The Truth: Does Cauliflower Cause Gas?

From the sulfurous symphony of Brussels sprouts to the bean-induced belly orchestra, we're about to embark on a gut-gurgling journey through the foods that turn your insides into a gas factory. But fear not, fellow food lovers! This isn't just about pointing fingers at flatulence-inducing fare. We're here to uncover the secrets of comfortable digestion, so you can enjoy your favorite foods without fear of becoming a walking whoopee cushion.

Ready to master the art of eating well without the unwelcome sound effects? Let's dive into the windy world of foods that make you toot and explore why some of the healthiest eats can leave you feeling like a human balloon.

Key Takeaways

• Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that can cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress, similar to broccoli, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts.

• While cauliflower can cause gas, it is also a nutritious and healthy diet food that provides numerous health benefits. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce its gas buildup.

• There are also other plant foods that make you gassy – foods which are also considered healthy to eat. Discover what they are, and how you can set yourself up for controlling gas, so you can gain their plant health benefits.

Understanding Gas Production

Foods that cause gas in one person may be perfectly digested by another. Unfortunately, for many of us, plant foods like cauliflower and other foods that make you gassy can be hard to digest, and can cause gas, bloating, abdominal pain, and other GI issues. [2] [3]

Sugar substitutes, such as sugar alcohols and low-calorie sweeteners, can also contribute to gas and bloating.

Passing gas and belching are your body’s natural defenses to rid itself of excess air that gets trapped in the gut. But excessive gas can be uncomfortable and even painful. Not to mention, smelly and socially embarrassing.

How Gas is Formed in the Body

Excess gas in the GI tract gets trapped from swallowing gas when eating or drinking, or as a byproduct of natural digestive processes in the large intestine after it’s passed through the small intestine. [8]

Everyone swallows some air when eating or drinking. But eating or drinking too fast, talking while eating, chewing gum, smoking, or wearing loose-fitting dentures can cause some people to swallow too much air. Stress can also do that. Try to calm yourself before meal time and be conscious not to gulp your food and drink. [8]

As noted, other plant foods besides cauliflower can cause gassiness. Hard-to-digest substances include complex carbohydrates (sugars, starches, and fibers) and cellulose – which the human body is not equipped to digest. These foods move to the colon and ferment there, producing gases, including hydrogen sulfide (responsible for the rotten egg odor), as well as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and sometimes methane.

Humans fart 5 to 20 times per day, which can lead to embarrassing situations as well as pain and discomfort.

Foods That Cause Gas [6]

Certain foods can make you gassy. Surprisingly, some of the biggest culprits are foods that are considered nutritional heroes of a healthy diet… if you can manage the gassiness they may cause. Sugar substitutes, often found in sugar-free products, can also cause gas and bloating.

High-FODMAP plant foods are a common cause of gas. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (short-chain carbs). [9] Additionally, sugars including some naturally-occurring ones, and sugar alcohol, are often poorly absorbed by the digestive tract. Some people experience digestive distress and gassiness after eating high-FODMAP foods. Eating a low FODMAP diet can help reduce gas.

Sugar substitutes, such as sugar alcohols and low-calorie sweeteners, are also high-FODMAP foods that can cause gas and bloating.

Fiber rich plant foods including vegetables and legumes nourish healthy gut bacteria and turn them into vitamins and prebiotics. But flatulence (gassiness and farting) often comes as a side effect. In fact, going vegan or vegetarian can make people gassy. However, it should be noted that most people consuming a Western diet consume too little fiber, not too much.

So, what are the foods that make you gassy? Check out this list…

Cruciferous Vegetables including Cauliflower

Eating cauliflower and other plant foods can make you gassy. As can other cruciferous vegetables such as sulforaphane-rich broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, Bok choy, and asparagus – despite their reputation as nutritional heroes and their benefits for keto diets, which are praised by celebrities and natural health doctors alike.

Cruciferous vegetables are complex carbohydrates that contain raffinose, an oligosaccharide that the human body can’t break down, excess gas bubbles in your intestine. These veggies are also high in sulfur compounds called sulforaphane, leading to gas problems. Of these, asparagus can cause especially stinky gas.

