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chayote
Vegetables
Trigger checker for chayote
See chayote rated across every trigger — FODMAP, histamine, salicylate, oxalate, tyramine and more — plus diet compatibility, all in one quick ingredient profile.
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Compare chayote across criteria
Sensitivities
What chayote contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where chayote fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know 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.
Watch for
- 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.
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FAQ
What does the FODMAP rating mean for chayote?
Low FODMAP: usually easier for most people, still watch portion size.
Is chayote generally well tolerated?
Salicylates (Low) and Nickel (Low) Start with those if you react.
What should I check next?
Compare within the Vegetables group.