6 Reasons Carrots Can Trigger Diarrhea, According to a Gut Health Dietitian

Have you noticed diarrhea after eating carrots, and found yourself feeling perplexed? (Aren’t carrots low FODMAP, low histamine, low sulfur, and considered a generally “IBS-friendly” food?) 

Even so, you may be onto something.

It’s time to put our detective hats on and connect the dots! Read on to learn 6 reasons carrots can potentially trigger diarrhea, directly or indirectly, according to a gut health dietitian.

How carrots can cause diarrhea, in summary

TLDR:  You could experience diarrhea after eating carrots in any of the following scenarios:

1. You may have eaten too many carrots (this is often referred to as “FODMAP stacking”)
2. You might have a sucrose intolerance (carrots are one of the only veggies high in sucrose!)
3. You may have a roughage intolerance (raw carrots, but not cooked or juiced, would trigger diarrhea)
4. You may have a food sensitivity to carrots
5. You could be reacting to something else that you ate or drank alongside the carrots
6. There’s a food safety issue

Too many carrots

While carrots are not inherently bad or unhealthy, eating too many carrots (or too much of any food, relative to what your digestive capacity can handle at any given time) can most definitely upset your stomach! 

If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and have noticed that you felt sick after eating a large quantity of carrots, this may be related to a behavior called FODMAP stacking.

• FODMAP stacking means eating a serving size of a “low FODMAP” food that exceeds the amount considered low FODMAP.  
  • For example, in this case, carrots are considered low FODMAP in servings of 1 small or 1/2 medium carrot, or less. 

So, eating a high FODMAP serving of carrots (more than one small or 1/2 medium carrot at one time) could increase the chances of undigested carrot particles fermenting with microbes in your intestine (and thus triggering unwanted IBS symptoms).

Consider limiting carrots to a low FODMAP serving and see if this helps keep symptoms at bay.

Sucrose intolerance

Carrots are naturally a food high in sucrose, which is not inherently bad – but which may be an issue for folks with a sucrose intolerance (caused by a sucrase-isomaltase enzyme deficiency).

If you recently ate some plain carrots (whether fresh or cooked) and noticed they were not well tolerated, consider auditing your food-symptom journal to see if any other low FODMAP, high sucrose foods (such as pineapple, sweet potatoes, or even real maple syrup) seem to be triggering similar symptoms.  (If so, make sure to check out the sucrose intolerance diet for symptom relief!)

Recommended reading: What’s a Sucrose Intolerance and How Do You Know If You Have It?

Fiber (roughage) intolerance

Fiber is often glorified as something that helps IBS symptoms (such as constipation and diarrhea) to feel better…

But a certain percentage of IBS sufferers (and actually more so people with inflammatory bowel disease) have an intolerance to the amount of insoluble fiber (aka “roughage”) their digestive system can handle at any given time.

All of that said, if you find yourself running to the bathroom after consuming a full serving or significant portion of raw/fresh (versus cooked or juiced) carrots, you may want to audit your food-symptom diary (aka “IBS food diary”) to see if you notice the same thing with other high-fiber foods like salads/lettuce, whole grains, etc.

Consider trying out cooked carrots (like these low FODMAP maple glazed carrots) and see if the carrots still trigger diarrhea.

If you do notice you have an intolerance to insoluble fiber, you may want to consider consulting your treatment team about ruling out a type of inflammatory bowel disease like ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease or even diverticulitis.

Recommended reading:

• Fiber: Friend or Foe? (Why Fiber Helps Some People with IBS — and Hurts Others)
• Low Fiber Foods List 

Food sensitivity to carrots

As a certified LEAP therapist, I may recommend Mediator Release food sensitivity testing for some of my clients with diarrhea (after we’ve already covered the foundational elements of dietary modification, digestive support, microbial rebalancing, gut repair, and nervous system regulation) if the diarrhea has not yet subsided.

In rare cases, I will see a food sensitivity to carrots pop up (and in these cases, carrots may trigger diet-induced inflammation which can show up in the body as diarrhea for some people). 

Note that a food sensitivity to carrots would be very difficult to identify via food-symptom journaling, because it can sometimes take up to 72-96 hours (three to four days) for a food sensitivity reaction to manifest! 

