Smelly flatus – the gas produced by bacterial fermentation can smell, depending on the food eaten. Suggestions include limiting common culprits such as garlic, onions, spicy foods and beer. Excessive flatus – this is caused by swallowing air, eating high-fibre foods, lactose intolerance or some digestive disorders.
Common causes of foul-smelling gas can be a food intolerance, high-fiber foods, certain medications and antibiotics, and constipation. More serious causes are bacteria and infections in the digestive tract or, potentially, colon cancer.
Beef, eggs, pork, fish, and poultry are rich in sulfur, which can be turned into hydrogen sulfide by gut bacteria, resulting in foul-smelling gas that is reminiscent of rotten eggs. Protein supplements may also contain ingredients that cause flatulence and encourage excessive wind.
Most gas, even incredibly stinky gas, is perfectly normal. But having too much gas or really smelly gas might mean there's an underlying issue. See your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms along with more gas or stinkier gas than normal: intense cramps.
“Potassium-rich foods help flush out sodium and water." This helps balance body fluid and get rid of excess water in the body to squash your bloat, research shows. While eating one banana won't magically cure bloat, eating potassium-rich foods like bananas throughout the day will help reduce bloat, she adds.
Avoid vegetables such as peas, onions, artichokes, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mushrooms, as well as asparagus. Avoid whole grains that are high in carbohydrates such as whole wheat, bran, and pasta. While delicious, avoid fruits such as peaches, prunes, apples, and pears.
Yogurt's probiotics (good bacteria) help your gut digest and absorb food, so there's less gas and bloating. Go for plain yogurt with active cultures, and sweeten it with a little fruit.
As bananas ripen, their resistant starch is turned into simple sugars, which are more digestible. As such, eating ripe bananas may help reduce gas and bloating ( 13 ).
Healthy adults pass gas between 10 and 25 times per day. As you get older, however, you're more likely to take medications, gain weight, become lactose intolerant and have other issues that lead to an increase in gas. So, it's not necessarily the age that's leading to the tooting — it's all the other stuff.
Excess gas is often a symptom of chronic intestinal conditions, such as diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Small bowel bacterial overgrowth. An increase or change in the bacteria in the small intestine can cause excess gas, diarrhea and weight loss. Food intolerances.
This may surprise you, but coffee can indeed cause gas. When you drink it on an empty stomach, and it reduces the hydrochloric acid, your stomach may have trouble breaking down protein. All that undigested protein starts eating all the gut bacteria that produce hydrogen sulfide. The result is, well, a gassy stomach.
Why Do Older People Pass More Gas? Some experts believe that as you get older, you fart more because your metabolism slows down. The food sits longer in your digestive system, creating more gas. Also, your stomach makes less of the acid needed to digest food well.
Dairy. Dairy from cows and goats contains lactose, a sugar that can cause gas to build up. On top of that, about 65 percent of the world's adult population has a degree of intolerance to lactose, and eating dairy can leave them feeling bloated and gassy.
While gas is normal, there are times when it could be a red flag for a serious health issue. If gas occurs more frequently than usual, or if it's accompanied by other symptoms, like abdominal pain, weight loss, fever, or bloody stools, you should speak with your doctor.
Excessive flatulence can be caused by swallowing more air than usual or eating food that's difficult to digest. It can also be related to an underlying health problem affecting the digestive system, such as recurring indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Prebiotics and probiotics
Probiotics help eliminate or decrease common gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, reflux and even nausea/vomiting. These foods help fill your gut with healthy bacteria that will assist in the healthy breakdown of the food you eat.
Some foods, drinks, and dietary habits produce gas, but others can reduce it. To reduce the amount of gas, try: drinking beverages that are room temperature. eating raw, low-sugar fruits, such as apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, grapefruits, peaches, strawberries, and watermelons.
Drink noncarbonated liquids. Warm water or herbal tea helps some people. Try peppermint, ginger, or chamomile tea. Use prepared teabags, or make your own herbal tea by steeping ginger root, peppermint leaves, or dried chamomile.