AVOCADO farmers are urging consumers to ditch butter for avocados.
Growers are expecting a boost in demand following the latest National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guidelines which recommend Australians switch bad fats such as butter for good fats like avocado.
For the first time the guidelines suggest replacing foods high in saturated fat, rather than reducing them.
It recommends ditching butter, cream, cooking margarine, coconut and palm oil and using oils, spreads, nut butters, pastes and avocado instead.
Avocados Australia chief executive John Tyas said the new guidelines were a boon for consumer health and avocado growers.
"We have always known about the health benefits of avocados, which are a rich source of dietary fibre, low in salt and sugar, so this is a wonderful endorsement,'' Mr Tyas said.
"As consumer education programs roll out, we will inevitably see the delicious green spread replacing butter and margarine on sandwiches, toast and the like, making avocados a true staple in kitchens across the nation," he said.
The new dietary guidelines urge Australians to eat more fruit and vegetables and point to an additional daily serve of vegetables as being associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
"The upshot is that avocados can play a flexible role in meeting Australians daily nutritional requirements," Mr Tyas said.
"You can eat half an avocado as a fruit serve, or half an avocado as two serves of vegetables or an eighth to a quarter of an avo as one to two serves of good fat."
