It is so much fun watching my two year old grow up! One of our most recent favorite things to do together is lie in bed at 8 pm and watch American Idol on Wednesday nights. Well…last night as we got comfortable in anticipation for terrible interpretations of Donnie Hathaway and Lady Gaga, I said "Amari, do you need help adjusting your pillow so that you can sit up like mommy?" She said, "yes mommy," and as she adjusted her body, she let out a loud fart! I did not want to say anything to make her feel like it was something unnatural. A few minutes later, as she slid down on her pillow, I asked her again, "do you need help sitting up?" She said, "yes mommy!" and again, as she moved so that I could fix her pillow, she loudly passed gas, this time releasing a smell like no other!
I could not for the life of my figure out why she had so much gas….then I remembered that for lunch, I sent her to school with her favorite; chicken nuggets and broccoli flowerettes. It is a common known fact that veggies such as broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts increase flatulence in those who enjoy them…more noticeably in young children and pregnant women.
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnip greens and kale are rich in antioxidants, which help protect against both cancer and heart disease. Population studies have shown that people who eat a lot of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables have lower rates of cancer than those who don't. We don't know what constituents of broccoli and other crucifers are responsible for these protective effects. It may be a compound that occurs naturally in broccoli and cabbage, indole-3 carbinol (I-3-C), or the carotenoid pigments these vegetables contain. Other possibilities include vitamin C or sulforaphane, a compound thought to increase production of an anti-tumor enzyme that is most concentrated in three-day-old broccoli sprouts. Most likely, the cancer-protective effects of broccoli and its relatives result from a synergistic interaction of these and other components of the vegetables.
Despite their healthy profile, some high-fiber cruciferous vegetables have bad reputations as gas producers due to their content of an indigestible sugar called raffinose (Larger amounts of raffinose are found in beans, which are notorious for inducing flatulence). Methane-producing bacteria in the colon feed on raffinose and release gas in the process. There's nothing you can do to broccoli and other crucifers to cut down on the gas they induce. Extra cooking just makes them unpalatable and destroys vitamin content (incidentally, cooking broccoli in aluminum or copper pots also destroys vitamins and ruins flavor). The extent to which your body produces gas depends on the types of bacteria in your colon that break down foods for digestion - we all are born with unique assortments of gut flora.
Broccoli is so good for you that it's worth making an effort to minimize their gas-producing effects so you can enjoy their health benefits. You can try eating yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk regularly, to boost the friendly bacteria in your colon. Taking probiotic supplements, like lactobacillus GG, might be an even better way to do this. Lemon juice with meals can also be helpful. And limiting high-fat foods can reduce bloating and discomfort and help the stomach to empty faster, allowing gases to move more readily into the small intestine. You can also try taking Beano before eating your broccoli. Available at health food stores, it is made from a plant-derived enzyme that breaks down raffinose before it enters the colon, thus reducing gas production. Maybe next time I send Amari to school with broccoli, i'll include some yogurt!
In addition, you might experiment by eating very small amounts of broccoli every day, gradually increasing your intake to see if you can build up tolerance to it. Finally, fennel seeds can help expel gas from the digestive tract - try chewing and swallowing a half teaspoon at the end of a meal. Indian grocery stores sell sugarcoated fennel seeds as digestive aids.
0 comments:
Post a Comment