Cauliflower also contains glucosinolates, which break down in the intestines to produce hydrogen sulfide, the sulfur-smelling gas. This is a true pity, considering how cauliflower is rich in many great nutrients including choline and vitamin K and anticancer compounds.

Another high fiber food – though not a cruciferous vegetable – that can make you gassy is spinach, due largely to its high levels of insoluble fiber. [5]

Can you enjoy cauliflower and skip the bloat?

Yes! Here are some tips...

• Cooked is better than raw. Cooking breaks down some of the carbs and sugars, effectively pre-digesting them.

• Start slow and increase portion sizes over time. That gives your gut time to adjust.

• Another pro tip: Chew well. Digestion starts in the mouth.

• Pair your cruciferous veggies with digestive herbs and spices, such as fennel, dill, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon.

• Drink more water or digestive teas such as chamomile, fennel, or peppermint when you eat cruciferous vegetables. It helps to keep things moving.

Beans and Legumes

Legumes beans, including lentils, are plant foods that can cause gas and bloating due to their fiber content and specific sugars like raffinose and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). These sugars and dietary fibers can’t be broken down by human enzymes and instead ferment inside the large intestine.

Some people digest beans and legumes better than others. People with irritable bowel syndrome are more susceptible to digestive pain than others.

You also may see symptoms improve over time, as your body adjusts to eating more beans and legumes.

To aid digestion, soak beans overnight before cooking them. Discard the soaking water and cook using fresh water. Be sure to completely cook beans, as they’re toxic when undercooked.

Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Quinoa

Wheat and other whole grains (except rice) are plant foods that contain raffinose and lots of fiber – both of which can promote gas and bloating.

These grains typically contain gluten, a protein that can trigger sensitivities to full-blown celiac disease, which is a serious autoimmune disorder. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is less severe, with gas and bloating, but without damage to the intestines. Sometimes the gluten irritates the immune system.

Quinoa can also cause increased gas in sensitive people. While most of the outer lay of saponins (a bitter-tasting outer layer) are now removed during processing, any that are left behind can cause gas. But there’s a simple work-around… rinse the raw quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve before cooking to remove the saponins. [1]

Gluten-free diets are popular, but should be undertaken with the guidance of a physician or nutritionist, as they can cause microbiome imbalances and even increase flatulence.

Dairy

Milk and dairy are common foods linked to foul-smelling flatulence, especially if you have untreated lactose intolerance. Lactose is a milk sugar that's normally broken down by the enzyme lactase. If you have insufficient lactase, dairy products trigger GI distress within 30 to 120 minutes of consumption.

There's some evidence that people worldwide lose ability to break down milk after infancy and childhood, developing lactose intolerance. Which can make sense, given milk's reputation as a "baby food."

A2 milk produced by A2-only cows that don't contain any A1 milk might be an option. However, it currently appears that the science supporting this hypothesis is somewhat weak. So if you try it, be alert to symptoms.

Fortunately, probiotic gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus can metabolize and absorb lactose. That means that some people can consume plain whole-milk yogurt with no problems (probably due to its Lactobacillus and its fermented status).

Also, some people fare better with raw milk from a farmer, potentially because its molecular structure is different than ultra-pasteurized milk.

Garlic

Garlic is a highly nutritious food with many benefits. Yet it can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea in some people. Garlic is high in a FODMAP called fructans, which makes it hard to break down in your system. The problem occurs mainly when we eat too much garlic at one time. It pays observe how much your gut can tolerate and keep yourself under that limit in order to avoid gassiness.

Sugar Alcohols

Sugar substitutes, including polyols and sugar alcohols, can cause gas and bloating because the human body can’t absorb them. They’re sent to the large intestine, where they’re metabolized by the gut bacteria and can cause excessive gassiness.

Suspects include erythritol, sorbitol, lactitol, mannitol, xylitol, often used in sugar-free hard candy and gums and other processed foods. These can cause gas and bloating, especially in those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Ironically, erythritol and sorbitol can occur naturally in many fruits, including apples and peaches, raisins, pears, and apricots.

