Choosing an Avocado to Feed to Your Baby – big avocado or the little avocado?

One of these things is not like the others
One of these things just doesn’t belong
Can you tell which thing is not like the others.
By the time I finish my song?

Come on, sing along!  Bonus points if you can tell me what song this is!

The image on the right shows 2 avocados.  Yes, that really large brighter green fruit is indeed an avocado.  It is called a Florida avocado and you may have seen it in the grocery store labeled a “Slimcado”.

The smaller, darker, bumpy-skinned avocado is the familiar Haas or California avocado.   While both of these are avocados, they are not really one and the same,  from a nutritional standpoint.

The “Slimcado” or Florida avocado is quite different in its nutritional makeup compared to the Haas.  It has less fat (hence the term “slimcado”), less calcium, less folate and less of many other nutrients.  See the chart below, compiled from the USDA Nutrient Database.   The Florida avocado is not as creamy or tasty as the Haas avocado either (an opinion I share with a lot of other folks).   So when choosing the type of avocado to offer to your little one, bigger is not better in this instance. If you are just starting solids with your baby, avocado makes a great first food.  Check out more about avocados for your baby and find lots of avocado baby food recipes too!

When you want to purchase an avocado, especially to feed your little one, choose the Haas!