Chayote is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense squash that stands out for its exceptionally high folate content, its fiber, and a growing body of research linking it to better blood sugar control and lower blood pressure. A single chayote (about 203 grams) has just 39 calories while delivering 47% of your daily folate needs and 12% of your daily fiber. It’s one of the more nutritionally interesting vegetables you can add to your routine, especially if you’re managing blood sugar, watching your weight, or pregnant.
Nutritional Profile at a Glance
Chayote belongs to the same family as zucchini and cucumber, and like those vegetables, it’s mostly water. That high water content keeps the calorie count remarkably low. One whole chayote gives you 39 calories, 4 grams of fiber, 17% of your daily vitamin C, 47% of your daily folate, and 5% of your daily potassium. For a single vegetable, that folate number is unusually high. You’d need to eat several cups of most other vegetables to match it.
Beyond the basic vitamins and minerals, chayote contains at least 16 different plant compounds with antioxidant activity. The most abundant are galangin, phloretin, naringenin, and chlorogenic acid. These compounds protect cells from oxidative damage, which is the kind of low-grade cellular wear that contributes to chronic disease over time. Naringenin in particular has been studied for its antioxidant effects at multiple levels within cells, from the outer membrane all the way to the nucleus.
Blood Sugar Control
The most compelling research on chayote involves blood sugar management. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data from clinical trials involving 282 older adults with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. After three months of taking chayote extract, participants saw their fasting blood sugar drop by an average of about 21 mg/dL. Their HbA1c, which reflects blood sugar control over the previous two to three months, dropped by roughly one full percentage point. Both of those are clinically meaningful changes.
At the six-month mark, the improvements held. Blood sugar was still significantly lower than baseline, and HbA1c remained reduced. These trials used a concentrated chayote extract rather than whole fruit, so eating chayote in your meals won’t produce identical results. But the underlying compounds are the same. One of them, gallic acid, appears to improve insulin sensitivity by helping cells absorb glucose more efficiently.
Animal studies reinforce these findings. In one experiment with diabetic rats, blood sugar levels dropped from around 281 mg/dL to 152 mg/dL over 28 days of chayote supplementation. While animal results don’t translate directly to humans, the consistency across both human and animal research strengthens the case that chayote has real effects on glucose metabolism.
Blood Pressure and Heart Health
Chayote has long been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for high blood pressure, and clinical research now supports that reputation. A study on older adults with metabolic syndrome found that regular chayote consumption produced a measurable blood pressure-lowering effect alongside its blood sugar benefits. The researchers described the fruit as having hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
There’s also preliminary evidence that chayote’s fiber may benefit cardiovascular health in a less obvious way. Polysaccharides extracted from chayote helped reduce lipid accumulation in immune cells exposed to cholesterol crystals in lab studies. These polysaccharides increased lipid efflux, essentially helping cells clear out excess cholesterol rather than letting it build up. That process is relevant to atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty plaques in arteries. This research is still at the cellular level, but it suggests chayote’s benefits for the heart go beyond simple blood pressure effects.
Folate for Pregnancy
At 189 micrograms of folate per fruit, chayote is one of the richest vegetable sources of this B vitamin. That single squash covers nearly half the daily recommended intake. Folate is critical during pregnancy for the development of the fetal brain and spinal cord, and adequate intake helps prevent neural tube defects and may reduce the risk of preterm birth.
Most people associate folate with leafy greens and legumes, so chayote is a useful option if you want more variety in how you meet your daily target. Unlike folic acid supplements, the folate in whole foods comes packaged with fiber and other nutrients that support absorption and overall health.
Fiber and Digestion
The 4 grams of fiber in one chayote come primarily from insoluble fiber, found in both the pulp and the peel. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and helps keep things moving through the digestive tract, which is the type most people think of when they think about “staying regular.” Chayote does contain some soluble fiber as well, though insoluble is the dominant type. That balance makes it a good everyday vegetable for digestive health without the bloating that higher-soluble-fiber foods sometimes cause.
Weight Management
At 39 calories per fruit with 4 grams of fiber, chayote is about as calorie-efficient as a vegetable gets. The high water content fills you up, and the fiber slows digestion enough to keep you satisfied longer. You can eat a generous portion without meaningfully affecting your calorie budget for the day. If you’re looking for a vegetable that adds volume to meals, chayote fills the same role as zucchini or cucumber but with significantly more folate and a slightly heartier texture when cooked.
How to Eat It
The entire chayote plant is edible: fruit, seed, skin, leaves, shoots, and even the starchy tuberous root. Most people eat only the fruit, but the leaves and shoots are popular in salads and stir-fries across Asia, and the root can be prepared like a yam.
The fruit is most commonly cooked, treated like summer squash. Light cooking preserves its crisp texture. You can stir-fry it, add it to soups, stuff it, bake it, mash it, or pickle it. In the Philippines, it’s a common ingredient in soups like sinigang and tinola. In Vietnam, it shows up in sautés and stir-fries. In Korea, it’s often pickled or marinated as a side dish. Raw chayote works in salsas and salads, especially when marinated in lime juice, though the texture is firmer and chewier than when cooked.
The seed inside the fruit is also edible. Some people enjoy it cold with dressing. If you’re peeling chayote, know that the skin can release a sticky sap that irritates some people’s hands. Peeling under running water or wearing gloves avoids the issue entirely.