Can Pico de Gallo Cause Side Effects? Sickness, Gas + More

Pico de gallo is generally safe, and the side effects people report come from three places rather than the dish itself. It is served raw and unheated, so poor storage is the main food safety risk. Its onion and garlic make it high FODMAP. And the raw onion, tomato acidity and chili can each cause gas, heartburn or loose stools in people sensitive to them.

Can Pico De Gallo Make You Sick or Give You Food Poisoning?

Pico de gallo is made with fresh ingredients. This is what sets it apart from salsa. Because of this and because it’s not heated as it is served fresh as well, it could potentially cause problems when not prepared and stored the right way. 

According to the CDC, the safest food is cooked, the next best is when it’s washed. Raw fruits and vegetables could harbor harmful bacteria that could cause diseases (source: CDC). It is necessary to wash onions, tomatoes, peppers, and lime before cutting them.

It’s best to consume fresh pico de gallo after it’s been made. But it will keep for 3–7 days in the fridge. With this said, the longer it stays in the fridge, the more it will lose its quality and taste. 

If you will refrigerate it, the fridge’s temperature should be at 40 °F (4 °C) (source: CDC). Spoilage bacteria, the ones that cause food to go bad, can grow in the refrigerator. They will not make you sick but might render food inedible. 

If you don’t plan on refrigerating it, you need to consume it asap, preferably not 2 hours after it’s been prepared. Pathogenic bacteria, the one that makes us sick, grow fast in the “Temperature Danger Zone”, the temperature between 40 °F (4.4 °C) to 140 °F (60 °C) (source: USDA).

Can Pico de Gallo Give You Diarrhea? 

If you are not used to spicy pico de gallo or if you find it spicier than you can tolerate, it might cause diarrhea as spicy foods can trigger diarrhea (source: Harvard Medical School).

Moreover, chili peppers, like jalapenos or serrano peppers in it, can speed up movement in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to abdominal discomfort, pain, diarrhea, or even nausea (source: University of Pennsylvania).  

Another factor that can cause diarrhea when you eat pico de gallo is if you have any food allergy or intolerance to one or more of its ingredients, or if the pico de gallo has been compromised.

If harmful and disease-causing bacteria have grown in pico de gallo, this can also cause diarrhea which is a symptom of food poisoning. 

Does Pico de Gallo Cause Gas or Bloating?

Tomatoes are highly acidic. They contain citric acid and malic acid which causes the stomach to produce more acid than it should. The same is true for lime juice which is also an ingredient in pico de gallo (source: Vanguard Gastroenterology). 

Too much stomach or gastric acid can result in bloating, pain in the stomach, heartburn, and nausea (source: Healthline). 

Can Pico de Gallo Give You Heartburn or Indigestion? 

It should be noted that you will only have bloating, indigestion, and heartburn due to acid reflux if you have an intolerance, allergy, or sensitivity to any ingredient in pico de gallo, and if you ate too much of it.

With that said, another ingredient that can prompt the production of stomach acid is onion. This is because onions can make food stay in the stomach longer than normal. This causes belching and acid reflux.

Ripe tomatoes can also cause acid reflux because they have high levels of malic and citric acid. These acids can cause the overproduction of acid in the stomach (source: Vanguard Gastroenterology). 

We recommend asking your doctor if you can have any of the ingredients in tolerable amounts or not.

Is Pico de Gallo low FODMAP? 

A low FODMAP food or diet is designed for people with functional gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, cramping, and diarrhea. Those who observe this diet should not consume foods that could induce or worsen the conditions above.

Among these foods are onions. Pico de gallo contains onions which makes it a non-FODMAP food (source: Low-FODMAP Diet), even if fresh tomatoes can be considered low FODMAP (source: FODMAP Friendly). Pico de gallo may not be the best option if you are on a FODMAP diet or will be on one.

If pico de gallo doesn’t give you any trouble, make sure you handle, prepare, and store it properly, and ask your doctor if it gives you problems.

Common Questions About Pico De Gallo Side Effects

How long can pico de gallo sit out before it is unsafe?

Two hours at room temperature is the usual limit, and less on a hot day. Pico de gallo is made from fresh ingredients and never heated, so unlike a cooked salsa there is no step that kills bacteria. Back in the fridge promptly is the whole of the food safety advice here.

How long does pico de gallo keep in the fridge?

It is at its best within a few days, and the texture tells you plenty: once the tomato has gone watery and the onion has softened, it is past its best. If you are unsure how long it has been in there, that is a reason to make a fresh batch rather than risk it.

Which ingredient in pico de gallo causes the gas?

Onion is the usual answer. It is a well known gas-producing food and there is a lot of it relative to the size of the serve. Garlic, where a recipe includes it, works the same way.

Is pico de gallo low FODMAP?

No. Fresh tomatoes can be considered low FODMAP, but the onions make the dish as a whole high FODMAP, so pico de gallo is not a good fit if you are following a low FODMAP plan or about to start one.

Can I make a low FODMAP version?

Leaving the onion and garlic out removes the main problem, though it also removes much of what makes it pico de gallo. Some people use the green tops of spring onions, which are lower FODMAP than the bulb. A dietitian is the right person to confirm substitutions if you are following the plan properly.

Why does pico de gallo give me heartburn?

Tomatoes are acidic and chili is a common heartburn trigger, and pico de gallo has both in a raw, undiluted form. If you already get reflux, this is a predictable combination rather than a sign anything is wrong with the dish.

Can pico de gallo cause diarrhoea?

It can, either through the chili speeding things up, through an intolerance to one of the ingredients, or through poor storage. Which of those it is usually shows in the timing and in whether it happens every time or only occasionally.

Is it an allergy or an intolerance?

An allergy involves an immune response and can produce symptoms beyond the gut, while an intolerance is a digestive difficulty. Tomato, onion and chili can each be involved. Testing this properly is a job for a GP rather than an elimination diet worked out alone.

Is shop-bought pico de gallo safer than homemade?

It is made under controlled conditions and dated, which helps, but it is still a fresh unheated product and needs the same refrigeration once opened. Homemade is fine when the two hour rule is respected.

Where To Go Next

Onion is one of the most common hidden causes of bloating precisely because it is in so much savoury food, and picking it out of the dishes you eat regularly is the practical work Trish Tucker-May covers on her page.

For the same question about other foods, kimchi runs into the onion and cabbage issue too, and spinach is fiber rather than FODMAPs. The gut and digestion index has them all in one place.