Fun Facts about Avocados for Your Bones  

Avocados help keep bones strong. Regarding women’s health, facts about avocados include the nutrients they provide to keep your bones dense. This green creamy fruit is tasty and filling and adds eye candy to your plate.  

Unlike most fruits, avocados are not sweet, but they give you fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and a little protein for your bones.  

Women building bones with avocados infographic

 

Are avocados good for osteoporosis?   

Potent nutrients in avocados make them suitable for osteoporosis prevention and bone building.   

• Protein – Avocados are a fruit, and even though fruits don’t generally contain protein, avocados supply you with 2 grams of bone-building protein in a ½ cup serving.   

• Fiber – Often thought of as only bestowing healthy fat, this fruit packs a punch of fiber into your daily intake. A ½ cup serving contributes 5 grams of the recommended 25-35 grams a day.   

• The prebiotic fiber in avocados helps you absorb more calcium, a bonus for your bones. Prebiotic fiber feeds the healthy colonies of microorganisms in your colon that sets you up for a healthier colon and better nutrient absorption.   

• Other plant foods also contribute prebiotic fiber. We discuss this and more in our video, Do Plants Make Bones Strong?  

• Magnesium – A ½ cup serving of avocado gives you 22 mg of magnesium, a nutrient that strengthens your bones by adding minerals. It also helps you absorb more calcium from the foods you eat, protecting you from bone loss.   

• Unfortunately, women don’t include enough foods with magnesium. Avocados are an easy add to your meals and snacks.  

• Calcium – Another mineral that women struggle getting enough of is calcium. Avocados add a small amount at 9 mg in a ½ cup. Without enough calcium in your blood for essential functions, your bones will forfeit this mineral, weakening them.   

• Potassium – Potassium in your diet helps you retain calcium in your bones and keeps it from being lost from your body. Avocados provide 364 mg of potassium in a ½ cup serving, bringing you closer to the recommended adequate intake of 2600 mg a day.   

• Vitamin C – Essential for collagen formation, vitamin C is present in avocados at 8 mg per ½ cup.   

• Vitamin K – This vitamin is critical for proper bone remodeling, promoting healthy bone mass, and lowering the risk of a hip fracture. Avocados provide 18 percent of the recommended adequate intake at 16 mcg in a ½ cup serving.   

How to enjoy avocados in your eating pattern  

Tip: Adding a squeeze of lime juice adds flavor and helps prevent browning.  

• Mash and use as a sandwich spread  

• Top fish with avocado slices  

• Garnish a plate of scrambled with diced avocados and tomatoes  

• Add them to a taco or burrito  

Storage of avocados  

We suggest allowing green avocados to ripen on the counter. Once they are black and begin to soften and dimple with a gentle squeeze, they are ready to eat. You can place them in the refrigerator if you are not going to eat them right away. 

Avocados brown quickly due to oxidation after cutting. Once cut, they need to be eaten or kept chilled. Cut avocados don’t last long in the refrigerator, because they will turn brown quickly.    

Can you freeze avocados?  

When avocados ripen, we recommend refrigerating and consuming them within a few days. If this isn’t possible, you might consider freezing them. 

We froze three different avocados from the same bag.  

Avocado #1 was frozen in its skin, we removed the pit and skin from the 2^nd avocado, diced it and froze it in a freezer bag with lime juice as a flavorful acid. The 3^rd avocado was also skinned and pitted, diced and frozen in a freezer bag with no acid treatment. 

Whole avocado before freezing 

Cut avocado treated with lime juice before freezing 

Cut avocado untreated before freezing  

These avocados were frozen for one week. They were removed from the freezer, refrigerated for about three hours, and then placed on the counter for an additional hour until they thawed. This took about 4 hours. We then examined and tasted the avocados. 

Avocado #1, the frozen whole avocado was bright green, creamy, and fresh tasting. 

Whole avocado after freezing 

Avocado #2, the frozen diced avocado with lime juice was also bright green and creamy. It had a tangy flavor and held its diced shape. 

Cut avocado treated with lime juice after freezing 

Avocado #3, the frozen diced avocado with no lime juice was turning brown, tasted overripe, and it was soft but not creamy. So, we favor the first two methods. 

Cut avocado untreated after freezing  

In summary  

Avocados are a delicious and wholesome fruit that adds several different nutrients, not just healthy fat, to your daily intake. They help keep your bones strong with protein, fiber, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and vitamins C and K.  

They are easy to include with meals and snacks. Storing them correctly helps prevent oxidation. Consider picking one up the next time you’re at the store. We suggest freezing whole avocados if you cannot eat them before they overripen. 

If you enjoyed learning about this bone-friendly fruit, consider watching a video on other plants that keep your bones strong: Partnering with Plants for Strong Bones.