Why spinach gives me gas?
Jump To:
Spinach is one of the most nutritious and filling foods. In most cases, spinach causes very little gas. Its fiber content is the real problem. However, spinach does not contain any of the hard-to-digest carbohydrates such as oligosaccharides and sugar alcohols which can cause bloating.
Let’s see if spinach is causing gas in you. Flatulence can be explained in a few simple steps.
What is the Fiber Content of Spinach?
Flatulence can be caused by gas being produced in the large intestine. This gas is created by the bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates within the gut. Fiber is difficult for people to break down and ferments in the large intestine. Spinach, like many other vegetables, has good amounts of fiber.
Below is a table that shows macronutrients for 100 grams of raw spinach. It also contains 2.2 grams of fiber.
- Energy (kcal)-23
- Protein (g)-2.86
- Total Lipid (g)-0.39
- Carbohydrate (g)-3.63
- Fiber (g)-2.2
- Sugars (g)-0.42
Referring to the above, a bunch of spinach weighing approximately 340g contains 7.5g of fiber. Most people don’t eat a whole bunch of spinach, as seen above that’s not a lot of fiber. Like 100g of cooked chickpeas has 7.6 grams.
A ton or more of spinach could cause gastric problems. The fiber content of spinach is very low compared to other vegetables so there shouldn’t be a lot of gas produced.
Is Spinach High in Hard-to-Digest Carbohydrates?
There are many other types of carbohydrates that don’t get broken down in the small intestine and ferment in the gut. However, Spinach has almost none of these. Most vegetables have oligosaccharides, but they are not detected in spinach. There are also no sugar alcohols.
Fructose can be difficult to digest and may cause stomach problems like gas or bloating. However, spinach contains essentially zero fructose.
- Moisture-86 g
- Fructose-0.02 g
- Glucose-0.21 g
Fiber is the only carbohydrate that spinach can actually lead to gas.
How to get rid of gas from spinach?
As per the data above, spinach doesn’t really cause gas in most people. If you have never had spinach before and had more at once or you can develop excess gas because of the fiber in it. Over time, your body adapts to the change but initially, you get gas. If spinach is causing stomach problems for you, there are only two things you can do:
- Consume smaller portions
- Cook your spinach.
In general, cooking improves vegetable digestibility.
Are you sure that Spinach is giving you gas?
The last thing you should consider is whether the spinach is causing your excess gas.
Based on the information we have discussed, it is not the most likely cause of most cases unless you are eating huge raw spinach salads.
You can also eat the spinach whole to see if you have a problem with spinach.
