Is The New 'Diet Avocado' The Way To Go?

DETROIT (WWJ) - In dips, on toast or on its own — so many of us adore the avocado.

The green-skinned, fleshy fruit is often called a superfood because it's packed with good things like potassium, heart healthy fats and fiber. But in a world where so many struggle to lose weight, a "diet avocado" has emerged — currently making its way into U.S. grocery stores.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan registered dietitian Grace DeRocha says it's the real deal, just a little different.

"Avocado Lite or Slimcado is naturally occurring in very damp climates. It's almost essentially a watered down avocado itself," DeRocha told WWJ Health Reporter Dr. Deanna Lites. "Nutritiously it has 35 percent less calories and 30 percent less fat."

So should we give the diet avocado a go? DeRocha says no.

"The average American is eating less fat in general and they're not getting enough heart healthy fat as it is," she said. "So if we're choosing the lite version of the avocado we're also taking away some of that monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat."

On top of that, the diet avocado doesn't taste as good as the original, and has a more watered down texture, she said.

Along with avocados, good sources for heart healthy fats include oily fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout and herring, as well as flaxseed and flaxseed oil, olives and olive oil, canola oil, soybeans, nuts and seeds.