We’ve all been there. You eat something that upsets your stomach and all of a sudden your stomach starts making funny noises or even worse, you have to let one rip. It feels horrible! What’s causing you to feel that way? Better yet, what foods should you be avoiding if you don’t want to suffer from bloating and gas?
Passing gas is completely normal and the average person passes gas approximately 13-21 times a day. So what exactly causes gas? Gas is composed of carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and even methane. Farts may also contain small amounts of gasses that contain sulfur—yes the stinky ones contain more sulfur. Food digestion is the main cause of gas formation and there are a variety of ways to get filled up with these gasses and feel bloated, such as:
- Eating or drinking too fast
- Smoking
- Chewing gum
- Drinking fizzy drinks
- Swallowing air
- Breaking down of food in the large intestine by bacteria
Many times you can get away with passing gas as burps, but the leftovers get passed down from the stomach to the small and large intestines. The stomach and small intestine often do not digest some carbs, such as sugars, starches, and fiber. Once they reach the large intestine where the carbs get broken down by bacteria, they release hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the process, as well as create these smelly gasses: methane gas, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur gas.
