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.
What Can You Do?
Passing gas is perfectly normal, but if you want to avoid embarrassing situations, it’s best to watch what you eat. There are many foods that cause excessive gas and if you limit the consumption of these foods, you’re more than likely to suffer from less farting and bloating:
- Beans
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Brussels Sprouts
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Pears
- Apples
- Peaches
- Whole wheat and bran
- Dairy
- Cereal
- Salad dressing
- Bread
- Soda
- Juice high in fructose
- Sugar-free candy
- Gum
- High carb foods
It’s difficult to cut these foods out of your diet, but luckily there are other things that you can do. Eating slowly and not talking while you’re eating can help. There are various yoga poses that can help with digestion, such as the cow/cat pose, wind-relieving pose, child pose and others. Any aerobic activity can also speed up your digestion and help eliminate gas. Eating too much fiber can also cause you to have too much gas. Whatever you do, don’t try to hold in the gas because that can lead to bloating, stomach cramps and pain.