Should I Eat Fatty Food Like Avocados All At One Meal Or Spread Them Out?

Reader's Question: If you eat 1 avocado a week, is it just as good to eat a whole one with lots of greens or is it better to have a half over a couple days? I hate eating a half but I'm afraid there is too much fat all at once in a whole one. Is it important to spread out the fat or it doesn't really matter?

Andrew's Answer:

"Good," is fairly subjective. Are you suffering from a medical problem you're trying to overcome, or just generally interested?

It matters because it's more accurate to say that our dietary decisions have consequences, and we should aim to bring about the consequences that we'd like to see.

There's no evidence that concentrating overt fats into a single fatty meal will have any negative long-term consequences for a healthy person when compared to dividing up that fat between two or more meals.

What's more important is that we keep our overall fat intake below 10 percent of calories over the long term to prevent blood sugar issues.

A single fatty meal here and there will even out over the long run in terms of an overall average.

However, there can be short term consequences. Remember that our bodies adapt to changes, but giving them a sudden shock can be unpleasant. If you've eaten no overt fats for months and then eat a fatty meal, you might not feel great afterwords.

If you've had two or three fatty meals a week consistently for the last year, another probably won't phase you.

Other short-term consequences of high-fat meals that will differ with adaptation may include mental clarity, energy and stamina during exercise, and sleep quality.

If you're currently suffering from blood sugar issues, it's possible that a high-fat meal will slow down the resolution of your problem.

Want to avoid fatty foods but think you can't live without fat in your salad dressings? Check out Savory Raw Dressings and Sauces.

Learn more about the role that fat plays in our diet here.

Start a healthy raw food diet.