So you’ve heard all the good things about the plant-based diet, and you’ve decided to make the big change. You’ve hit Whole Foods, and you’ve hit it hard. Processed meat is out, and beans are in. You’re really proud of the commitment you’ve made, and you’re feeling great, but what’s that feeling in your gut? Yes, you’ve got gas! But, can a plant-based diet give you gas?
Initially, yes, this type of diet is known to cause bloating and flatulence. It’s nothing to be discouraged by, as this is, in fact, a sign of the diet working for you. Sure, it might lead to some unpleasant social encounters, but the changes you’re making inside your body are worth all the changes you’ll make in the air.
Why Does a Plant-based Diet Cause Gas?
Before we dissect what exactly causes gas or flatulence in a plant-based diet, it’s important to understand what causes flatulence, in general. Excess air and fermentation in the colon are the two main causes.
Excess air is any air that enters your digestive tract. There are a number of ways air can enter your digestive system. However, that’s not a major contributor, as most of the flatulence is caused by fermentation.
When a plant-based diet is supposed to be so healthy, why would it cause gas? The simple answer is dietary fiber. Yes, it’s the very beneficial attribute of the plant-based that’s also one of it’s very few and easily manageable drawbacks. You can say fiber is the Jekyll and Hyde of the plant-based world and is the main culprit for why a plant-based diet can give you gas.
High-Fiber
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that your body cannot break down. There are two types of dietary fibers: soluble and insoluble.
The soluble fiber dissolves in water, while the insoluble fiber does not. The latter is known to improve digestion and give you a healthy bowel movement. And it can cause bloating in the digestive tract.
A plant-based diet is incredibly rich in fiber with all the whole grain cereals, vegetables, fruits, and beans. The fiber in the plant-based diet helps prevent a host of deadly diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. But since it doesn’t break down in the body, the bacteria in the colon ferment the fiber along with other complex sugars, producing gas as a byproduct.
Change of Diet
Americans, in general, are not getting nearly as much fiber as they should. According to NutritionFacts.org, not even three percent of the population is getting the recommended amount of fiber through their daily food intake.
The recommended amount as per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women. However, the average fiber intake among Americans is only 15 grams, which is way less than what they should be eating. This is mainly because the Western diet is full of animal proteins and processed foods that are devoid of any fiber.
If you’re switching from hamburgers and chicken wings to broccoli and beans, your digestive system is going to get a bit overwhelmed. It’s not used to the high amounts of fiber, so in the beginning, you might feel bloated and pass gas more often than you normally would.
This is not something to worry about because the underlying cause is the flora in your digestive tract. A poor diet can result in changes in the bacteria in the digestive tract, which often results in gut-related problems. On the other hand, a plant-based diet promotes a healthy gut microbiome.
It may take some time, weeks, or even months until your gut microbiome is back on track. Once the gut has enhanced flora, it should be able to pass the fiber along without you needing to hear the good old fart jokes from your friends and family.
Plant-based Foods That Cause Flatulence
Now that you know why and how a plant-based diet causes gas, you should also know which foods can cause it specifically. That’s not to say that you should avoid them, but it will help you keep your guard up if you plan on socializing in a closed space.
Mostly, it’s high-fiber foods, but also some that have other complex sugars. Here are the plant-based flatulence causing foods:
Cruciferous Vegetables
Who would have thought kale causes flatulence when it’s the favorite salad ingredient in the vegan community? But kale, along with other cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, are known to cause flatulence.
These vegetables contain glucosinolates that cause bloating. These vegetables also contain some complex sugars that get fermented in the colon, resulting in gas (commonly carbon dioxide, methane, or simply hydrogen).
The nutrition and health benefits of these vegetables easily make up for the gas problem. These vegetables can lower the risk of life-threatening diseases like cancer, heart disease, and stroke. If you eat in moderation, you probably will not get that gassy to begin with.
Beans
Beans, in particular, have earned a reputation for causing flatulence. After dairy, beans, and legumes are the second most gas-causing foods. Almost all types of beans can result in bloating and make you pass gas frequently until they’ve digested successfully.
Blame the super healthy fiber in beans, which is responsible for improving digestion, immunity, and reducing the risk of diseases. Given these crucial benefits of beans, it’s best just to look the other way (people around you are going to have to anyway).
Jokes aside, it’s not all that bad. Again, you might be getting gassy because of the new transition, from french fries to beans. Beans also contain two complex sugars: raffinose and stachyose. These sugars, along with fiber, ferment in the colon, causing gas.
Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org has talked about beans in this article extensively. Aside from the good old flatulence humor, this article talks about some good research about flatulence and beans. He cites one study that showed that over time the effect wears off, meaning you’ll just start getting less gassy over time with beans.
Onions, Garlic, and Mushrooms
These three vegetables also come into this sort of controversial food group. Onions and garlic may not just make you feel bloated, they can also give you bad breath.
The main reason behind their powerful smell, which ends up coming out both ends of your digestive tract, is sulfur. Garlic, in particular, is sulfur-rich, and this sulfur, when combined with gas, creates a foul smell.
