This article originally appeared in myrecipes by Arielle Weg
The more you eat, the more you… well, you know.
If you smelt it you dealt it, right? Well, maybe. But experiencing gas is (obviously) super common, and not often discussed. Everybody passes gas, burps, or feels bloated—we’re only human. So, we snagged a copy of Mayo Clinic’s Book of Home Remedies to check in on how our diets may be increasing the likelihood of gaseous discomfort.
Gas is released from your intestines, and is often due to changes in intestinal bacteria, some medications, or extra swallowed air. Belching typically comes from your stomach and is often caused by the early stages of swallowing too much air. Then, bloating may occur if the extra air from your stomach or intestines cannot be released properly.
That said, the number one thing you can do to prevent gas is avoid swallowing extra air. You can do this by focusing on eating slowly and not speaking while eating or drinking. If you’re finding that these small changes still won’t do the trick, it’s time to find your trigger foods. These vary person to person, so keep a food diary to help determine what foods could potentially be causing a little extra gas. Look out for these six types of food in particular, as they are very common culprits.
High-Fat Foods
Fatty foods take a little extra time to digest, which also means they have more time to ferment and get friendly with your gut bacteria. When you pass gas, this is often caused by fermenting food in your colon.
High-Fiber Foods
You’ve heard the schoolyard rhyme before—beans, beans the musical fruit… And that childhood favorite is based on scientific fact. High-fiber foods—including beans, raw vegetables, lentils, dried fruits, and whole-wheat bread—almost always produce gas. If you suspect high-fiber foods might be making you toot, try cutting them out and gradually adding them back in over a few weeks.
Carbonated Drinks
Bubbly drinks like soda, seltzer, and even beer will release carbon dioxide gas into your stomach. And all that extra gas needs to go somewhere, right? That’s why you often burp while drinking beer, but not wine or liquor.
Candy
Specifically chewing gum and sucking on hard candies can increase the amount of air you swallow, causing an abundance of air in your stomach. Additionally, your gut may have difficulty breaking down foods with a high sugar content, like candy, resulting in some extra gas.
Dairy
If you find you’re extra gassy after a bowl of ice cream, you may be experiencing a sensitivity to lactose. If you think you may be lactose intolerant or simply a bit sensitive to dairy, you can talk to your doctor about symptoms and consider keeping a food diary to begin tracking trigger foods.
Gluten
Similar to a lactose intolerance, a gluten intolerance may leave you with some tummy troubles. Though an intolerance is different from an allergy or celiac disease, sometimes the protein can still build up a little extra air during digestion that’s just waiting to escape.
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