It may seem a little strange to write a blog post dedicated to answering this simple question:
“How many WeightWatchers points is an avocado?”
However, it’s a surprisingly popular question – and one with a nuanced answer.
Avocados have always been a bit…controversial for those doing WeightWatchers (WW). Why? I shall tell you!
Avocado Controversy
Unlike most fruit (and yes, avocados ARE fruit!), avocados are high in fat. It’s actually “healthy unsaturated fat,” but for a long time, WeightWatchers didn’t make that distinction.
This meant that plenty of people would eat an avocado, thinking “hey, this is fruit, is must be good,” only to check the WeightWatchers points and find out they’d blown their daily budget. You can find plenty of people complaining about it here.
Avocados on WeightWatchers PersonalPoints
Everything changed with the launch of the WeightWatchers Personal Points . A small bit of news that pleased MANY people was the news that you could now choose to include avocados as one of your “free” foods.
This means they become a ZeroPoint food IF you choose them as one of your options. That’s right: all the avocados you want, without them costing you any of your valuable points.
That said, avocados will cost cost you plenty of points if you DON’T choose them as a free food.
So How Many WeightWatchers Points is an Avocado?
Under the latest WeightWatchers system, a whole “medium” avocado weighing 155g is 10 Weight Watchers points.
BUT if you choose to add avocados as one of your “free foods” an avocado has ZERO points.
Clearly, this is a substantial difference, so I had a bit of a dig around in the app and found out something interesting.
Does Having Avocado As a Free Food “Cost You” Points?
When I REMOVED avocado from my ZeroPoints list, my daily PersonalPoints allowance went UP by 3 points per day.
So, while it’s rather good to be able to gorge on avocados, it does come with a cost: points you could use to eat other stuff.
For me, it makes little difference. I have an avocado (with prawns and light mayo, for a one point lunch), a couple of times each week. So I “lose” 21 points, but don’t have to “spend” 20.
It makes little difference, but the point is that if you choose avocados as a free food, you’ll need to eat more than a couple per week for it to be worth it.
Tips for Eating Avocados on Weight Watchers
The high number of WeightWatchers points for avocados has always been controversial, but there are ways to enjoy them without breaking the points bank:
- Only eat half an avocado at a time: Yes, it’s obvious – but half an avocado means half the points!
- WEIGH YOUR AVOCADOS: I weighed a couple of “standard” supermarket-size avocados, and the weights were very much in line with the 155 grams the WeightWatchers points are based on. But I’ve had smaller (and larger) avocados in the past. It’s well worth weighing yours, and pointing them based on the grams, rather than the arbitrary “medium” size that WeightWatchers gives you. The weight also includes stone and skin – should you include that? You be the judge!
How to Eat Avocados on WeightWatchers
Why not try:
- A simple avocado with prawns: If you have fish as a ZeroPoint food too, that makes for a zero point lunch.
- Avocado toast: The millennial’s favourite! This is best for those who have selected avocados as a free food, otherwise the addition of bread makes for a very “pointy” meal. I like to mash the avocado with salt and pepper, lime juice and fresh chilli.
- As an addition to a salad: This is a good way to get an avocado fix without blowing the points budget – you only need to use a quarter of one to add some bulk and interest to a green salad.
While You’re Here:
If you’re looking up “how many WeightWatchers points is an avocado,” you’re presumably following the plan? If so, check out these articles:
- Read my own first impressions of WeightWatchers Personal Points.
- Find a list of WeightWatchers snacks with low points.
- Looks at the pros and cons of WeightWatchers and Slimming World.
Avocados are really not that high in points. You need to be weighing them out instead of the small, medium and large option. 50 grams of avocado (which is close to half of a medium) is only 2 points. You should only be weighing what you can eat, no skin and no pit. I just switched my free avocados for free popcorn (which I eat every day now).