Struggling with diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or IBS? Many of our clients come to us struggling with these issues, too. The good news is that what you eat plays a big role in your gut health, so a few dietary changes can lead to a meaningful improvement in your symptoms.
If you’re anything like our clients, you may think that your beloved Latin American foods can’t support your health goals, but that is far from the truth! As our clients quickly learn, you can absolutely use your cultural foods to promote your health, including gut health.
Plus, through improving your gut health, the following Latin American foods may also support immune health, reduce inflammation, and improve mental health, per a 2024 study in Cells. Here are the 9 best Latin American foods fort gut health:
Avena
A warm cup of avena brings me back to my childhood, when my Dominican grandmother would cook it for me with aromatic sticks of canela and Dominican vanilla. It may not be exactly how oats are often cooked in the US, but that doesn’t mean you’re not reaping their health benefits!
Oats provide both soluble and insoluble fiber, which help soften and bind stool so it’s well-formed and easy to pass.
They also have prebiotics, which act as food for the beneficial microorganisms in your gut.
In fact, a 2023 research review in Nutrients found that oats promote the growth of healthy microorganisms in your gut. They also help promote short-chain fatty acid production, which can help reduce chronic inflammation, promote insulin sensitivity, and improve the strength of your gut lining.
Avocado
Avocados are another food enjoyed across Latin America that can help produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids in your gut, according to a 2020 study in The Journal of Nutrition.
In the same study, eating avocado everyday for 12 weeks improved the diversity of participants’ gut microbiomes compared to participants who didn’t eat avocado—a benefit for overall gut health.
This isn’t super surprising given that avocados are one of the highest-fiber fruits. One avocado has about 9 grams of fiber, or 32% of the daily value (DV), per the USDA.
Beans
Whether you’re from Brasil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or Ecuador, beans are probably central to your cultural cuisine, and that’s good news for your gut!
Beans are one of the most underrated foods for overall health, including gut health. Just ½ cup of black beans has 8 grams of fiber, or 30% of the DV, per the USDA.
This fiber helps improve the diversity of your gut microbiome, prevent constipation, and reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, per a 2022 study in Nutrients.
Café
Besides helping you go to the bathroom in the morning, your café may also improve the diversity of your gut microbiome.
A 2024 research review in Nutrients found that moderate coffee consumption positively impacts the community of microorganisms that make up your gut microbiome. They believe this is because of different compounds in coffee like caffeine, chlorogenic acids, and polyphenols.
The catch? Drinking more than five cups per day was linked with reflux disorders and progression of Crohn’s disease, so it’s generally best to stick with no more than four cups per day.
Curtido
Curtido—a fermented, cabbage-based topping for pupusas—is an overlooked source of probiotics.
Probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria that are good for your digestive health, per the NIH. Essentially, eating probiotic-rich foods introduces more beneficial bacteria to your gut microbiome.
Since curtido is fermented, it’s a source of probiotics. However, it’s important to note that this is only true for traditional curtido made with salt, not vinegar.
When it’s made with salt and fermented over the course of a few days, it grows healthy bacteria. If you make curtido quickly using vinegar, it doesn’t form those probiotics.
Garlic
We love garlic in Latin America and our guts may be reaping the rewards! Garlic is a prebiotic, so it can help feed the healthy microorganisms in your gut. That’s right—it’s not just a flavor enhancer, it’s also a beneficial addition for digestive health.
That said, studies on garlic’s gut health benefits are limited. Oftentimes they’re conducted on animals or cells.
For example, a 2019 study in Nutrients found that whole garlic supplementation had promising effects on the gut microbiome, but the study was conducted on mice. Another study—this one from 2024 in Microorganisms—had similar findings, but it was conducted on stool samples, not humans.
It’s also important to note that for some people, garlic can actually trigger gut issues because it has fructans that get fermented and produce gas in the large intestine.
Guava
Eating all kinds of fruits and veggies is good for your gut, but we’re highlighting guava because it’s one of the highest-fiber fruits out there. One cup of guava has 9 grams of fiber, or 32% of the DV, per the USDA! This can help keep you regular and prevent constipation.
Interestingly, guava leaves may have additional digestive benefits. They’re used in indigenous medicine in Brasil and Mexico to treat diarrhea, and recent research backs up this use case.
A 2024 study in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that guava has at least 27 compounds that help prevent diarrhea or fight harmful bacteria that can cause diarrhea.
Onions
Like garlic, onions are a foundational ingredient in Latin American cuisine. Paired with other veggies like garlic, tomatoes, and peppers, they give many of our cultural dishes their signature flavor.
What’s more, they’re another prebiotic-containing food, per a 2024 study in mSystems! As you now know, that means they help the healthy bacteria in your gut grow and thrive.
Passion Fruit
Last but not least is passion fruit. It’s another super high-fiber fruit, with almost a full day’s worth of fiber per cup!
That said, you’re probably not eating a whole cup of passion fruit at once, but you don’t need to eat much to get a significant amount of fiber.
Eating just two passion fruits provides almost 4 grams of fiber, or 13% of the DV, per the USDA.
Final Thoughts
If better gut health is your goal, your cultural foods can absolutely help you get there.
Latin American fruits like passion fruit, guava, and avocado are full of fiber, while common veggies like onion, garlic, and beans provide prebiotics. Even your morning café can support digestive wellness!
So don’t shy away from your cultural foods when working towards your health goals. They can absolutely be a tool, not a detriment, to your health.
