Dear Peggy: I read a lot of nutrition articles and have a question about the fiber listed for avocado from two sources. One lists it as having 12g of fiber and the other as 5. Which is closer to the correct amount?
—S.S., Kansas City, Missouri
You've asked a great question and one that comes up often—why does nutrition information for the same food vary between sources? There can be several reasons.
First, you may not be comparing the same serving size. For example, 3 ounces is not the same as the more generic, one medium avocado, which may include the pit and peel's weight.
If you know you're comparing the same weight, nutrition information can still be different between multiple sources. This could be due to the ripeness or variety of avocado tested.
In the examples you sent me, one indicates the nutrition information is based on 3 ounces, while the other simply says one serving of avocado contains 12g fiber, so we don't know how much avocado they're talking about. I've looked at some reliable nutrition sources and found that 5g of fiber for 3 ounces of avocado (not including the pit or peel) is appropriate.