Do you feel gassy and bloated after eating asparagus? Could asparagus be to blame for your discomfort? Can asparagus cause gas and bloating? Here is the truth of your curious question and what you can do about it.
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Can asparagus make you gassy?
Asparagus can cause gas and flatulence because it contains a large amount of indigestible complex carbohydrates that cannot be digested by stomach enzymes. Instead, these carbohydrates are digested by bacteria as they pass through the colon – which discharges gas as a byproduct.
How does asparagus cause gas?
Asparagus is considered to be a “gassy food” because it results in gas and bloating.
But surprisingly, they are not the major culprit in this situation, they are just the catalyst.
The ones that produce this gas in your stomach are the bacteria that – live inside your colon or large intestine.
The so-called “catalyst” inside asparagus is an indigestible complex sugar called raffinose, a trisaccharide comprising units of glucose, galactose, and fructose, which is present in high amounts in asparagus.
This complex sugar cannot be digested by our stomach because we do not have the proper digestive enzyme to fully break it down.
As these sugars pass through the colon, the bacteria inside the colon take over their digestion. Even if these bacteria are successful, they produce a byproduct in the process – gas.
The produced gas then ends up in one of three of these fates:
- Used again by other bacteria in your colon
- Allow to be absorbed back into the bloodstream
- Fart – Eliminates as passing gas
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If asparagus causes gas and bloating then how can we reduce it?
Here are some tips you might want to try to reduce gas after eating asparagus:
Products that contain the enzyme alpha-D-galactosidase, such as lactase supplements, can help you digest these complex carbohydrates and let you enjoy gassy foods that are otherwise nutritious.
Eat a spoonful of four-seed gum after every meal. Chewing with 4 seeds is the method of dr. Oze – in which a mixture of seeds such that anise, fennel, cumin, and dill are mixed in equal parts; 1 tablespoon – and kept in a mint box to be taken after a meal.
Still, the best way to get rid of excess gas in your stomach that is cause by eating asparagus is to not eat asparagus in the first place.
But realistically, asparagus is nutritious, and avoiding it completely will rob you of its nutrients and health benefits.
So, if you like asparagus but haven’t developed any gas-bubbling method yet, my best advice would be to stay away from them in situations where you absolutely can’t pass gas or, in simple words, fart.
Can asparagus cause gas and bloating and does it have any other side effects?
Causing gas may not be the only side effect of asparagus. Let’s see what the professionals say.
WebMD tells us that asparagus is safe when consumed in food amounts, but cannot say with certainty about the safety of asparagus when people use it for medicinal purposes in larger amounts.
Laura Flores, a nutritionist, said eating too much asparagus has no life-threatening side effects, other than gas and smelly urine.
Both experts agree that asparagus can cause allergic reactions when eaten or applied to the skin.
Asparagus allergies are more likely to occur in people who are allergic to other plants in the same family as asparagus, the Liliaceae family. These include onions, garlic, chives, and different related plants.
If allergy symptoms appear after eating asparagus, ask a doctor.
Here are some allergy symptoms to look out for, especially if you are allergic to the same asparagus plant family as Cold, Sneezing, Hives, Breathing problems, Swelling, or swelling around the mouth and lips – You can read more about allergy symptoms here.
What vegetable to substitute for asparagus?
If you hate the feeling of gas in your stomach after eating asparagus, you can try replacing it with another beneficial vegetable.
But keep in mind that asparagus isn’t a BAD thing at all, it’s high in vitamin K and vitamin B9, high in anti-inflammatory nutrients. And many different antioxidant nutrients like vitamin C.
This makes asparagus a very well-balanced vegetable, even among nutrient-dense vegetables.
A professional recommend adding asparagus to your diet plan because of its diuretic properties.
So if you want to cut them out of your diet completely, you might want to check with your doctor first.
Here are some of the less gassy vegetable alternatives for asparagus:
- bell peppers
- Bok Choy
- Carrots
- Cucumbers
- Green beans
- Spinach
- Sweet potatoes
- Zucchini
If leafy greens still give you gas, try cooking them a bit as they will be easier to digest.
Needless to say, the list of nutritious vegetables is endless.
All you have to do is sort through these vegetables and remove the ones that can cause gas.
Otherwise, you will have the same gas problem!
Here is some of the list of gassy vegetables you want to stay away from; Artichokes, Beet, Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Maize, Cabbage, Celery, Cauliflower, Green peppers, Kohlrabi, Legumes, Leek, Onion, Parsley, Pea, Potatoes, Radishes, Beetroot, Rutabaga, Sweet peppers, Sauerkraut, Turnip.
Can asparagus cause gas and bloating and what are other foods rather than it?
Surprisingly, vegetables aren’t the only food that can get you gassy.
They all share the same ingredient as asparagus that makes you gassy – indigestible complex carbohydrates.
As mentioned above, these complex carbohydrates are indigestible in the sense that they cannot be digested or broken down into smaller pieces by an enzyme and are instead broken down by bacteria, but at the same time discharge gas as a byproduct.
Below are some gas-producing food groups:
Foods high in fiber, such as whole grains, bran, and oat bran.
Foods with a high fiber content
Why do they cause gas?
Fiber is indigestible carbohydrates that our stomach cannot break down into smaller parts.
Examples of high-fiber foods
Whole wheat bread, pasta, or crackers; whole grain cereals, bread, and crackers
Sweeteners or sugars
Why do they cause gas?
Raffinose: This complex sugar is edible.
Lactose: This milk sugar is difficult for some people who are lactose intolerant to digest because they do not have the lactase enzyme.
Fructose: This raw sugar found in honey and fruit is too much for our digestive system to handle, especially when in high concentration.
Sorbitol: Cannot be digested by enzymes.
Examples of foods based on individual sugar
Raffinose: Found in large amounts in beans and smaller amounts in cabbage, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, other vegetables, and whole grains.
Lactose: Milk and its products
Fructose: Fruits high in fructose include apples, cherries, pears, raisins, peaches, plums, prunes, watermelon, and dates.
Sorbitol: Naturally found in fruits such as apples, pears, and peaches. It is also found in the artificial sweetener in many diet foods and sugar-free candies.
Starchy foods
Why do they cause gas?
It contains carbohydrates that are difficult for our stomach to break down.
Examples of starchy foods
Pasta, potatoes, corn, oats, noodles, beans and peas, breakfast cereals, and other grains such as rye and barley