Brussel Sprouts and Farts

These past few days, my daughter had been passing out gas a lot of times. And that funny sound was always accompanied by  a very stenchy smell. Of course, I had to check to find out if she had her toilet time (which most of the time I was so sure she did because of how bad it smelled). But many times I was duped. She just needed to release the bad air circling around her tummy.

We weren't able to pinpoint the root cause of her gassiness until we visited Evie's grandparents and talked about her food. The culprit? Brussel sprouts! I didn't know that brussel sprouts can turn a baby into a "farter." I know about broccoli. But brussel sprouts? I didn't have any idea until that day.

My daughter had been eating the soup her Dada exclusively made for her. It's a mixture of tomato sauce, beef, and various vegetables such as carrots, onions, celery, peas, green beans, corn, spinach, cauliflower, and yes, brussel sprouts. From then on, she exhausted really bad smelling gas.

Brussel Sprouts Make a Person Gassy

That's according to the online research I did about brussel sprouts. The National Digestive Diseases Information ClearingHouse (NDDIC) explains that brussel sprouts contain a kind of sugar called "raffinose" that causes the person eating the veggie to pass gas. Well, brussel sprouts is not the only veggie which contains this type of sugar. Other veggies on the list include: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beans, asparagus, and more.

If you do a search online, you will notice that a lot of people have a lot to say about how foul the gas odor is from someone who consume brussel sprouts—even with animals. I never have had brussel sprouts. But with the experience I had with my daughter, I don't think I'll eat this veggie.

No more brussel sprouts for Evie. Cauliflower and broccoli are fine—they seem to be odorless. And as long as cauliflower and broccoli don't upset her tummy, she can eat them.

What to Do with the Soup

"Should we throw it away?" I asked my husband. He made a good amount of soup, I tell you. "I was thinking that we can eat it." He answered seriously. That blurted me into laughter. If a toddler's little tummy filled the whole room with stinky gas, how much more the two adults whose tummies are ten times bigger than the little one? Just imagine.

"Now I know that Brussel Sprouts are bad, just a small amount in a soup served in a small volume (2 Tbsp) to a toddler is enough to fumigate a large bedroom. Judging by the smell, it's bad for you, and it's bad for the environment. Just say no to Brussel Sprouts." - Facebook status of Evie's Dada today.