Relief from stomach gas and flatuence

Healthy Habits to Prevent Gas

Seeking gas relief but don't know how to find it? Look closely at what and how you eat to help prevent gas.

Gas is a normal part of your body's digestive process. However, lifestyle has a lot to do with how much gas your body produces and how you can find gas relief.
Many healthy foods, including high-fiber favorites like fruits and veggies, whole grains, and beans, tend to trigger excessive gas.
"Fruits and vegetables contain carbohydrates, and intestinal gas results from undigested carbohydrates that are fermented by bacteria," explains Chicago-area dietitian Toby Smithson, RDN, LDN, CDE, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
But many lifestyle factors, from body weight to smoking to chewing gum, can also play a role in gas and bloating. Making the right dietary and lifestyle choices can help you prevent gas.

Introduce Fiber Slowly

 

When you're upping your fiber intake, don't rush it. Go slowly. "If there's a major change in your diet, your digestive system will need some time to get used to the increase in fiber," Smithson says. The digestive tract can't break down fiber, and excessive gas is often a result. But gradually increasing the high-fiber foods in your diet allows the bacteria in the digestive tract to adjust to the extra fiber and help prevent gas. Smithson suggests that you increase fiber over several months.

Savor Your Food

 

To ease excessive gas, cut down on how much air you swallow when you eat. To do this, keep quiet — avoid talking too much while you eat, says Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDE, a Los Angeles-area dietitian and nutrition consultant and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly, and try to relax while you eat. Set aside enough time to enjoy your meal rather than rushing through it. Sip, Don't Suck

Sucking on hard candies or chewing gum can worsen gas and bloating. These behaviors cause you to swallow more air, creating more gas for your body to expel. Also, avoid drinking through a straw and from bottles with a pull-top that you suck. "Drinking this way can cause you to swallow more air, leading to increased gas pain," says New Jersey dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, LDN, CPT, author of Belly Fat for Dummies and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Instead, switch to sipping from a glass to cut down on the air you swallow." 

Forget Fake Sweeteners

 

Not only is it important to avoid sucking on candies and gum, but you should also avoid any foods (including gum or candy) with sorbitol as a sweetener. This sugar alcohol is often poorly digested by the body. Mannitol, another sugar alcohol commonly found in sugar-free mints and gum, can contribute to excessive gas, too. "These foods are problematic because they're fermented by bacteria in the colon, and fermentation causes gas," says dietitian Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, a national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and author of The African American Guide to Living Well With Diabetes. You may also need to be aware when taking cold medications — read labels because some contain these gas-causing sugar alcohols.
 

Don't Recline After You Dine

 

"If you lie down right after eating, it can make it more challenging for your body to digest the food you just ate," Palinski-Wade says. "When digestion is more challenging or takes longer, this can lead to an increase in intestinal bloating and gas production." Instead, sit upright or stand for at least an hour after eating a meal before you lie down, she says.

Walk Off Your Meal

 

Even better, head out for a stroll to help you digest your meal and ward off excessive gas. "Any physical activity or movement after eating helps the body process food better," Sheth says. Going for a walk, tackling a light project, or doing some calisthenics helps encourage the digestive tract to pass gas. "Taking a short walk after eating can help speed intestinal transit, increase the rate of digestion, and cut down on gas production," Palinski-Wade says. You'll feel better and burn off some of the calories you ate, too.

 

Make Tobacco Taboo

 

If you regularly light up, especially after a big meal, it's time to quit. There's no question that smoking is unhealthy, but it also can worsen gas and bloating. "Smoking leads to the swallowing of excess air, which in turn introduces more gas to the digestive system," Palinski-Wade says. So if you want gas relief, nix the cigs. "Quitting smoking can decrease gas as well as dramatically improve your overall health," she says.

Say No to Sodas

Sodas and other carbonated beverages — anything that's fizzy or sparkling — are already infused with gas. So when you drink them, you're introducing even more gas into your digestive tract. Skip the carbonated drinks in favor of "flat" drinks to prevent worsening an excessive gas problem. You should also avoid many fruit juices, particularly pear juice and apple juice, as well as any drinks that contain high-fructose corn syrup because they can also worsen gas.

Avoid Cold Drinks

When it comes to beverages, temperature matters. "Drinking cold beverages with a meal can slow down your body's proper digestive actions, making digestion more challenging," Palinski-Wade says. "In addition, the cold temperature of drinks may cause intestinal cramping leading to digestive discomfort and gas." So skip the ice and sip a more tepid or room-temperature beverage instead.

Top Gas-Producing Foods

Excessive gas can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. Find out how cutting back on certain gas-producing foods can ease digestive discomfort.

