Avocados as an early food for infants and toddlers
What it found
Avocados are low in sugar and high in fiber, unsaturated fats and several key nutrients, which makes them a good fit for the foods recommended when babies start solids and move to toddler meals.
The paper is a review of existing research, not a new study in people.
What they found
Studies in people
What infants eat
Surveys show many U.S. infants and toddlers eat no fruit or vegetables daily, and about one third of toddlers eat no fruit daily. Nearly 40% of their energy comes from refined grains, sugary drinks and juice.
Early food preferences
Food likes start before birth and are shaped by breastfeeding and first foods. Infants given home-prepared fruits or vegetables more often at six months were more likely to eat more of them years later.
Caregiver survey
In a survey of 338 caregivers, nearly half introduced fruits and vegetables between four and six months. Nearly 60% described their infants and toddlers as picky eaters, and sweet fruits and starchy vegetables were the most common early foods.
Other findings
Sugar and fiber
Avocados have less than 1 g of sugar per serving, the lowest of all fresh fruits, and about 2 g of fiber in a 30 g serving. That fiber is 30% to 40% soluble and 60% to 70% insoluble.
Fats and nutrients
A 30 g serving has 3.5 g of unsaturated fats, over 75% of the fruit's fat, mostly oleic acid. The same serving is higher in folate, vitamin E and lutein than a standard serving of the most popular first fruits.
Nutrient absorption
The fats in avocado help the body take in fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids from other foods. Avocado can increase the conversion of carotenoids to vitamin A by two to six fold.
What the authors conclude
“Taken together, avocados show promise for helping to meet the dietary needs of infants and toddlers, and should be considered for inclusion in future dietary recommendations for complementary and transitional feeding.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say avocados show promise for helping meet the dietary needs of infants and toddlers and should be considered for inclusion in future dietary recommendations for complementary and transitional feeding.
- They advise that future feeding recommendations should use evidence from controlled studies and should identify the most ideal foods, those that meet most recommended guidelines.
- They call for more research on ideal infant and toddler foods, including avocados, to explore their potential for early and later life health.
How it was done
The authors say infant diets often lack fruits, vegetables and fiber and have too much salt, added sugar and energy. They also say popular first fruits like apples, pears, bananas, grapes and strawberries tend to be sweet and high in sugar, so guidance on which fruits to choose should point to those with the most nutritional benefit.
The authors reviewed existing research and dietary guidance on feeding infants from about 6 to 12 months and toddlers from 13 to 24 months. They compared the nutrients, texture and flavor of avocados with other commonly eaten fruits and vegetables, and also reported results from a survey of 338 caregivers of infants aged 4 to 24 months.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a review of existing research, not a new study, so it cannot prove that eating avocados causes any health outcome.
- Many of the studies it draws on followed people over time or were surveys, which can show links but not cause and effect.
- The paper notes that little research has looked at giving specific fruits and vegetables during these feeding periods, so the long-term effects of avocados in infants and toddlers are not yet known.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of California at Davis, USA; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA; The Ohio State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- The Role of Avocados in Complementary and Transitional Feeding
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Comerford KB, Ayoob KT, Murray RD, Atkinson SA (2016). The Role of Avocados in Complementary and Transitional Feeding. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu8050316Free full textPubMed 27213450DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error