Budget supermarket Aldi has shared an easy breakfast smoothie recipe that includes an ingredient which health experts say may help lower cholesterol levels and manage type 2 diabetes.
The recipe, posted on Aldi's website, features avocado, banana, kiwi and spinach. It serves four people and takes just 10 minutes to prepare, using seven ingredients and a few simple steps.
Ingredients and method
To make the smoothie, you will need one large ripe avocado, one kiwi fruit, one small banana, 20g fresh spinach leaves, 300ml Acti leaf unsweetened soya milk, two teaspoons of Grandessa squeezy honey and one lime.
Start by juicing the lime and putting the juice into a bowl. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, scoop out the flesh and toss it in the lime juice. Peel and chop the banana and kiwi, then put everything into a blender along with the honey, soya milk and spinach leaves. Blend until smooth and serve.
The avocado's health benefits
While bananas, kiwis and spinach are also nutritious, the avocado stands out. An expert from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) noted that avocados are unusual among fruits because, along with vitamins, minerals and fibre, they are high in fat – but more than 70% of that fat is the healthier type.
Dell Stanford, a registered dietitian with more than 15 years' experience working with NHS cardiac rehabilitation patients, explained that this high fat content means avocados contain more energy (calories) than other fruits and vegetables. So while they are a healthy choice, portion size matters for those managing their weight.
About half a medium avocado (80g) counts towards your five-a-day and provides vitamins including vitamin E and B vitamins, minerals such as potassium and manganese, as well as fibre. Stanford added: "Like other fruit and vegetables, avocados can help boost your potassium intake, which studies have linked with lower blood pressure, which in turn helps lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as heart attack and stroke."
Avocados are also low in carbohydrates, making them popular with people on lower-carb diets for weight loss or to help manage type 2 diabetes. Most of their carbs are fibre, which supports gut health.
Cholesterol and heart health
Stanford highlighted that the fat in avocados is mostly monounsaturated fat, a type of healthy unsaturated fat. Replacing foods high in saturated fats – such as margarine, butter, eggs, yoghurt, cheese and processed meats – with unsaturated fats like those in avocados, nuts, olive oil and other plant oils can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce CVD risk.
Research in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that eating two or more servings of avocado per week (one serving is half a medium avocado) can lower CVD risk by 16 per cent. The 2022 study also found that eating a quarter of a medium avocado instead of the equivalent amount of margarine, butter, egg, yoghurt, cheese or processed meats led to a 22 per cent lower risk of CVD.
The study found that swapping nuts, olive oil and other plant oils for avocado did not lower heart disease risk, suggesting these are all healthy sources of unsaturated fat. It supports the idea that replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats can help protect the heart.
Ways to add avocado to your diet
Avocados contain polyphenols and other plant chemicals with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects linked to lower CVD risk. They are versatile and can be used in many dishes, including avocado and poached egg on toast, mashed avocado on toast with seeds, tomato, basil, black pepper or chilli powder, black bean and sweet potato burritos, fish tacos with avocado, vegetarian chilli with sweet potato, or homemade guacamole served with carrots, cucumbers, breadsticks or crisps.
