Is 'Broccoli Gas' a Real Thing?
Health ConditionsDigestive HealthExcessive Gas

Why Broccoli Causes Gas, and How to Make It Stop

Broccoli gas is real, but it shouldn’t stop you from enjoying this nutritious vegetable.
Why Broccoli Causes Gas, and How to Make It Stop
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Updated on July 31, 2025
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Broccoli has had a bad rap as the enemy on kids' dinner plates everywhere, but this cruciferous veggie is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and anticarcinogenic compounds.

For all its health benefits, broccoli has at least one possible downside: gas. Read on to learn more about how to deal with this unpleasant side effect.

Why Broccoli Gives You Gas

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, like its close relatives Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. They’re all known to have impressive nutritional profiles.

Broccoli is packed with vitamin C, potassium, B6, folate, vitamin K, and vitamin A, in addition to other antioxidants and phytochemicals, says Jesse P. Houghton, MD, the senior medical director of gastroenterology at the Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth.

When you chow down, however, you may find that broccoli can make you gassy. There are two reasons for this, according to Dr. Houghton.

"It's due to both its fiber content — which can reach the colon and be acted upon by the bacteria in our body, thus giving off gas — along with one of its carbohydrates, raffinose," he says. Houghton explains that the human body doesn’t have the necessary enzyme to break down this carbohydrate.

Preventing Gas

Although there’s no changing the fact that the human body can’t digest raffinose, an over-the-counter medication can help with symptoms. Houghton says the enzyme-based Beano, a dietary supplement, can be taken before eating a meal that features cruciferous vegetables.

But if you find yourself without any Beano on you and wind up with a plate of broccoli, you can still fight that distended feeling after the fact.

"Take something with simethicone, such as Gas-X or Phazyme, which helps to break down the gas bubbles themselves," Houghton says.

If you'd prefer to steer clear of the drugstore, you can prevent the worst effects of broccoli gas simply by eating smaller portions of broccoli and chewing thoroughly to help it through the digestive process, Houghton says.

"You can also cook broccoli to make it easier for your body to break down. However, cooking it will cause you to sacrifice some of the plant's important phytonutrients,” Houghton adds.

The Takeaway

  • Broccoli has strong nutritional value, but it can cause gas.
  • You can take Beano before you eat broccoli to prevent gas, or use treatments like Gas-X or Phazyme after a meal.
  • Cooked broccoli is easier for your body to break down.

Resources We Trust

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Resources
  1. Syed RU et al. Broccoli: A Multi-Faceted Vegetable for Health: An In-Depth Review of Its Nutritional Attributes, Antimicrobial Abilities, and Anti-inflammatory Properties. Antibiotics. July 7, 2023.
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Yuying Luo, MD

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Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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