Mushroom is a type of fungi, but thankfully, it is good for your health and does not cause any infection. It is a complete food with many vitamins and nutrients, making it a good food to eat. But this is not always true, and in some cases, it can do terrible things with your digestive system.
Your digestive health depends on what you eat and how much you eat. Indigestion often causes bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation or a severe condition of flatulence commonly called a fart.
Surprisingly mushrooms have all the bad qualities that can upset your stomach and cause discomfort.
In this guide, we will discuss how mushrooms can affect your digestion and cause gas, bloating, or even diarrhea-like conditions.
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Mushroom Nutrition
Mushrooms contain a good combination of vitamins and nutrients, which makes them healthy to eat. It is a low-calorie food with plenty of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B-Complex content.
Mushrooms also contain a smaller amount of fiber and essential minerals like potassium, selenium and phosphorus. If you are health conscious, then mushrooms are a good idea to include in your everyday meal. It is very low in calories, with zero cholesterol and fat.
Do Mushrooms Cause Gas?
Mushrooms have a lot of health benefits, but it has some side effects as well. Some proteins found in mushrooms can trigger more histamine production. Histamine protects us from allergies and infection. When the body starts producing excess histamine, it can affect your digestive system causing indigestion, stomach pain, and gas-like symptoms.
Mushrooms are also known as a high FODMAP containing food. This further adds to digestion-related problems. Continue reading the article to understand better how mushrooms and FODMAP can cause an upset stomach.
What Is FODMAP?
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides & Polyols. These are the foods that are easily fermented by bacteria found in the large intestine or bowel.
FODMAP foods are poorly absorbed by our body and thus create various digestion problems like bloating, gas, diarrhea or abdominal pain. FODMAP foods are not necessarily unhealthy, and some may contain healthy gut bacteria. While they are safe to eat for some but others, they can trigger gastrointestinal problems.
Do Mushrooms Have High FODMAP?
Mushrooms are considered a high FODMAP containing food. It contains oligosaccharide sugar raffinose, which is not very good for your digestion.
Farting is normal, but eating mushrooms can cause more gas and eventually more flatulence or farting. So if you are someone with poor digestion, then it is always a good idea to stay away from mushrooms or eat in moderation.
Why Mushrooms Cause Upset Stomach?
Mushrooms contain raffinose, which is not very much digestible. It passes to the large intestine without being digested properly in the small intestine. This partial digestion of raffinose produces gas, and you feel bloated.
The severity of the condition may differ from person to person depending on the tolerance of raffinose indigestion. There is no way to avoid gas formation. However, you can always help yourself with eating mushrooms in a small to moderate amount.
Can Mushrooms Cause Diarrhea?
Mushrooms contain high levels of mannitol, which is a type of carbohydrate called sugar alcohol or polyol. Research says high levels of mannitol often cause abdominal discomfort, gas or diarrhea.
These sugars convert to glucose very slowly and do not cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar levels. Because of this, it is quite famous for artificial sweeteners and diabetes-friendly chocolates.
But there is evidence supporting the fact that sugar alcohols can cause a laxative effect. It attracts water from your intestinal walls causing loose stool, which eventually results in diarrhea-like conditions.
Does Mushroom Help You Poop?
Based on studies and facts, it is very clear that mushrooms cause loose stool helping you in severe constipation. Mushrooms also contain fiber content known for helping your intestine in better digestion and so help you with an easier poop.
Mushrooms have proteins that trigger more histamine production. One side effect of excess histamine is a loose stool that helps you with easier poop if you have constipation.
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Conclusion
Mushrooms are a healthy food to include, but they may cause side effects resulting in an upset stomach or bloat. If you have weak digestion, it may create more problems for you, but otherwise, it is perfectly safe to eat mushrooms as much as you like.
