Is Avocado Good For Diarrhea? Its Pros and Cons

Diarrhea is when you have loose and watery poop, which can be annoying and get in the way of your day. It usually gets better on its own, but everyone wants to feel better faster. So, people wonder if eating avocados can help with diarrhea.

Why Avocado Might Help with Diarrhea

Avocados could be a good food to eat when you have diarrhea because of certain things they contain.

1. Fiber for Better Digestion

A medium avocado has about 7 grams of fiber. Fiber makes your poop thicker and helps your stomach digest food. The soluble fiber in avocados, which soaks up water, can make poop less watery.

2. Potassium for Lost Electrolytes

When you have diarrhea, your body loses a lot of water and minerals like potassium. Eating half an avocado can give you about 14% of the potassium you need in a day, which can help with diarrhea.

3. Nutrients and Gentle Fats

Avocados are creamy because they have healthy fats called monounsaturated fats. These fats are easy on your stomach. Avocados also have vitamins like C, E, K, and B-6.

4. Calories for Energy When Eating Less

If you have diarrhea, you might not want to eat as much. Eating half an avocado gives you about 160 calories along with other nutrients, which is helpful when you’re not eating a lot.

5. Possible Prebiotic Effects

Research says that avocados may act like prebiotics, feeding the good bacteria in your guts. This can make your stomach stronger and help you get over diarrhea faster.

Why Avocado Might Make Diarrhea Worse

Even though avocados have benefits, there are also reasons why they might not be great for you when you have diarrhea.

1. Lots of Fiber

Eating a lot of fiber all at once can sometimes make diarrhea worse. A whole avocado has a lot of fiber, which could upset a sensitive stomach.

2. FODMAPs

Avocados have FODMAPs, which are a kind of carb that might cause gas and diarrhea in some people if the carbs don’t digest well. This happens because bacteria in the gut ferment these carbs.

3. High Fat Content

The fats in avocados can sometimes make you need to poop if you eat a lot of them. This is because the fats can make your intestines squeeze more.

4. Allergy Risks

Some people are allergic to avocados. If you are allergic, eating them could cause problems like diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting.

5. Might Have Germs

Avocados, like other fresh foods, can sometimes have germs like bacteria or viruses on them. If you eat an avocado with germs, you could get sick with symptoms like diarrhea, throwing up, and a fever.

Who Should Eat or Avoid Avocados

Thinking about the good and not-so-good things about avocados, here’s who might want to eat them and who might need to be careful:

People Who Might Benefit

If you don’t have problems with avocados and you can handle fiber and fats, avocados could give you fiber, potassium, vitamins, and calories when you’re dealing with diarrhea.

People Who Should Be Careful

You might want to avoid avocados or not eat too much if you have a sensitive stomach, you have diarrhea because you’re sick, you’ve never tried avocados before, or you’re allergic to avocados.

How to Add Avocados to Your Diet Safely

If you want to see if avocados can help with your diarrhea, here are some tips to do it safely:

• Start with a small piece, like a quarter of an avocado, to see how your stomach handles it.
• Eat it with food that’s easy to digest, like bananas, rice, applesauce, or toast.
• Don’t mix it with other fatty foods, like oils, creams, or fatty meats.
• Pick recipes with smooth avocado, and avoid the skin and seed.
• Don’t eat a lot of other high-fiber foods at the same time.
• Drink a lot of water and maybe some drinks with electrolytes to stay hydrated.
• If your diarrhea gets worse or you think you’re having an allergic reaction, stop eating avocados.

In Summary

Avocados have lots of nutrients and might help with diarrhea because of their fiber and potassium. But, they also have things that might not be good if you eat too much. Listen to your body and try only a little bit of avocado to start to see if it’s good for you when you have diarrhea.