I don't know about the fattening/healthy thing on avocados, but I happen to think it's okay to eat a bunch of most any food in one sitting, once in a while. That includes ice cream, candy, french fries, and even brussels sprouts, though I'd never eat ANY of those!

Avocados are healthy. They do have fat, but it is the good type of fat. Of course, if you were to down them in great numbers you would put on weight, but that is only common sense. One whole one, once in a while, is good for you.

They are healthy, but eating a whole avocado is too much. As a diabetic my diet allows 1/8 of an avocado as a "fat".

Avocados are both healthy and fattening at the same time. They are high in fat, but it is good fat.

Avocados are good fat fruits. Eat away!!!

Avocados are one of natures healthy treasures. Even though they are high in calories - the caloric energy burns much quicker and efficient in the cells of the human body. We tend to believe that 300 calories of red meat burn the same as 300 calories of carrots but this is not true. Plant calories are more easily converted into glucose and processed in the mitochondria (the energy producer) of our cells. On top of that avocados contain high levels of oleic acid known to protect against breast cancer. Oliec acid is the fat in avocados and helps to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good kind) which has shown to decrease blood pressure and heart disease. Also present are carotenoids and tocopherols which have been proven to kill prostate cancer (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry). Avocado fat also increases the absorption of carotenoids from every other vegetable; so in as salad, for instance, adding avocado increases the absorption of all the good antioxidants that can be obtained from these vegetables by 20 to 30 percent over eating a salad without avocado. Lastly, one avocado farmer in California claimed to eat 3 to 4 a day. He is well into his 80's now and when doctors tested his blood they found his LDL cholesterol non-existent. The farmers prostate was compared to a man in his late twenties and a arterial angiography showed absolutley no blockage of the arteries whatsoever. Bottom line -- eat as many avocados as you want -- love and live life!