Protein in avocados? really?

pamfm

In threads about protein for vegetarians, I have seen several people claiming that avocados are a "great" source. But I don't see that backed up anywhere. Even the California Avocado Commission doesn't say they contain significant amounts of protein. (http://www.avocado.org/avocado-nutrients/) Can anyone link to data that says otherwise, and actually lists how much protein much per serving?

I really love avocados, and I eat them often. I also don't eat any meat except for fish, so I have a hard time eating as much protein as I want to be (I average around 60g per day). It would be great if I have unknowingly been eating more protein than I thought... but I'm seriously doubtful about this.

leslisa

Per 100 g of avacado = Protein 1.9g. They are high in potassium but the protein hit in say, 1/2 cup black beans (21g) or tofu (20g) is much higher.

pamfm

Okay, so that's about 2.85g in an average whole avocado. That sounds believable, and kind of insignificant. Where did you find that, by the way?

Obviously beans,soy, seitan, nuts, eggs, and swordfish are all better sources... But if the sliced avocado on my tempeh sandwiches adds more protein, I want to know! Sounds like the whole wheat bread has got the avocado beat, though. :ohwell:

treetop57

In threads about protein for vegetarians, I have seen several people claiming that avocados are a "great" source.

You're not saying that I can't believe everything I read on the MFP message boards, are you???!?!?!??

Looking back at my diary from the other day, eating half an avocado credited me with 2 grams of protein, 120 calories, and 8 grams of fat. 64% calories from fat and only 7% calories from protein doesn't sound like a "great source" to me.

But vegetarians have to think about essential amino acids in addition to gross amount of protein, no? Perhaps avocados are a good source of the essential amino acids that are lacking from grains. If that's the case, then maybe the small extra protein makes larger amounts of protein available from other foods. Just a guess why a vegetarian might see an avocado as a protein source.

treetop57

The site quoted below gives avocado a protein quality score of 129, which is very good.

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PROTEIN QUALITY

Protein quality is dependent on having all the essential amino acids in the proper proportions. If one or more amino acid is not present in sufficient amounts, the protein in your diet is considered incomplete.

Each spoke on the Protein Quality graph represents one of the nine essential amino acids, and the graph shows how close the protein in your diet is to the optimal distribution of amino acids recommended by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board.

An Amino Acid Score of 100 or higher indicates a complete or high-quality protein. If the Amino Acid Score is less than 100, a link is provided to complementary sources of protein. By combining complementary proteins, you may be able to increase the overall quality of the protein you consume.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1844/2#ixzz1x8qfwcrM

My conclusion is that avocados don't have huge amounts of protein, but the protein they have is very high quality, i.e. good mix of essential amino acids.

cheesy_blasters

I would classify avocados as a 'great' source of protein if we can assume 'great' is another way of saying 'delicious'.

leslisa

Okay, so that's about 2.85g in an average whole avocado. That sounds believable, and kind of insignificant. Where did you find that, by the way?

Obviously beans,soy, seitan, nuts, eggs, and swordfish are all better sources... But if the sliced avocado on my tempeh sandwiches adds more protein, I want to know! Sounds like the whole wheat bread has got the avocado beat, though. :ohwell:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1843/2
http://www.avocadohealthbenefits.net/avocadoprotein.html

I looked on about 10 sites and confirmed.

For a sandwich topping I like Fage plain greek yogurt (if you eat milk products), 100g @ 8gish protein. And yes, wheat can be very high in protein. Check this out: http://www.thevegetarianathlete.com/Protein_Comparison_Chart_-_Dec_2009_op_800x450.jpg (looks about right to me off top of my head...)

pamfm

I would classify avocados as a 'great' source of protein if we can assume 'great' is another way of saying 'delicious'.

Yes! :laugh:

pamfm

My conclusion is that avocados don't have huge amounts of protein, but the protein they have is very high quality, i.e. good mix of essential amino acids.

Thanks. That makes sense, and I suppose is a really good thing for Vegans to consider. Since I do eat dairy and fish, and eggs now, I don't have to worry as much about incomplete or low quality protein.

I don't know why I couldn't find any of this info. I searched a lot and found different, conflicting claims on every nutrition website that said there was protein in avocados, and then many more that said there isn't any.

pamfm

I'd just like to add that I'm not wondering where to get protein from. Staples in my kitchen include tempeh, beans, yogurt of all kinds, cheese of all kinds, eggs, seitan, peanut butter, almonds, fish of all kinds, tofu, Quorn fake chicken (meat eating husband loves it), whole wheat bread, oat flour... and on and on.

I always exceed MFP's default protein recommendation, but I'm doing heavy lifting and am trying to eat over 108 grams per day, which realistically means between 25-30 grams per meal, plus a protein rich snack. At this point most of my meals have under 20 grams, so again, I just want to be sure I'm counting every source correctly. It was really just this avocado thing that I was hung up on, because I eat them alot, and I love them, and they are nutritious in many other ways, but I was not counting them towards my protein count because information was generally vague and inconsistent.

In other news: I had an avocado milkshake yesterday! :drinker: