Reasons Why Cabbage Soup Can Cause Diarrhea

Despite these nutritional benefits, the veggie can still cause digestive distress for some — indeed, cabbage and cabbage soup do make you poop in certain situations. Here's why cabbage can cause diarrhea:

1. It Contains Lots of Fiber

Fiber is an essential nutrient that helps normalize your bowel movements and maintains bowel health, per the Mayo Clinic. High-fiber foods are good for your wellbeing, but when you add too much fiber too quickly, you can experience intestinal gas, abdominal bloating and cramping.

This can trigger diarrhea, according to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. In other words, it's possible that cabbage or cabbage soup does give you diarrhea.

Fix it: Ease your way into eating more fiber, which gives your digestive system time to adjust to the change, per the Mayo Clinic. And drink plenty of water, which helps fiber do its job while minimizing unpleasant side effects like cabbage-induced diarrhea.

  • People assigned female at birth: 22 to 28 g
  • People assigned male at birth: 28 to 34 g

Good Sources of Fiber

High-fiber foods to slowly incorporate into your diet include:

  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Legumes like lentils, peas and beans
  • Whole grains like spelt, buckwheat and oatmeal
  • Flaxseed

2. It's High in Fructans

There's also a link between cabbage and diarrhea due to the high amount of fructans in the veggie. Fructans are naturally occurring carbohydrates that are also found in other foods like wheat, onions and broccoli, per Tufts Medical Center.

    Gas
  • Bloating
  • Belching
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea

So if you notice that cabbage soup does make you have diarrhea, a fructan intolerance may be to blame.

Fix it: Try limiting high-fructan foods if you find you're sensitive to them, like if cabbage soup gives you diarrhea.

You can also talk to your doctor about following a low-FODMAP diet, per the Wexner Medical Center. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, which are sugars that can be difficult to digest (fructans are a type of oligosaccharides), according to John Hopkins Medicine.

On the low-FODMAP diet, you eliminate high-FODMAP foods, then slowly reintroduce them to see which ones cause symptoms. This helps you identify which foods to limit or avoid.

Tip

Fructan intolerance is often confused for gluten intolerance, per the Wexner Medical Center. Talk to your doctor to help determine which ingredient is the source of your digestive symptoms.

3. It Can Transmit Traveler's Diarrhea

Bacteria and other substances in contaminated food and water can cause traveler's diarrhea, per Mount Sinai. Traveler's diarrhea causes loose, watery stools and happens when you visit places where the water isn't clean or the food isn't handled safely.

And this disease-causing bacteria can burrow in cabbage leaves, which, if left unwashed or uncooked, can make you sick.

Fix it: If you're visiting an area with potentially unclean water, prevent traveler's diarrhea by only eating well-cooked foods and avoiding raw ingredients altogether (especially hard-to-wash leafy greens like cabbage), according to Mount Sinai.

Tip

Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly cleaning eating utensils and dishes may also help prevent traveler's diarrhea, per Mount Sinai.

4. It Can Lead to Food Poisoning

Washing your leafy greens doesn't always remove all of the bacteria, as germs can hide inside the folds of the leaves, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And eating raw contaminated leafy greens could put you at risk for food poisoning. Per the CDC, symptoms can include:

  • Upset stomach
  • Nausea
  • Stomach cramps
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Vomiting

Fix it: Safely handling and preparing your cabbage and other leafy greens can help lower your risk for food poisoning. Keep in mind that even proper washing can't remove all the germs from your vegetables, so your safest bet is to cook produce to kill any potentially disease-causing organisms.

But if you plan to eat raw leafy greens, prepare them by doing the following, per the CDC:

  • Wash your hands (with soap) for at least 20 seconds before and after preparation.
  • Throw away the outer leaves of cabbage and lettuce and rinse the remaining leaves under running water by gently rubbing them.
  • Use a clean cloth or paper towel to dry your greens.

Read more on: livestrong