4 Reasons Cabbage Soup Can Cause Diarrhea
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4 Reasons Cabbage Soup Can Give You Diarrhea

Cabbage can cause diarrhea if you have a fructan intolerance. Here’s what that means.
4 Reasons Cabbage Soup Can Give You Diarrhea
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Tiffany Curtis
Updated on August 6, 2025
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Cabbage soup is a savory vegetable stew often made with carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, spices, and of course, cabbage. It can be prepared in a variety of ways. But as delicious as it can be, cabbage can cause diarrhea.

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, along with broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and bok choy, to name a few. Cruciferous vegetables are packed with nutrients that help support overall wellbeing, including:

  • Fiber
  • Folate
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C

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 and what to do about it.

1. Cabbage Contains Lots of Fiber

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

Cabbage is high in fiber.

 As a result, it can promote movement within your intestinal tract. But too much cabbage (or other fibrous foods) can cause gas and bloating or aggravate conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

This can trigger diarrhea.

 In other words, it's possible that cabbage or cabbage soup does give some people diarrhea, especially if they have a condition like IBS.

‌Fix It

Ease your way into eating more fiber, which gives your digestive system time to adjust to the change. And drink plenty of water, which helps fiber do its job while minimizing unpleasant side effects like diarrhea.

Per the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim to eat between 22 and 34 grams of fiber a day, depending on their calorie needs.

2. Cabbage Is High in Fructans

There may also be a link between cabbage and diarrhea for some people 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.

Some people have a fructan intolerance, which means they have trouble digesting the carbohydrate. Eating high-fructan foods like cabbage can cause symptoms like:

  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Stomach upset and pain
  • 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 like cabbage or cabbage soup if you find you're sensitive to them. You may also want to ask your doctor to test you for fructan intolerance or sensitivity.

In addition, you can talk to your doctor about following a low-FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are sugars that can be difficult to digest (fructans are a type of oligosaccharides).

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.

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

3. Cabbage Can Transmit Traveler's Diarrhea

Bacteria and other substances in contaminated food and water can cause traveler's diarrhea. 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 live on produce — including 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). Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly cleaning eating utensils and dishes may also help prevent traveler's diarrhea.

4. Cabbage Can Lead to Food Poisoning

Whether you are traveling or not, you may encounter the same group of virus, bacteria or parasite-causing pathogens on your food — which can lead to you getting sick.

Washing your leafy greens doesn't always remove all of these pathogens, as germs can hide inside the folds of the leaves.

And eating raw contaminated leafy greens could put you at risk for food poisoning. 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:

  • Wash your hands, kitchen utensils, and surfaces where food is prepared 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.

The Takeaway

  • If you're experiencing digestive issues like diarrhea after eating cabbage or cabbage soup, it may be due to high fiber content or fructan intolerance, both of which can cause these symptoms.
  • Gradually introducing fiber-rich foods into your diet and drinking plenty of water can help your digestive system adjust to changes, minimizing discomfort.
  • Be cautious with raw cabbage, as improper handling or contamination can lead to traveler's diarrhea or food poisoning. Cooking cabbage thoroughly can reduce these risks.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Diarrhea. Penn Medicine. 2022.
  2. The Beginner's Guide to Cruciferous Vegetables. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. August 16, 2024.
  3. Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. December 11, 2024.
  4. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Controlling Symptoms With Diet. University of Michigan Health. October 7, 2024.
  5. Dietary Fiber – Is it good for IBS? International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.
  6. 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Agriculture. December 2020.
  7. Ellis E. What Is the Low-FODMAP Diet? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. March 21, 2025.
  8. Could You Have a Fructan Intolerance? Cleveland Clinic. November 9, 2023.
  9. Traveler's Diarrhea Diet. Mount Sinai.
  10. Zander A et al. Guide to Washing Fresh Produce. Colorado State University.
  11. Symptoms of Food Poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 31, 2025.
  12. Fruit and Vegetable Safety. FoodSafety.gov.
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Sylvia E. Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT

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Sylvia Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT, is an internationally recognized nutrition expert who is relentlessly passionate about helping people fall in love with creating and enjoying delicious, safe, and nutritious foods.

As a food and nutrition communications professional, Dr. Klinger is a global nutrition professor, award-winning author, and the founder of Hispanic Food Communications.

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Tiffany Curtis is Everydayhealth.com's health writer. She is a Philadelphia-based writer and sexuality educator. She has previously written for brands like Cosmopolitan, Business Insider, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Refinery29 and more.

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