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Medically reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD

No one is immune to bouts of gas, but if you experience more than your share of gas and bloating, you know the discomfort this can bring. Although everyone's body reacts differently to different foods, there are certain gas-producing foods that can cause more trouble than others. How and when you eat can also play a role in excessive gas. Making some adjustments to your diet can help ease these digestive issues.
Where Does Gas Come From?
Gas, also known as flatulence or belching, may be caused by air that you swallow while eating, particularly if you're rushing. Gas can also result when bacteria break down undigested food in the large intestine. For instance, the stomach and small intestine don’t fully digest fiber as well as the carbohydrates found in many foods.
"Not all carbohydrates are easy to digest," explains dietitian Angela Lemond, RDN, CSP, LD, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who has expertise in gastrointestinal nutrition. "Fruits and vegetables are big offenders, especially those in raw form because the body has to work hard to digest these plant-based foods. It's also very dependent on the individual."
Why Some People Have More Gas Than Others
Gas-producing foods affect different people in different ways. How your body reacts to food depends on how well you digest carbohydrates and what type of bacteria is in your intestines. The efficiency of your digestive tract also plays a role in how well you’re able to move and expel gas.
An analysis of 68 studies and six review articles on the gastrointestinal effects of low-digestible carbohydrates such as fiber, resistant starch, and sugar alcohols, published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2009, found that for many people these carbohydrates can lead to gastrointestinal issues, like excessive gas, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea, particularly when consumed in large amounts.
Among the top gas-producing foods are beans and other legumes as well as cruciferous vegetables, such as:

• Cabbages
• Turnips
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Arugula
• Cauliflower

Other high-fiber foods, like whole grains, may also cause gas or bloating, particularly if you've recently increased your fiber intake. The body tends to acclimate to a high-fiber diet over time, Lemond says. "Increased or excessive gas usually gets better," she says.
Lactose, or milk sugar, may also cause gas in some people. If you have trouble digesting milk or dairy products like ice cream and cheese, your body may not be making enough of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to break down the lactose in dairy foods.
Common sweeteners, such as fructose, may also be to blame for excessive gas. The small intestine can only absorb a limited amount of fructose daily. When bacteria break down undigested sweeteners in the colon, gas can result. Many fruit beverages, including pear and apple juice, contain fructose. Sodas and some other sugary beverages with high-fructose corn syrup can be culprits of gas as well.
Lemond says that anyone concerned about excessive gas should be mindful of the sweeteners added to sugar-free candy, gum, and some packaged foods, such as cereal and granola bars. "On top of the added fiber, some granola bars also contain sugar alcohols known to cause intestinal gas," she says. Look for sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol — all sugar alcohols — among the ingredients on nutrition labels. Her advice: Avoid all sugars that end in the letters "ol."
Steps to Reduce Excessive Gas
First, determine what's causing your digestive discomfort. To do that, Lemond suggests keeping a diary of what you eat and drink. Also record how often you burp, pass gas, or experience other uncomfortable symptoms, like bloating. By tracking your symptoms in a food diary, along with what and when you're eating, you may be able to pinpoint what's causing you to develop gas.
Other ways to find gas relief include:
Trial and error. Try experimenting with your diet. Temporarily cutting back on certain foods and then reintroducing them can help isolate gas-producing foods, Lemond says. Once your dietary culprits are found, however, you don't have to give them up entirely. "Try eating smaller portions of foods that usually cause you gas," she says. "Also avoid pairing two or more big offenders in one meal."
Even people diagnosed with a food intolerance can modify their diet to ease their symptoms. "Lactose intolerance is a common digestive issue," Lemond says. "That doesn't mean you have to cut out all dairy. Yogurt is usually okay. Lactose-free milk and low-lactose cheeses are also available."
Slow down. When trying to reduce gas, it's also important to consider how you eat. "Eating too fast, not chewing well, and gulping air are going to cause more gas," she says. "You need to appreciate the enzymes in your mouth that help break down food. If you eat too quickly, you’re not allowing your mouth to start the digestive process."
Eat regularly. Timing is also important when trying to ease gas and bloating. "Many people wait too long to eat, then eat very large portions," Lemond says. "This can cause gas or even diarrhea because there’s just too much stress on the stomach."
Avoid icy, hot, and fizzy drinks. "Cold or hot liquids and carbonated drinks can also trigger gas or bloating," she says. If you feel the need to drink a beverage while eating, opt for water at room temperature.
Reduce fat intake. Limiting high-fat foods can help reduce gas and bloating. Cut back on fat in your diet to help your stomach empty faster. This will allow gases to move more quickly into your small intestine. "Fat slows the functioning of your intestines, so if you don't process gas very well, fatty foods could make that worse," says Lena Palmer, MD, a gastroenterologist, assistant professor in the department of medicine, and medical director of nutritional services at Loyola University Chicago.
When to Talk to Your Doctor About Gas
When gas is accompanied by other symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea, or weight loss, it's time to talk to your doctor, Dr. Palmer says. You should also see your doctor if your symptoms are troublesome or suddenly change.
Intolerances to certain foods may cause gastrointestinal distress, but Lemond says it's not a good idea to restrict your diet without guidance from your doctor first. "It's concerning when people start pulling certain foods or food groups out of their diet and trying to self-diagnose or self-treat," she says. "This can have a nutritional impact.” If excessive gas is a real problem for you, consider seeing a doctor who specializes in digestive health (a gastroenterologist) to get to the bottom of it and find ways to reduce gas and discomfort.