Excessive Gas and the Foods You Eat

To avoid embarrassing intestinal gas and uncomfortable bloating, know which gas-producing foods to limit.

Although passing gas can be embarrassing, it’s also perfectly normal. Most people pass gas or belch more than 20 times a day. Your gut produces excessive gas for a number of reasons — swallowing too much air or changes in your diet, for example. Other common causes of gas are food intolerance and difficulty digesting certain foods. Even things that are good for you, such as fiber-filled foods, also cause gas, so eating them slowly and limiting or avoiding those that give you severe intestinal gas can help ensure you get good nutrition without all the bloating and discomfort.

Gas-Producing Foods: Vegetables

The sugars in some vegetables can lead to intestinal gas as they’re digested. Onions and artichokes contain fructose, a type of sugar, while another sugar, raffinose, is found in asparagus, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage, among others. Vegetables that have soluble fiber, like peas, can cause gas as they’re digested in the large intestine. Those with insoluble fiber should pass through without discomfort or excessive gas.

Gas-Producing Foods: Fruits

Some fruits contain another sugar, called sorbitol, which causes excessive gas. The biggest culprits include prunes, apples, peaches, and pears. Sugar-free gum and candy are sweetened with sorbitol, which is why they can lead to excessive gas, too. Fruits also contain soluble fiber, which when digested in the large intestine produces gas as a byproduct.

Gas-Producing Foods: Starchy Foods

Starches, which are very high in carbohydrates, can cause gas when your digestive tract goes through the process of breaking them down. At the top of the list are foods made with wheat, including breads, cereals, and pastas, all of which can lead to intestinal gas. Other common gas-producing foods in this category are corn and potatoes. Unlike all the other starches, the one that doesn’t seem to create intestinal gas is rice.

Gas-Producing Foods: Milk and Dairy Products

Milk and other dairy products contain a sugar called lactose, which can be difficult for your digestive tract to process if your body doesn’t have enough of the enzyme lactase. Cheese, ice cream, and milk all contain lactose, and may cause excessive gas in people. Those with lactose intolerance may need to skip these foods to avoid intestinal gas and belly pain.

Gas-Producing Foods: Oats

Though oatmeal makes a healthy and delicious breakfast, packed full of cholesterol-reducing fiber, it's also one of the foods that can cause intestinal gas. Oatmeal, oatmeal cookies, and other oat products — including oat bran — can all result in excessive gas because of their high soluble-fiber content. If you want to eat oats for their many health benefits, try slowly adding them to your diet in limited quantities to give your body time to adjust. If you’re a fan of oat bran, try switching to wheat bran, which is high in insoluble fiber that passes through the body, usually without a problem.

Gas-Producing Foods: Beans

Everyone knows the ditty: "Beans, beans, the musical fruit…" As nutritious as beans are, they’re notorious as a major gas-producing food. Beans create excessive gas for two reasons. First, they have a high raffinose content — the same gas-causing sugar found in certain vegetables. Second, beans also contain soluble fiber, whose digestion releases intestinal gas. Keep track not only of the amount of beans you eat, but also of other gas-producing foods you might be eating them with, like the cheese and onions you sprinkle on your three-bean chili. Or try an over-the-counter digestive aid like Beano.

Gas-Producing Foods: Sodas and Soft Drinks

A fizzy soda or sweet, fruity drink may taste delicious and refreshing, but your belly may have trouble digesting it — and uncomfortable stomach gas may be the result. The carbonation in sodas and soft drinks is just air, which can result in uncomfortable and excessive gas. Fructose, the sugar used to sweeten some of these beverages, can also be difficult to digest, resulting in intestinal gas.

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