However, please also keep in mind, food sensitivities are a SYMPTOM of something deeper going on (for example: dysbiosis, mold, SIBO, leaky gut, nervous system hypervigilance, etc.) and should not replace the foundational, front-line interventions of gut repair.

Also, if you do test positive for a sensitivity to carrots, note that when you address and resolve the underlying root cause(s) of the food sensitivity, the reaction to carrots should subside over time. 

In other words, don’t consider food sensitivity reactions to be a “life sentence”. Rest assured you can *most likely* reintroduce carrots into your diet (if reactive from a food sensitivity standpoint) after about three to six months of foundational gut repair interventions.

Reacting to something else

Unless you’re eating plain carrots by themselves, not eating/drinking anything else, and then noticing diarrhea within a few hours of eating the carrots, always consider the possibility that something else you’re eating or drinking alongside carrots could be triggering symptoms of diarrhea. (Nothing exists in a vacuum!)

Below are some examples of common trigger foods that are often paired with carrots. (Disclaimer: This list is not exhaustive and may not apply to you. Just take what you need, and leave the rest!)

Garlic/onions

Garlic and onions are high FODMAP herbs and seasonings that are often added to dips, spreads, and salad dressings. 

If you had your carrots with a veggie dip, hummus, or salad dressing, or with roasted veggies, consider auditing the ingredient list to see if it contains garlic and onions.

Fats/oils

Carrots are often prepared or enjoyed with butter, ghee, oil, hummus, or salad dressing – all of which are high in fats. Consider the possibility of a fat intolerance if you are reacting to carrots that were prepared with high-fat ingredients.

Recommended reading: Do You Have a Fat Intolerance? (How to Tell if Your Diarrhea Is Linked to Dietary Fat Malabsorption)

Wheat/gluten-containing grains

Carrots are often consumed alongside some kind of gluten-containing grain (such as bread or crackers), especially at a meal or snack. 

I often see wheat-containing foods as a common IBS symptom trigger – not just because of the gluten, but because of the fructans and in some cases even the wheat itself. 

Consider doing an audit of your food-symptom journal to see if you’ve been consuming carrots alongside wheat or other gluten-containing grains, or other reactive foods!

Recommended reading: 

• Are Fructans Triggering Your IBS Symptoms? (How to Know If You Have a Fructan Intolerance)
• Wheat vs. Gluten: What’s the Difference?

Foodborne illness

Unfortunately, foodborne illness is a common cause of IBS symptoms and can lead to post-infectious IBS or even small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in some individuals.

While carrots are inherently low-risk from a food safety standpoint, cooking them and then leaving them sitting out at room temperature for a day or two (or letting your leftovers sit in the fridge for more than 3 to 4 days) could most definitely harbor some unhealthy pathogenic microbes.

Remember to always cover, seal, and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours or less of preparing them.

If your diarrhea is severe and frequent and not going away, call your doctor or go to your nearest urgent care center/emergency room immediately to make sure you don’t get too dehydrated or acquire an electrolyte imbalance (and to identify and treat the root cause of the symptoms!).

Related articles

If you found this article helpful, you may want to check out the following articles:

• 7 Reasons Oatmeal and Oat Milk Can Cause Diarrhea
• 7 Possible Causes of Diarrhea After Eating Sugar
• 6 Ways Carrots Can Trigger Diarrhea
• 5 Reasons Why Blackberries Can Cause Diarrhea
• 17 Best Types of Tea for Diarrhea and Upset Stomach

Recap and final thoughts

Everything happens for a reason! We’re here to help you uncover the root cause of your diarrhea. If you suspect carrots are a symptom trigger, you might have eaten too many carrots- or you could alternatively be dealing with an underlying sucrose intolerance (sucrase-isomaltase deficiency), roughage/fiber intolerance, food sensitivity to carrots.

If none of the above scenarios apply to you (you’ve ruled them all out, with help from your healthcare team), consider looking closer at whatever else you’re eating or drinking, alongside the carrots. (Looking for patterns is key!)

Next steps

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Hopefully this article helped to bring you some clarity and revelation on your journey! If you’re looking to learn more about how to take a holistic nutrition approach for gut health, download our free guide:  5 Common Diet Mistakes to Avoid On Your Gut-Healing Journey

Try out the IBS Food Diary

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