Foods that cause gas formation: list

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Gas formation is natural during digestion, but excessive accumulation in the intestines causes a digestive disorder called bloating or flatulence. This symptom is extremely unpleasant, not only because it makes you feel embarrassed in front of others, but also because of the painful sensations. Fortunately, getting rid of bloating is possible. Scientists have identified diseases of the digestive system and foods that cause gas.

Gastrointestinal problems

• Dysbacteriosis. An imbalance in the intestinal microflora disrupts the digestive process, which causes flatulence.
• Pancreatitis. The pancreas does not produce enough enzymes to break down substances, so this task falls to the bacteria in the large intestine. Their work causes excessivegas formation.
• Irritable bowel syndrome. Spasms, constipation, disorders do not benefit digestion and contribute to flatulence.
• Intestinal obstruction. Complicated exit of feces and gases along with them provokes bloating.

List of foods that cause gas in adults:

• Raw fruits. Apples, grapes, peaches, pears contain fructose, a large amount of which causes fermentation and, accordingly, flatulence. However, even dried fruits (such as prunes), if consumed in excess, can increase gas formation.
• Dairy products. Lack of the enzyme lactase, due to age or genetics, is the cause of fermentation in the large intestine.
• Raw vegetables. Cabbage, radish, radish, tomatoes, greens in large quantities load the digestive system.
• Products containing yeast. Beer, kvass, fresh pastries, as well as some products made from dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, etc.) cause fermentation, which provokes increased gas formation.
• Meat, fish. Prolonged digestion of protein foods often causes bloating.
• Carbonated, sweet, cold drinks. Sugar causes fermentation, carbon dioxide causes flatulence.
• Other foods high in carbohydrates, coarse fiber (a lot of bran is also not good for digestion), lactose, oligosaccharides and yeast.

Beans

What foods cause gas in the intestines?Any! The differences lie only in the fact that in some cases a person does not notice this, while in others strong symptoms of flatulence appear. So, for example, the stomach does not have sufficient resources to thoroughly digest legumes (peas, soybeans, beans, and others). Because of this, the bacteria that inhabit the intestines are forced to complete the process on their own. As a result, there is an increased formation of gases. But this can be avoided. It is enough to soak the desired portion of beans for several hours before cooking. If you do not neglect this advice, then you can avoid unpleasant consequences in the form of flatulence, which is always inopportune.

Answering the question of which legumes cause less gas formation, it is worth mentioning lentils. It has a more gentle effect on the body than many other similar crops.

Cabbage

Different varieties of this vegetable (broccoli, colored, white and so on) are quite widespread. Many people know firsthand what gas formation from cabbage is. This is due to the fact that it contains coarse fiber, a side effect of the digestion of which can be flatulence. It also contains sulfur, which is the cause of a rather unpleasant smell of gases. But it is worth noting that not everyone is faced with such consequences. It is also noteworthy that the younger the vegetable, the less gas is released during its digestion.

In order to avoid flatulence when eating cabbage, it will require its preliminaryheat treatment (unfortunately, this method is irrelevant in the case of white cabbage, which is “dangerous” even when boiled).

Watch your portion sizes and don't eat too much to avoid bloating. Beijing cabbage is considered the most "safe" cabbage, as it is digested by the body without any side effects. You should not completely exclude various varieties of this vegetable from the diet, because it contains a large amount of vitamin C.

Baked goods

The aroma of fresh baked goods is hard to resist. However, one should not forget about such an unpleasant side effect as gas formation from bread. Most often, flatulence is caused by freshly baked products. This is due to the fact that they contain yeast, which provoke the fermentation process. These fungi release much more carbon dioxide than stomach bacteria. That's why all people suffering from flatulence should reduce their consumption of fresh bread.

It is noteworthy that almost all products that contain flour provoke increased gas formation. Therefore, washing them down with fermented milk drinks or kvass is far from the best idea.

Garlic

It has been proven that almost all hot spices irritate the gastrointestinal tract and cause bloating. This category also includes garlic. In his case, the cause of flatulence may not be entirely clear, because it does not contain so many dietary fibers that could contribute to this. Bloating and gas from garlic is due to the fact that it contains starch. The latter is digested by the human body with great difficulty. The fact is that the breakdown of starch does not occur until it reaches the colon. Here, its digestion is accompanied by the formation of a large amount of gases.

Factors causing flatulence

Swallowing air is another cause of gas after eating. This happens while talking at the table, drinking any drinks through a straw, snacking on the go, chewing gum after eating.

Flatulence is caused by eating too much food at one meal. The stomach can hold no more than 400 g of food. Anything beyond that not only complicates digestion and causes bloating, but also causes drowsiness.

Bad habits also contribute to gas formation. Alcoholic drinks provoke flatulence, and smoking generally disrupts the digestion process.

Bloating can be caused even by neutral foods that are well absorbed by the body individually, but if combined incorrectly, complicate digestion. Combinations of meat and sweets, fish and eggs, dairy products, melon and watermelon with any other are bad.

Foods that do not cause increased gas formation

In order to treat and prevent flatulence, it is recommended to eat certain foods. Among them:

• Cereal porridge boiled in water.
• Dairy products. Kefir, fermented baked milk, curdled milk, cottage cheese, yogurt improve bowel function.
• Baked and thermally processed fruits and vegetables.
• Boiled, stewed and steamed protein products: meat, fish.
• Stale or unleavened bread.

Proper nutrition

To get rid of unpleasant symptoms, regain self-confidence and enjoy life again, you need to review the diet, give up bad habits, lead an active lifestyle and normalize digestion in the presence of diseases.

Reduce gas by chewing your food thoroughly, drinking clean water half an hour before and after meals, having dinner no later than three hours before bedtime, and not talking at the table.

For serious problems, doctors recommend switching to 4 meals a day to reduce portions and reduce the burden on digestion. Effective advice is to drink enough clean water (at least 1.5 liters per day, excluding drinks, soups, juices).

Don't cut out gassy foods completely, as some of them (like rice) can help fight flatulence. However, it is important to monitor their consumption in moderation.

Improves the functioning of the digestive system physical activity and special exercises. Even regular physical education and exercises in the morning normalize intestinal motility, improve blood flow, speed up digestion, and, importantly, minimize the risk of developing gastrointestinal diseases.

Treatment

If flatulence and bloating cause discomfort, cause pain, for quick relief it is not enough to give up products that cause gas formation, the following drugs are needed:

• Defoamers. The main active ingredient is usually simethicone. It destroys the foam (in this state, the gases are in the intestines) and promotes their absorption or removal to the outside in a "neutralized" form.
• Enterosorbents. Taking even ordinary activated charcoal helps to adsorb gases, as well as toxins and bacteria that cause flatulence.
• Products containing enzymes. Promotes faster digestion of food, leaving no carbohydrates for bacteria from the large intestine.

In closing

Flatulence can be a nuisance, but it can be controlled. Treatment of diseases of the digestive tract, proper nutrition and moderate consumption of gas-producing foods will ease the work of the intestines and relieve discomfort.