Fruits
Avocado
Monounsaturated fat and 6.7 g of fibre are the headline, but the most interesting part is what avocado does to the vegetables you eat alongside it.
Avocado vs banana: avocado actually has more potassium
Potassium makes people think of bananas, but avocado leads. It also carries nearly twice the calories.
Fruits
Banana
A green banana is mostly resistant starch; a ripe one is fast sugar. Choose the stage that matches what you want from it.
Avocado — Leads on
- Protein
- Fiber
- Potassium
Banana — Leads on
About equal
Nutrition side by side
Per 100 g edible portion. Only rows where both have a figure are shown, and no winner is marked for items like calories or sugars where more is not better.
| Nutrition | Avocado | Banana |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 160 kcal | 89 kcal |
| Protein | 2.0 g | 1.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.5 g | 22.8 g |
| Fiber | 6.7 g | 2.6 g |
| Potassium | 485 mg | 358 mg |
Bottom line
Banana is the byword for potassium, yet avocado holds more: 485 mg per 100 g against 358 mg. Calories run 160 against 89, though — close to double — so the energy cost of the same potassium ends up similar.
The decisive difference is the fat. Avocado carries 14.7 g per 100 g, mostly oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat that dominates olive oil. That fat means avocado does not only deliver its own nutrients: it multiplies the absorption of carotenoids from the vegetables eaten alongside it, an effect measured in trials that added avocado to a salad.
Banana's strengths are convenience and timing. It needs only peeling, and a ripe one digests quickly, which suits it to fuelling exercise. An underripe banana carries resistant starch that feeds gut bacteria instead.
Fibre strongly favours avocado, 6.7 g against 2.6 g. For satiety, avocado. For quick energy, banana.