The Ugly Truth About Avocados (You Won’t Like It)
Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast
Dr. Eric Berg
4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 11 August 2025
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, we’re going to investigate the truth about avocados, avocado oil, and your health. When avocados arrive at the grocery store, they’re often put into a gas chamber and artificially ripened with ethylene gas. The artificial ripening process leaves this superfood devoid of phytonutrients.
One research study evaluated 22 different brands of avocado oil and discovered that many products were oxidized, which can cause inflammation. Surprisingly, many products were actually fake avocado oil, mainly composed of soy and canola oils.
Approximately 82% of avocado oil is not what it says it is! In the US, there are no official rules on avocado oil or a legally binding definition of the avocado oil extraction process. This has opened the door for corruption.
Some avocado oil products contain no avocado oil at all! The origins of your avocado oil can also be misleading. A product can be labeled “product of the US”, but grown and blended elsewhere, as long as the final product is bottled in the US.
Avocado oil doesn’t always have an expiration or production date, making it difficult to determine how long it’s been sitting on the shelf.
Fast food guacamole does not contain much avocado. It’s often replaced with green peas, hydrogenated oils, and food starches. Cosmetics also claim to use avocado oil, yet soy, palm, and mineral oils are usually listed first on the ingredient list.
If you want to buy avocado oil, look for the following:•Dark, glass bottle •Expiration date •Avoid the cheapest brand•Look for the harvest date•Look for green-colored oil
When choosing avocados, look for Californian varieties, such as the Hass variety. Avoid the cheaper, shiny, bagged varieties.
Avocados can be an incredibly healthy food if you choose the right ones. They contain healthy fats, minimal omega-6 fats, and are a rich source of potassium and magnesium.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:Dr. Berg, age 60, is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of the best-selling book The Healthy Keto Plan, and is the Director of Dr. Berg Nutritionals. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I used to think that avocados were the most amazing superfood that you can possibly eat. |
| 0:04.9 | I would recommend them, tell my patients to consume these, until I found this. |
| 0:09.2 | When they arrive at the grocery store, many times they put them to this gas chamber. |
| 0:13.8 | Then they artificially ripen them with something called ethylene gas. |
| 0:17.5 | The problem with this is when you do this prematurely, you no longer help develop the natural |
| 0:23.0 | flavor chemicals because you're creating in this artificial ripening process. You don't develop |
| 0:28.2 | the phytonutrients. That's why when you buy it, it looks perfect on the outside, but in the |
| 0:32.2 | inside, it's terrible. Anytime you force something to ripen, it's very unnatural. Let's talk about avocado oil. |
| 0:39.0 | I read this research study that they evaluated 22 different samples. Looking at all the major |
| 0:44.1 | brands and evaluating unrefined versus refined avocado oil, they really dove into the oxidation |
| 0:49.7 | of this oil. I really want you to get this. So we cut an apple and half. On the left side, |
| 0:55.2 | it put lemon juice. On the right side, I did not. As you can see, it's a lot darker than the left |
| 1:00.0 | side. That's oxidation. Oxidation is like the rusting out of something. When it comes to |
| 1:05.2 | avocado oil, there is a tremendous amount of oxidation occurring. My question is, what the heck's going on? I'm spending a lot |
| 1:12.1 | of money in this. Just think about an avocado, right? Compare that to seed oils like corn oil or |
| 1:18.1 | cotton seed oil. They're very different because the avocado oil doesn't come from the seed of the |
| 1:23.0 | avocado. It comes from the pulp. You get vitamin E, which is an antioxidant. You get chlorophyll, which also is an |
| 1:29.5 | antioxidant. Big problem with consuming seed oils or even avocado oil when it's oxidized is it's going to |
| 1:35.2 | add more inflammatory things to your body. In some of these products, they found other oils in these |
| 1:40.7 | avocado oils like soy oil or canola oil as a way of diluting it and selling it |
| 1:46.6 | at a cheaper price. They found 82% of avocado oil is not what it says it really is. And then they do |
| 1:53.6 | a process called deodorization. They're taking the odor out. You can't taste this oxidation, |
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