The Millennial food of choice, avocado is a really delicious and healthy. But is it any good for people with IBS?
The benefits of eating avocado with IBS
Avocados are great for adding healthy monounsaturated fats to your diet.
This type of fat has been shown to support heart health, lowering cholesterol.
In addition, avocados have been linked to weight loss (despite having a high fat content). This is because they can help you feel fuller for longer.
Avocados are great for your skin health, containing Vitamin C and E. These help with skin cell turnover, and keeping your collagen production going. They also contain carotenoids which are important antioxidants, helping to reduce oxidative stress from our wear and tear of life.
How do avocados affect your digestion?
Avocados contain perseitol which is a type of sugar alcohol, or polyol. This is one of the FODMAP groups. In some people this can trigger bloating, or diarrhoea.
Avocado was thought to be high in sorbitol until 2023 when the Monash University retested the type of fibre, and reclassified it.
Prebiotic fibre in avocado
Feed your gut microbes! The insoluble fibre in avocado has been shown to help you increase beneficial gut bacteria which create Short Chain Fatty Acids.
SCFAs are anti-inflammatory compounds which our colon cells use as fuel. They also travel around the body helping the immune system. So the benefits of eating avocado goes further than just your digestion.
Are avocados high in histamine?
There isn’t much evidence of avocados containing histamine (despite seeing them on many online listings). Unfortunately tracking down exact high histamine foods is very difficult. This study explains how one book suggested histamine is high in avocado, but provides no explanation of how this was calculated.
Other studies found no histamine in avocados.
If you have a histamine intolerance you may still be able to eat foods containing histamine anyway. This is because not much of the histamine in the gut actually comes from our diet.
Are avocados ok to eat if you have IBS?
If you’re sensitive to FODMAPs quite a small amount like a ¼ could be ok.
When you eat a larger portion, like a whole avocado in one meal, then the naturally occurring sugar alcohol can draw water into the bowel. You might feel more gas, have looser stools or experience cramps.
If you need to increase fibre then avocado is the way forward! Eating just half an avocado can give you 4.6g fibre, which is 1/6th of your daily intake recommendation.
How to start eating avocado with IBS
Haven’t eaten avocado for a while? Try bringing small portions back in slowly. Perhaps start with just 1/4 of a small avocado with a meal and build up from there.
5 non-food strategies for managing IBS
Tips for IBS that don't involve changing your diet
You may not have an issue with any FODMAPs. If you have IBS, it’s best to test your tolerance to all the FODMAP foods using the low FODMAP diet intervention.
If you want help figuring out your IBS triggers, start your Gut Reset with me over 3 months to find a diet that works for you. Just set up a free call to discuss what you need some help with. Email info@goodnessme-nutrition.com
IBS Nutritionist
Hi, I'm Anna Mapson, registered Nutritional Therapist.
I help people with IBS and SIBO get control of unpredictable gut symptoms to find long term relief from painful and embarrassing IBS without restrictive dieting.
I can help you to:
- understand your digestion better, so you recognise your triggers
- eat a well balanced diet, with tasty meals that are simple to prepare
- reintroduce your trigger foods so you can get back to enjoying food again
Find more about my 3 month 1:1 Gut Reset programme.
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