The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends nine 1/2-cup servings of fruits and vegetables per day for a person eating a 2,000-calorie diet. Raw vegetables are low in calories and fat, making them a healthy snack or side dish to help you reach your recommended daily allotment. You might find you experience gas pains when noshing on raw veggies, however, especially if you eat them in large amounts.
Vegetables and Fiber
Raw vegetables are high in dietary fiber, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system and may help protect against some cancers, such as colon cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Most vegetables contain insoluble fiber in the form of cellulose. Humans cannot digest cellulose because the human digestive system doesn't contain the necessary enzymes to break it down. While insoluble fiber helps promote healthy digestion and prevents constipation, eating large amounts can lead to excess gas.
Vegetables That Cause Gas
In addition to insoluble fiber, many vegetables contain raffinose or starch, which can also cause excess gas, according to The University of Chicago. Raffinose is a complex sugar found in many vegetables, including broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, also produce gas as they're digested.
Preventing Gas Pains
Adding raw vegetables to your diet slowly helps your digestive system adjust to the increase, which may help prevent gas pains. Eat raw vegetables in small amounts throughout the day, chew thoroughly and eat slowly to prevent swallowing excess air. Drinking plenty of water when increasing your vegetable intake can also help reduce gas pains. Keeping a food diary can help you determine exactly which foods are likely causing your gas pains. You might need to limit other gas-producing foods in your diet, such as dairy products, wheat and beans.
Gas Pain Remedies
Over-the-counter Beano can help reduce the amount of gas produced when eating vegetables if you take it with your first bite of food, according to MayoClinic.com. Activated charcoal tablets taken before and after a meal or high-fiber snack can also help reduce gas and gas pains. Getting some light to moderate exercise when you're feeling gassy may also help, as physical activity can help trapped gas move through your digestive system to reduce pains and bloating. Talk to your doctor if your gas pains are severe or if they occur with nausea, vomiting, bloody stools, fever or chest pain.
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Chapter 5 -- Food Groups to Encourage
- The University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: Dietary Fiber
- Newton Ask a Scientist!: Digesting Cellulose
- The University of Chicago Medicine: Gas in the Digestive Tract
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Gas in the Digestive Tract
- MayoClinic.com: Gas and Gas Pains
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