You’ve probably walked right past it in the produce aisle. It’s pale green, shaped like a lopsided pear, and looks a bit like it has a permanent frown on one end. Most people don’t even know what to call it. It’s the chayote. Honestly, the nutritional value chayote squash offers is one of the best-kept secrets in the vegetable world, especially if you’re tired of the same old rotation of broccoli and kale. It belongs to the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), making it a cousin to cucumbers and melons, but it carries a profile that is uniquely its own.
It's crunchy. It’s mild. It’s basically a hydration bomb.
While it originated in Mexico and Central America, it’s now a staple in everything from Filipino tinola to Louisiana mirliton dressings. But we aren't just talking about flavor here. We’re talking about a plant that manages to pack a massive punch of folate and antioxidants while barely registering on the calorie scale. If you’re trying to manage blood sugar or just want your skin to look a little less tired, this weird green squash might be your new best friend.
The Raw Breakdown of Nutritional Value Chayote Squash
Let’s get into the weeds of what’s actually inside this thing. A single chayote squash (about 203 grams) isn't just water. You’re looking at roughly 39 calories. That is almost nothing. For people tracking macros, it’s a dream because it provides about 9 grams of carbohydrates, but 4 of those grams are pure fiber.
Fiber is the hero here.
Most of us aren’t getting anywhere near the recommended 25–30 grams of fiber a day. Chayote helps bridge that gap without making you feel heavy. It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is great for your gut microbiome. Beyond the macros, the micronutrient profile is where it gets interesting. You’re getting a massive hit of Vitamin B9, also known as folate. One squash provides about 47% of the Daily Value (DV).
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Vitamin C and Trace Minerals
You also get about 13% of your Vitamin C needs. While that might not sound like much compared to an orange, you have to remember that chayote is incredibly versatile; you can eat it raw in slaws where the Vitamin C stays intact rather than being degraded by heat. Then there’s the potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Manganese is one of those trace minerals we often forget about, but it’s essential for bone health and blood clotting. It’s a quiet worker.
Heart Health and the Myricetin Connection
Most people think of "superfoods" as dark berries or leafy greens. They’re wrong to overlook the nutritional value chayote squash brings to cardiovascular health. Chayote contains a specific flavonoid called myricetin.
Studies, including research published in journals like Nutrients, have shown that myricetin possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. But specifically for the heart, myricetin has been linked to improved blood flow and lower blood pressure in some animal models. It helps relax the blood vessels.
When your vessels are relaxed, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard.
There’s also the cholesterol factor. Because of that high fiber content, chayote can help bind bile acids in the digestive tract. This forces your body to use up cholesterol to make more bile, effectively lowering your circulating LDL (the "bad" stuff) levels over time. It’s a passive way to clean up your system.
Does Chayote Really Help With Blood Sugar?
This is a big one. With Type 2 diabetes rates climbing, everyone is looking for "functional foods." Chayote fits the bill. It is incredibly low in starch.
The low-calorie, high-fiber combo means it has a very low glycemic load. It won't spike your insulin. But it goes deeper than just being "low carb." Some preliminary research suggests that compounds in chayote may inhibit certain enzymes involved in carbohydrate digestion. Basically, it might slow down how fast your body absorbs sugar.
Clinical trials are still evolving, but the anecdotal evidence from traditional medicine—where chayote tea is used to manage glucose—is backed by the vegetable's chemical composition. It’s a safe, "volume-eating" food for diabetics who want to feel full without the glucose hangover.
The Role of Antioxidants
It isn't just Vitamin C. We're talking about quercetin, morin, and kaempferol. These sound like chemicals from a lab, but they are naturally occurring plant compounds that fight oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is essentially your body "rusting" from the inside out due to free radicals. Eating chayote is like applying an anti-rust coating to your cells.
Cooking Matters: How to Keep the Nutrients Intact
You can ruin any vegetable if you boil it into a mushy gray pile. To maximize the nutritional value chayote squash provides, you need to be smart about heat.
- Raw: Peel it (or don't, the skin is edible but can be tough) and julienne it into a salad. This keeps all the Vitamin C and folate 100% available.
- Steaming: This is the gold standard for cooked chayote. It softens the flesh but keeps the water-soluble vitamins from leaching out into boiling water.
- Sautéing: Use a healthy fat like avocado oil. Some of the antioxidants in squash are fat-soluble, meaning your body absorbs them better when a little oil is present.
- Fermenting: Some people are starting to use chayote in kimchi. The probiotics from fermentation combined with the squash's fiber create a gut-health powerhouse.
Don't throw away the seed. The pit inside the chayote is entirely edible and has a nutty flavor. It contains its own set of amino acids. Most people discard it because they don't know any better. Don't be most people.
Common Misconceptions and Nuance
I’ve heard people say chayote is "just water." That’s a massive oversimplification. While it is about 94% water—which is great for hydration—that remaining 6% is dense with bioactive compounds. It’s also worth noting that some people experience a slight skin irritation when peeling raw chayote. It’s a sap-like substance that can make your hands feel tight or itchy. It’s harmless, but wearing gloves or peeling it under running water solves the problem instantly.
Also, let's talk about the "mirliton" vs. "chayote" debate. They are the same thing. In Louisiana, they call it mirliton. In Australia, it’s a "choko." Regardless of the name, the nutrition doesn't change.
Is it a miracle cure? No. No food is. But as part of a plant-heavy diet, it fills a specific niche: high volume, high fiber, and high folate with almost zero caloric "cost."
Practical Next Steps for Your Diet
If you're ready to actually use this information, don't just buy one and let it rot in your crisper drawer. Start small.
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- The Grocery Test: Look for firm, heavy squashes. Avoid ones that are shriveled or have deep brown soft spots. A few small scratches are fine; they're tough veggies.
- Simple Prep: Slice it thin, toss it with lime juice, a pinch of chili powder, and salt. It’s a refreshing snack that replaces processed chips.
- The Swap: Next time a recipe calls for potatoes in a soup or stew, swap half of them for cubed chayote. You’ll cut the calories by 60% and add a nice textural contrast since chayote holds its shape better than a potato does.
- Tea Time: If you’re feeling adventurous, the leaves of the chayote plant (if you can find them at an Asian or Latin market) make a tea that has been used in traditional medicine to support kidney stone treatment, though you should always check with a doctor before using it for medicinal purposes.
Chayote isn't flashy. It doesn't have the marketing budget of kale or the "cool factor" of avocado. But for anyone serious about their health, the nutritional value chayote squash offers is too significant to ignore. It’s cheap, it lasts a long time in the fridge, and it does the heavy lifting for your heart and gut while you barely notice it's there.