references
Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library: "Gas in the Digestive Tract"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Food Poisoning"
USDA: "Cabbage, Raw"
Cleveland Clinic: "Are Your Digestion Troubles Irritable Bowel Syndrome?"
International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders: "Tips on Controlling Gas"
Cleveland Clinic: "What Are Cruciferous Vegetables — and Why Are They So Good for You?"
Mayo Clinic: "Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Preventing food poisoning"
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology: "Cooking and the human commitment to a high-quality diet"
Cleveland Clinic: "8 Health Benefits of Cabbage"
Cabbage contains a hard-to-digest carb that may lead to stomach pain or gas for some.
Image Credit: decisiveimages/iStock/Getty Images
Image Credit: decisiveimages/iStock/Getty Images
Fix it: To avoid gas from excess fiber, slowly work cabbage and other high-fiber foods into your regular diet over the course of a few weeks, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cooking raw cabbage can also help offset some digestive troubles, per a still-relevant October 2009 review in Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. Try These Cooked Cabbage Recipes
Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Pomegranate Curried Cabbage Pockets Sweet and Sour Acorn Squash and Cabbage
Note: For some, even cooked cabbage is hard to digest — if you find it gives you digestive issues, limit or avoid the vegetable.
Cooking raw cabbage can also help offset some digestive troubles, per a still-relevant October 2009 review in Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology.
Try These Cooked Cabbage Recipes
- Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Pomegranate
- Curried Cabbage Pockets
- Sweet and Sour Acorn Squash and Cabbage
Note: For some, even cooked cabbage is hard to digest — if you find it gives you digestive issues, limit or avoid the vegetable.
Cooking your food and refrigerating perishable dishes can also help prevent food poisoning.
Fix it: Visit your doctor to diagnose and treat your digestive condition. They can help you determine which foods are best for you and which to avoid to prevent stomach pain and other symptoms. If you have blood in your stool, visit your doctor right away, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Reading about the potential for eating cabbage to give you a stomachache (and other digestive woes) might make you think you’re better off avoiding it. But unless your body can’t tolerate it, keep in mind the many nutritional benefits of cabbage, including its potential to fight inflammation and lower LDL (aka “bad”) cholesterol, per the Cleveland Clinic. Plus, cabbage can also be good for your digestion, helping you have regular bowel movements thanks to insoluble fiber, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s particularly beneficial for your digestive system when you eat fermented cabbage (think: kimchi and sauerkraut) since that helps power good-for-you bacteria in your gut, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Plus, cabbage can also be good for your digestion, helping you have regular bowel movements thanks to insoluble fiber, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s particularly beneficial for your digestive system when you eat fermented cabbage (think: kimchi and sauerkraut) since that helps power good-for-you bacteria in your gut, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library: "Gas in the Digestive Tract"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Food Poisoning"
USDA: "Cabbage, Raw"
Cleveland Clinic: "Are Your Digestion Troubles Irritable Bowel Syndrome?"
International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders: "Tips on Controlling Gas"
Cleveland Clinic: "What Are Cruciferous Vegetables — and Why Are They So Good for You?"
Mayo Clinic: "Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Preventing food poisoning"
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology: "Cooking and the human commitment to a high-quality diet"
Cleveland Clinic: "8 Health Benefits of Cabbage"
