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Does squash cause a lot of gas?

Considerations. Increasing your intake of dietary fiber with foods like winter squash can cause digestive side effects such as flatulence, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and bloating.

healthyeating.sfgate.com - How Much Soluble Fiber Is in Winter Squash? - Healthy Eating | SF Gate

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The average American adult consumes between 10 to 15 grams of fiber each day, reports the National Fiber Council, far less than the 38 grams for adult men and 25 grams for women recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board. Including winter squashes like butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash and pumpkins in your diet regularly can help you fulfill your dietary fiber requirement. While winter squashes supply both soluble and insoluble fiber, they are an especially rich source of soluble fiber. Add peeled, diced winter squash to soups or stews, grill chunks on metal skewers or scrape the cooked flesh from a boiled, steamed or roasted squash and serve mashed or pureed.

Soluble Fiber Content

According to Tufts University, a 1/2-cup serving of cooked winter squash contains about 3 grams of total dietary fiber. Of this amount, 2 grams are soluble fiber. The Food and Nutrition Board has not set a recommended daily allowance specifically for soluble or insoluble fiber, but nutritionists advise that approximately 20 to 30 percent of your overall fiber intake should be supplied by soluble fiber. Each 1/2-cup serving of cooked winter squash would fulfill about 21 percent of man's daily soluble fiber needs and 32 percent of a woman's.

Comparison to Other Foods

Cooked winter squash has about as much soluble fiber in every 1/2-cup serving as 1/2 cup of cooked navy or kidney beans, five small plums or a 1/2-cup serving of cooked Brussels sprouts or parsnips. Compared to foods like corn, cucumbers, mushrooms, lettuce, grapes, bananas, white rice and nuts such as peanuts or almonds, all winter squashes provide a much higher concentration of soluble fiber. If you're looking for richer soluble fiber sources, choose foods like pears, black beans or high-fiber breakfast cereals. A 3/4-cup serving of some ready-to-eat cereals provides 2.8 grams of soluble fiber, while one large pear contains 3 grams.

Importance

The soluble fiber in produce like winter squash is made up of compounds found on the inside of plant cells, including pectins, mucilages and gums. When you eat a source of soluble fiber, these compounds swell with water and form a mass in the digestive tract that has the consistency of jelly. As this mass moves through the intestines, it slows the rate at which food is digested and nutrients like cholesterol and glucose are absorbed. Because of this action, a diet high in soluble fiber may prevent diabetes and help regulate your blood cholesterol levels.

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