give you a healthy boost to your nutritional profile during pregnancy.

About Avocados

Avocados do not taste like most fruit. Lacking sweetness, avocados instead provide rich and creamy flavors. Avocados are grown on avocado trees around the world. A ripened avocado's appearance varies between different varieties -- some remain green, while others blacken. To find a ripened avocado, it's best to gently squeeze one and make sure it slightly yields. A versatile fruit, avocados are used to make guacamole, added to salads and soups and are also incorporated into desserts.

Pregnancy and Fats

During pregnancy, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends eating fats and oils -- about 6 to 8 tsp. per day during the course of your pregnancy -- as a part of a healthy and balanced diet. Of these fats and oils, it's best to choose healthier fats -- of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated variety. Avocados are recommended because one medium California avocado provides as much as 15 g of monounsaturated fat and 2.5 g of polyunsaturated fat. Additionally, avocados contain very little saturated fat and no trans fat. However, it's best to temper avocado consumption to control your weight during pregnancy.

Pregnancy and Folate

Folate recommendations increase from 400 mcg to 600 mcg during pregnancy. The best sources of folate, or folic acid, are green, leafy vegetables, but avocados provide a healthy dose. One California avocado provides 121 mcg of folate. Avocados also provide other healthy vitamins and minerals.

Avocados and Other Important Nutrients

In smaller amounts, avocados contain some other key nutrients during pregnancy such as vitamin A, vitamin B-6, vitamin C and iron. Avocados also contain a lot of healthy potassium -- about 690 mg. Potassium helps to maintain blood pressure and proper acid-base balance in the body, an important part of a healthy diet. Avocados are also sodium and cholesterol free.