Do Avocados Cause Gas?

Many people are wondering whether or not avocados are good for them since although they often read that this fruit is very nutritious and filled with fat that is beneficial for their bodies, they tend to complain that avocados cause them bloating and gas.

Does this mean that you should avoid eating avocados? Or should you still stick to them since they make wonders for your health? You will find out all about that in the following lines.

Some facts about avocados

Avocado is actually a fruit. Although avocado is often thought to be a vegetable since it’s green and has a savory taste, it’s actually a fruit that is composed of a brown outer layer, an inner layer of green colour and a seed. More specifically, avocado is a berry and a fleshy fruit.

Avocados will be ripe more quickly if they are put together with an apple or a banana. Thanks to the ethylene gas that an apple and a banana release, unripe avocados will ripen more quickly if you put them in a bag together with bananas and/or apples.  

This fruit is very rich in various nutrients. Avocados are very nutritious. Their calorie content is 325, out of which 84% is fat. But this is “good” fat. Monosaturated fat has been known to lower high cholesterol levels and to calm inflammations too.

The potassium content in avocados is higher than in bananas, a very well-known source of this mineral.  While a large banana has 487 miligrams of potassium, an avocado delivers even 975 miligrams. They also contain two phytochemicals called zeaxanthin and lutein that fight against macular degeneration and cataract. Avocados also contain a vitamin B (prevents the DNA damages) and vitamins E and K. They also have a high folate content. Your body needs 400 micrograms of folate per day and half of an avocado contains a quarter of this amount.

This is one of the fruits with a high-protein content. This fruit is famous for being very rich in protein as well (4 grams per fruit). All the amino acids that are important for an optimal bodily functioning can be found in this fruit. Besides, all of the protein in avocados can be used by the body, whereas it isn’t the case for meat. Your body cannot use all the protein in meat.

Avocados have a very high fibre content (13.5 grams per fruit). This amount provides half a daily recommended intake for women and one-third of a daily recommended intake for men.

Avocados can be used for cosmetic purposes as well. This fruit can also be used for hair and skin care thanks to its high content of amino acids, essential oils and amino acids. They are beneficial for damaged hair, dry skin and wrinkles.

You can use avocados istead of butter for baking. If you are out of butter or you simply want to make healthier dishes, you can replace it with avocados since they have a creamy structure and healthy fat, as we have already mentioned.

Avocados are stored at room temperature and they usually take 4 or 5 days to become ripe. They are ripe when the outside skin is brown or dark purple and yield to pressure.

Are avocados a gassy food?

Although avocados are a great source of nutrients that are beneficial for human body, some people tend to experience unpleasant symptoms such as gas and bloating after eating them or any food that contains them. This is known as an avocado intolerance.

This is a state in which your body reacts negatively to avocados or any foods that is avocado based. These reactions don’t tend to appear immediately after eating avocados. You can expect them a few hours or even a day after eating this fruit. Not every individual will have the same symptoms of avocado intolerance since each body is unique and different. Besides, if you don’t suffer from avocado intolerance, it doesn’t mean that you won’t later in your life.

As for the symptoms of avocado intolerance, there are two kinds of them: immune avocado intolerance and digestive avocado intolerance. In the case of the first group of symptoms, they involve an immune reaction of the body after avocado intake. This reaction varies from person to person.

People who suffer from digestive avocado intolerance cannot  properly digest or absorb some ingredients found in avocados. These people are likely to feel gas, bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain and many other signs of a digestive upset. Not every person will experience the same severity levels of any of these symptoms.

Besides, while there are some people who will experience negative bodily reactions only after eating large quantities of avocado, in other people any amounts of this fruit can trigger these reactions.

How can you cope with feeling gassy after eating avocados?

Unfortunately, the only solution for people who suffer from avocado intolerance is to avoid both avocados and any foods based on them. However, there are people with this problem who can freely eat avocados after a while and they won’t experience any of the unpleasant symptoms of avocado intolerance. If you are avocado intolerant and you want to try to reintroduce them into your diet, make sure to always consult your doctor.

You can also try some other strategies to reduce the symptoms of avocado intolerance. You may eat avocados prepared in certain ways or you may also consume smaller portions, for instance one half or one quarter of a whole avocado. Here are some suggestions for eating smaller amounts of avocados and still be able to reap all the benefits.

You can chop one avocado and add it to your bean soup. Replace cheese with sliced avocados to your sandwich to make it healthier. You can also use ripe avocado for spreading to your toast and replace butter with it. Add some black pepper to this if you like. Make delicious salsa of diced avocado, tomatoes, red onion and lime. This salsa is ideal for serving with chicken or grilled fish. You can make a very nutritious and refreshing salad with slices of avocado, fennel, slices of orange and mint. Chop some  fresh parsley on the top and and add some olive oil in the end.

If you watch your calorie intake, you should know that if you prepare dishes with avocados by frying, they will then have much more calories and fat.

Although avocados can cause gas and bloating, you shouldn’t avoid them if you really don’t have to since they are loaded with highly beneficial substances for your body, as you could have read in these lines.

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