Avocado Or Nutella Toast? Here's What Nutritionists Have To Say About Comparing These Two Foods.

We asked registered dietitians to tell us what they really thought.

The Fitness Chef, a UK-based personal trainer with 156,000 followers on Instagram, posted two pics of toast side by side — one with Nutella and the other with avocado.

He pointed out that we often "idolize" and "demonize" foods, which, of course, is not a great thing to do.

However, he also went on to say that you might choose one or the other depending on your specific goals — getting more nutrients or eating fewer calories.

"Yet looking in factual objectivity, consumption of the former means consumption of more nutrients, marginally more fibre and more calories, whilst consumption of the latter means less nutrients, marginally less fibre, but less calories," reads the caption, which got nearly 12,000 likes.

"Therefore the avocado toast may be a good idea if the goal for that snack is to consume more nutrients, whilst the Nutella toast may be a better option if calorie reduction is the goal."

People had some strong thoughts about comparing the foods based on their calorie content. As can happen on the internet, the image was also tweeted out without the original caption.

Without the original caption, it was kind of hard to tell what the creator's point was, and it seemed to imply that Nutella on white bread might be a better choice than avocado toast, based on calorie count alone.

People weren't happy about that, particularly given the nutritional differences between the two foods.

@LydiaEmillen You really be thinking Nutella is better for your body than avocado

And of course, Nutella lovers had some thoughts because, it's delicious.

@LydiaEmillen Me when i see Nutella

Others weren't happy with the focus on a 13-calorie difference between the two. Because, seriously, 13 calories is almost meaningless.

And a calorie isn't just a calorie, noted Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian and board-certified sports dietician who is based in New York and Los Angeles.

"Let's say the bread was identical, so we're just comparing avocado to Nutella. One is whole food nourishment, and the other is a processed treat, even if they provide the same number of calories," she told BuzzFeed News in an email.

Avocado has 20 important nutrients and provides antioxidants and health-protective fat, she said. Nutella contains more additives — including sugar — than it does hazelnuts, she said.

"Comparing these two is like comparing 1 cup of fresh blueberries (85 calories) to 10 gummy bears (85 calories)," she said. "Even at the same calorie level the impact on your health is very different.

@LydiaEmillen when you think eating a HEALTHY extra 13 calories is worse than eating processed sugar and oil

That's not to say you can't eat Nutella if you want to eat some damn Nutella.

"As a nutritionist, I don’t like to see food demonized," said Keri Gans, a registered dietitian nutritionist in New York and the author of the The Small Change Diet.

"I think that when you are making food choices you should be thinking This might be a healthier choice or This might be better for me, but there is also room for foods that might not be so nutritious for you," she told BuzzFeed News. "And that’s ok. We are trying to move away from the mentality and the association of food with guilt."

She would recommend that if you're making toast — with anything on it — that you try to choose 100% whole grain because of the fiber and nutrients.

"When choosing a slice of bread, which can be a totally nutritious choice — for all those keto lovers, yes bread can be nutritious — we want to look for 100% whole grain," she said. And if you're eating Nutella, consider it a sweet for the day.

Overall, Gans thinks people have become a little too extreme about analyzing food choices. "We basically need to lighten up a little," she said.

"We need to focus on not demonizing food, and not demonizing food groups, that’s a big thing," she said. "And I think overall we should be looking to improve our diets by eating what we all can agree upon — more fruits and vegetables."

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