Overview
About Chayote
Chayote is the pale green gourd sold as chayote, mirliton or chow chow, and it is the member of the squash family that keeps breaking the family pattern.
It grades A for FODMAPs, fructans, polyols, histamine, histamine liberation, oxalate, gluten, glutamate, sulfite, tyramine and nightshade, which puts it in genuinely low FODMAP territory where zucchini grades C and butternut squash grades D. It also grades A on lectins while cucumber, zucchini and butternut all grade E, so a lectin avoiding eater who reacts to the usual cucurbits may still get on with this one. The two marks chayote does carry are mild and dose dependent: salicylate B and nickel B. Its most practical caveat is not digestive at all. Cut chayote weeps a sticky sap that leaves many people with dry, tight or briefly numb fingertips, so peel it under running water or wear gloves.
Sensitivities
How Chayote scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- The sap gets people, not the flesh. Peeling raw chayote releases a sticky latex that causes short lived irritant contact dermatitis: dryness, tightness and sometimes numbness across the fingers. It resolves within about a day, and peeling under running water or in gloves prevents it.
- Salicylate B, so it is a moderate food rather than a free one during a strict salicylate elimination. It sits well below high salicylate produce, but a large serve still counts toward your daily load.
- Nickel B is only relevant on a low nickel diet for systemic nickel allergy, where B foods are the ones you portion rather than the ones you drop.
- Low FODMAP at A, which is unusual for a squash. If squash normally bloats you, chayote is worth testing on its own before writing off the whole family.
- Its lectin grade of A is the outlier in the cucurbit group. Cucumber, zucchini and butternut squash all grade E for lectins in our data, so do not assume chayote behaves like them.
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Chayote
Is chayote low FODMAP?
Yes. Chayote grades A for total FODMAPs and A for fructans, GOS, excess fructose and polyols individually, which makes it one of the safer squashes for IBS. That is a real distinction within the family: zucchini grades C and butternut squash grades D, so people who bloat on those often do fine on chayote.
Why do my hands feel numb or sticky after peeling chayote?
Cut chayote releases a sticky sap that dries into a film on the skin and causes a temporary irritant contact reaction: tightness, dryness and sometimes a numb feeling on the fingers. It is not an allergy and it usually clears within a day. Peel it under running water, wear gloves, or use the traditional trick of rubbing the cut faces together until the white sap stops seeping.
Is chayote a nightshade?
No. Chayote is a cucurbit, in the same botanical family as cucumber, melon and squash, and it grades A on the nightshade column. If you are avoiding tomato, pepper, aubergine and potato, chayote is not part of that group.
Is chayote high in lectins like other squashes?
Our data grades chayote A for lectins while cucumber, zucchini and butternut squash all grade E, so it is the exception rather than the rule among cucurbits. As with any plant food, cooking it thoroughly rather than eating it raw is the sensible approach if lectins are a concern for you.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.