Do Green Juices Give You Gas?

Maybe you made a kale juice and felt bloated afterwards. Or perhaps you juiced spinach and apples and felt a bit of gas. So you might be wondering if you can continue making these dinks or do green juices give you gas.

The simple answer is, it depends. I know, most people like a yes or know answer, but that’s not appropriate for most health related questions when it comes to diet. First, you need to account for your own health related issues. Secondly, you need to account for your overall diet, not just the juice that you are making.

The takeaway is that green juices are healthy, and can be very beneficial, but if you have an underlying health issue (such as IBS) or you do not have a healthy diet, then green juices can give you gas. But you can fix that and learn to enjoy drinking green juices and living a healthy life.

 

Smoothies VS Green Juices and Gas Problems

First things first, let’s make sure we have our definitions right. If you are confusing green smoothies with green juices, then you need to be clear. They are two different things. A smoothie will retain the fiber, whereas a green juice will not.

There are many people who get gas from green smoothies because they are not able to digest the fiber in them. There are ways to deal with this, but it’s a separate issue from green juices.

A green juice will not have really any fiber, especially not the insoluble fiber that is an issue.

Fiber can cause digestion problems for people with IBS and other health problems.

But if you are having issues with gas and green juices, then there are some issues to consider.

 

The Fiber Problem: Are You Using The Right Juicer?

Are you using the right juicer? Not all juicers remove fiber. And if your problem is that you cannot handle fiber in your juice, it’s important that you get a juicer that removes as much pulp as possible.

I have a through review of what I consider to be the best juicers for leafy greens. These all remove as much pulp as possible.

But the quick summary is that you want to avoid any non-masticating, non-auger style juicer. Also, the cheaper juicers will not filter out as much pulp. So make sure you’re using something like an Omega or Kuvings or Greenstar.

 

FODMAPs: Sugars That Can Cause Gas

If you are making green juices the correct way, and you’re not getting a juice that is filled with pulp, then you should take a look at the FODMAP makeup of your ingredients.

Basically, FODMAP is an acronym that refers to the carbohydrates in food that are difficult for the body to digest and absorb. For instance, foods high on the list include: Garlic, Onions, Beans, Peaches, Watermelon, and Berries. There are other things such as breads, but you won’t be juicing these (not that you’d juice beans!) so it’s not an issue.

A pure green juice is low on the FODMAP list. So, as long as you’re not juicing things such as cabbage or berries with your juice, this shouldn’t be an issue. Low FODMAP foods are associated with helping people with IBS.

But it can be an issue if your diet overall is loaded up with high FODMAP foods. You might just be linking the juice as the cause, but it could be your diet. So, if you’re eating a lot of beans, onions, avocados, and bread. This might be cause for concern

 

Juicing Might Help People with IBS Related Gas

Juicing might actually help those with IBS because the Insoluble fiber is removed from the juice. So, if you have an issue with eating lots of fiber, but want to make sure you get the health benefits from fruits and vegetables, then juicing can actually be helpful.

Which do you think would cause more gas for someone with IBS issues?

A green juice with little to no fiber or a big bowl of salad with Kale and Spinach and other roughage. So, green juices can actually be implemented into a diet to aid in lowering gas problems for people who have trouble eating vegetables.

 

Try Green Juices with Low FODMAP Vegetables

If you are still dealing with gas when making your green juices, make sure you are using vegetables that are low on the FODMAP ranking. So, spinach and kale are ok. But cabbage and broccoli and beet greens are not. These goods have high levels of fructans, so it’s something to be aware of.

I recommend that you stick with a fruit and vegetable juice that is low on the FODMAP scale if you are having issues. So, spinach or kale with apples and celery would be fine.

 

Start Of Small With Green Drinks To Get Acclimated

One of the big mistakes that people new to juicing make is to drink too much too soon. It won’t help you to start drinking 16 ounces of green juice right away if you’re used to drinking soda and haven’t had a salad in years.

Start small. Make a single, small serving of green juice so that your body becomes accustomed to the juices. You don’t want to get discouraged on drinking fresh juice just because your body isn’t used to healthy foods.

Add Probiotics To Your Diet: Supplement or Whole Foods

Finally, if you are getting gas as a result of green drinks or fresh foods, you might want to try and improve your intake of probiotics. These are beneficial bacteria that help your body handle foods. If you have bad bacteria or not enough good bacteria, then you will likely have stomach troubles.

So, what I would suggest is to increase the amount of probiotics in your diet.

You can do this either by taking probiotic pills or eating foods high in probiotics. Such foods are:

• Real Sauerkraut (no vinegar, just salt and cabbage). A brand like Bubbies. Or you cane make your own fermented sauerkraut.
• Fermented Pickles
• Yogurt (perhaps the best source of probiotics) and Kefir. Just make sure that you are choosing a brand that clearly has added probiotics.

You can also get probiotis online. Here’s a few selections from amazon to check out.