Good News About Avocado and FODMAPs

I don’t know about you, but I love avocados and I push the limits on how much I eat. I have noticed I can definitely tolerate more than the 1/8 avocado serving size recommended (previously) in the Monash app. Now I know the reason for that. The Monash FODMAP team (always dedicated to keeping the low FODMAP diet science current and accurate) recently re-tested avocados for FODMAP content and they made an interesting discovery. Avocados, a food analyzed over 15 years ago when the diet was initially developed, surprisingly are not high in sorbitol as previously thought. They are high in a unique sugar polyol called perseitol.

Perseitol, unique to avocados, behaves similarly to sorbitol in the gut. More study of this unique polyol and its potential to trigger IBS symptoms is needed so Monash refrained from reclassifying avocados as low FODMAP for the time being. They did, however, increase the low FODMAP serving size so you can now confidently eat 1/4 - 1/3 of an avocado (up to 2.1 ounces) and that is still considered low FODMAP.

This discovery highlights the complexity of food science and emphasizes the importance of ongoing research in FODMAPs and IBS management. I am thankful Monash University continues to prioritize this science for all of our benefit!

For those missing avocados, I recommend doing your own tolerance testing to see if you truly can increase your avocado intake without triggering symptoms. Don’t know how to do that? I’m always here to help.

Stay tuned for more updates as the Monash team continues to delve into FODMAP science! Read the full article, including all the science, on the Monash Low FODMAP blog.

Looking for Low FODMAP recipes that include avocado? Head on over to my recipe club and type the word “avocado” in the search box. Voila! All my recipes that include avocado. You’re welcome. :-)

More Deliciously Low FODMAP™ tips and tools