Now, all three of these foods have their own set of benefits. So if you’re weighing the flatulence they cause with their benefits, the latter wins by a great margin. You can simply be careful and consume these when you know you’re going to stay in for the night.
Processed Foods
Processed foods can also cause bloating. Yes, a plant-based diet is mostly about whole foods, but there are plant-based processed foods as well, especially proteins. These foods are typically rich in fat (oil), which can contribute to gas, even for the healthiest of individuals.
How to Avoid Gas and Bloating on a Plant-based Diet?
Can a plant-based diet give you gas? Possibly, yes, but how to reduce flatulence? There are very easy ways that you can reduce the gas-causing effect of some foods listed above. In most cases, you’ll see a gradual decrease naturally, but if you’re super self-conscious, you can take some extra steps.
1. Soak Your Beans
Soaking the beans overnight or at least for a few hours before cooking them will help reduce bloating. You should discard the water you’ve used for soaking the beans. Even when you’re using canned beans, make sure to soak or rinse them with plenty of fresh clean water.
Dr. Thomas Colin Campbell of the Center for Nutrition Studies recommends cooking beans with a little bit of seaweed or bay leaf. The soaking and the seaweed may help break down the complex sugar, reducing their fermentation in the gut. This can greatly help when your plant-based diet give you gas.
2. Gradually Increase Fiber in Your Diet
Don’t go heavy on the fiber as soon as you switch to a plant-based diet. Instead, ease your way into the fiber-rich foods gradually. If you’re eating only 15 grams of fiber, then perhaps increase it slowly by 5 grams each week so that your gut gets accustomed to more fiber intake.
For instance, if your diet is rich in meat, don’t transfer to beans all of a sudden. First, consume foods with less fiber than beans. Switch to whole-wheat bread, and eat brown rice instead of white. After a few weeks, add beans to your diet and increase cruciferous vegetables.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking plenty of water can also be beneficial for reducing vegan flatulence and improving digestion. Even though some fibers are insoluble, the water still helps in transporting them. Drinking a lot of water is healthy anyway, so you might as well do it to reduce the bloating effects of fiber.
Now, how much water exactly qualifies as plenty of water? For an adult, 80 to 100 ounces should be good enough. It’s what people on a detox diet are recommended to drink per day.
4. Cook Your Veggies
Raw veggies, especially those cruciferous and other gassy vegetables, can give you gas even more readily. Cooking those veggies will break down the carbs, making it easier for your gut to digest them.
There are so many ways you can cook your veggies: sauteing, boiling, baking, grilling, and steaming. In fact, cooking them with a little bit of seasoning and some healthy fat may just make them even more delicious.
5. Ease into Garlic and Onions (Initially)
In some cuisines, garlic and onions are universal. For instance, in a Mediterranean diet, which is considered one of the healthiest in the world, there’s a lot of garlic and onion. That goes to show that consuming these on a regular basis is good for your health. However, because of their bloaty nature, you may want to keep a lighter hand initially.
You can slowly ease into using garlic and onions in your dishes. Just like fiber, allow your system to get accustomed to these amazing vegetables. You do want to keep eating them as they are very beneficial but take a slower pace.
6. Soak Your Nuts (LOL!)
Sorry, felt like a teenager writing that subheading. If you find that even nuts are causing you to feel bloated, you can also soak them overnight. In fact, in some countries, that’s a common way of eating some nuts and dried fruits. For those with a sensitive digestive system, this may just be the only way for them to consume some nuts, which are so essential for a well-balanced diet.
7. Eat Moderately
Simply overeating can also cause gas. If you eat more food than what your system can digest, you will feel bloated. Now, that’s totally on you and has nothing to do with the plant-based diet.
Americans are not just eating unhealthy foods, but they are also eating a lot of it. So if you’re switching to a plant-based diet, try to moderate your food intake. Your brain might trick you into eating, even more, thinking, ‘oh, these are just veggies.’ On the contrary, plant-based foods tend to be quite filling, so even a small amount will go a long way in making you feel fuller.
Wrap Up
Can a plant-based diet give you gas? Yes, initially and perhaps, sometimes normally too. But is flatulence healthy and normal? Also, yes!
According to Dr. Michael Greger, a person on average passes gas 22 times in a day. It’s just the stigma of the unpleasant smell that makes people wary of it. Otherwise, it’s just a natural byproduct of food digestion.
Besides, it’s very easy to control this phenomenon if you’re transitioning to a plant-based diet from a mostly meat-based diet. Taking things slow is the best way to prepare your gut bacteria for all the fiber you’re soon going to be eating. This problem should reduce by itself in a matter of a few months.
Disclaimer: This post focuses on reducing gas while on a plant-based diet. Bloating and gas can also be a result of serious medical conditions affecting your gut like Crohn’s Disease, IBS, and certain cancers. If you consistently feel bloated and gassy, you should consult with your health practitioner.
