Ok, so they aren't quite horrible, they are a natural fruit (non-GMO), but they are misleading with their marketing.
"SlimCado" is the brand name of the Florida Avocado, which boasts 35% less calories and 50% less fat. I've seen them in the grocery store several times, I finally decided to do a little research on them.
There is a significant size different between Hass Avocados, which are what we think of when we hear "avocado", and the SlimCado. An average Hass Avocado is about 136 g (4.8 oz), while an average SlimCado is about 304 g (10.85 oz).
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| SlimCados on the left Hass Avocados on the right |
Because of the size difference, I have the numbers below for 1 fruit as well as 1 oz. In the difference columns, the amount is calculated on 1 oz as to have an equal comparison.
| Hass Avocado | Florida Avocado | Difference | ||||
| 136 g | 1 oz | 304 g | 1 oz | Amount | % | |
| Calories | 227 | 46.74 | 365 | 33.62 | -13.12 | -28.07% |
| Fat (g) | 21 | 4.32 | 31 | 2.86 | -1.47 | -33.96% |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 3 | 0.62 | 6 | 0.55 | -0.07 | -10.53% |
| Monosaturated Fat (g) | 13.3 | 2.74 | 16.8 | 1.55 | -1.19 | -43.49% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat (g) | 2.5 | 0.51 | 5.1 | 0.47 | -0.04 | -8.74% |
| Carbohydrates | 11.8 | 2.43 | 24.4 | 2.25 | -0.18 | -7.49% |
| Omega 3 (mg) | 150 | 30.88 | 292 | 26.89 | -3.99 | -12.91% |
| Omega 6 (mg) | 2298 | 473.12 | 4804 | 442.47 | -30.64 | -6.48% |
| Protein (g) | 2.7 | 0.56 | 6.8 | 0.63 | 0.07 | 12.67% |
| Vitamin A (IU) | 200 | 41.18 | 426 | 39.24 | -1.94 | -4.71% |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 12 | 2.47 | 52.9 | 4.87 | 2.40 | 97.21% |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 2.7 | 0.56 | 8.1 | 0.75 | 0.19 | 34.21% |
| Vitamin K (mcg) | 28.6 | 5.86 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Thiamin [B1] (mg) | 0.1 | 0.02 | 0.1 | 0.01 | -0.01 | -55.26% |
| Riboflavin [B2] (mg) | 0.2 | 0.04 | 0.2 | 0.02 | -0.02 | -55.26% |
| Niacin [B3] (mg) | 2.6 | 0.54 | 2 | 0.18 | -0.35 | -65.59% |
| Pantothenic Acid [B5] (mg) | 2 | 0.41 | 2.8 | 0.26 | -0.15 | -37.37% |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.4 | 0.08 | 0.2 | 0.02 | -0.06 | -77.63% |
| Folate [B9] (mcg) | 121 | 24.91 | 106 | 9.76 | -15.15 | -60.81% |
| Choline (mg) | 19.3 | 3.97 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Betaine (mg) | 1 | 0.21 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Calcium (mg) | 17.7 | 3.64 | 30.4 | 2.8 | -0.84 | -23.16% |
| Iron (mg) | 0.8 | .16 | 0.5 | 0.05 | -0.12 | -72.04% |
| Magnesium (mg) | 39.4 | 8.11 | 73 | 6.72 | -1.39 | -17.11% |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 73.4 | 15.11 | 122 | 11.24 | -3.87 | -25.64% |
| Potassium (mg) | 689 | 141.85 | 1067 | 98.28 | -43.58 | -30.72% |
| Zinc (mg) | 0.9 | 0.19 | 1.2 | 0.11 | -0.07 | -40.35% |
| Copper (mg) | 0.2 | 0.04 | 0.9 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 101.32% |
| Maganese (mg) | 0.2 | 0.04 | 0.3 | 0.03 | -0.01 | -32.89% |
| Selenium (mcg) | 0.5 | 0.10 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Yes, SlimCados may be lower in calories and fat, but they are also lower in nutrients nearly across the board!
As far as the fat issue goes: Fat is not the enemy. Certain types of fat are bad, but avocados have healthy fats. Without fat, the body cannot function or absorb many nutrients. "Rabbit starvation" is a prime example of this, where people, eating plenty of food that was very low in fat (wild rabbits are extremely lean), were starving from lack of nutrition, not lack of calories. Eating fat does not make you fat!
Don't be fooled into thinking SlimCados are health food; it's just cleaver marketing to sell a nutritionally inferior product. I haven't tried SlimCados myself, but from the reviews I've read they are also less tasty than Hass avocados. I'm sticking with Hass.
