Why does broccoli produce gas?
Asked by
sarapnsc (
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September 3rd, 2008
Ever noticed that? Something so healthy can make you so smelly. What’s in broccoli to cause one to have gas?
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5 Answers
The “magic” ingredient is Raffinose, a carbohydrate.
Most foods that cause flatulence do it for the same reason: Nutritional elements which can’t be broken down by the small intestine make it all the way down to the colon, which is swarming with bacteria. Those bacteria live on stuff in your diet that the rest of your gut doesn’t know how to deal with, but in the process of digesting those second-hand goodies, they produce lots of gas.
There are several carbohydrates in common foods that we don’t have the enzymes to properly digest, and Raffinose is one of them. Most members of the cabbage family (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, etc.) contain it. The curse is compounded by the fact that they also contain sulfur, which ramps up the stink factor.
Great answer Harp, thank you!
@Harp;
Great answer! How does it feel to be the gas expert?!
@judi
comes with being a vegetarian
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