Carbonated Beverages

Love your carbonated drinks? Proceed with caution. Carbonated sodas, waters, and juices contain gases. If you're trying to avoid flatulence, you might want to pass on these to avoid passing gas.

Some diet sodas contain sugar alcohols and other low-calorie sweeteners that cause excessive gas as they pass through the GI system.

Beer and Wine

Ever heard of booze bloat? It's a real thing.

Beer is carbonated, and it's made by fermenting grains. So you're getting gas from two sources, and it can lead to excess bloating. This can be even worse if you're sensitive to gluten.

Alcohol is inflammatory, and wine contains yeast and sugars. Gut inflammation can lead to leaky gut and other digestive distress. It's not your friend if you don't want to feel bloated.

How to Manage Gas and Bloating For Comfortable Digestion

Besides avoiding and limiting plant foods that cause gas, here are some key strategies… [4]

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals, instead of large meals.

• Take digestive enzymes such as lactase or a wide-spectrum digestive enzyme to aid digestion.

• Stay active and exercise regularly.

• Employ the cooking techniques mentioned above (soaking beans, cooking cauliflower).

• Let carbonated beverages go flat before consuming.

• Drink peppermint or ginger tea with your meals.

• Take a probiotic such as ComfortPro.

• Eat more slowly to allow your saliva to start breaking down your food.

• Take Beano before eating cruciferous vegetables or dried beans and legumes.

Try Probiotics

Your intestines contain a complex system called the gut microbiome. It contains thousands of types of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. Some offer major health benefits... others are harmful. Gut bacteria play a key role in breaking down food particles including fiber and complex sugars. Gut microbes release gas as they take on these food particles, leading to flatulence. Healthy gut bacterial balance is essential for comfortable digestion and reducing excess gas.

A quality probiotic should contain a potent dose of "friendly" bacteria in different varieties. When consumed, probiotics attach to your intestinal walls and colonize your colon. As they multiply, they help improve digestion, help you absorb nutrients, and oust damaging toxins. [7]

A broad-spectrum probiotic that contains lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains such as ComfortPro by Green Valley Naturals might offer just the help you're looking for.

ComfortPro contains a potent blend of numerous types of these "friendly" bacteria to support your comfortable digestion every day. ComfortPro is shelf-stable without refrigeration -- a key quality of a good probiotic. Consume ComfortPro with food.

Digestive Enzymes Can Help

Your natural enzyme levels generally weaken as you age. Also, a diet primarily of processed foods contains few live enzymes. That's another reason why it's important to eat organic produce when possible. Studies show organic food contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Once enzyme activity slows, it impacts the health of your entire digestive tract. Digestive enzyme supplements can help support your overall digestive process.

Summary

While cauliflower and other plant foods can cause gas, other healthy foods including dried beans and legumes also plead guilty. The severity of problems can vary wildly between different people. And the same food may even affect you differently at different stages of your life, impacted by other conditions and lifestyle factors.

Best ways to avoid the problems are to follow our eating tips, eat a low FODMAP diet, and keep a food log and record symptoms linked to foods you ate. Also consider a potent, temperature-stable probiotic as well as digestive enzymes with your meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you prevent gas from eating cauliflower?

Try cooking your cauliflower, chewing slowly, and consuming it with herbs such as fennel, ginger, dill, or cumin. You can also try using digestive enzymes or Beano.

Is cauliflower hard on your stomach?

Insofar as cauliflower contains raffinose which your stomach is ill-equipped to break down, it is hard on your stomach. However, cauliflower offers outstanding health and anticancer benefits. So it's worth making the effort to break it down with the tips provided.

What vegetable causes the most gas?

Given their reputation, it should come as no surprise that legumes beans are the #1 vegetable linked to the most gassiness.

Is cauliflower less gassy than broccoli?

Yes, cauliflower is less gassy than broccoli. Yet it is still a cruciferous vegetable containing both sulfur and oligosaccharides, and is considered to be a food that causes gas. [6]