Everyone passes gas, so if someone tells you they don’t, they’re lying. The average person farts roughly 10–20 times a day. A perfectly healthy digestive system still produces gas as your gut bacteria breaks down food.
Unfortunately, not everyone can digest certain foods well. For example, people who are lactose intolerant can’t break down milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream normally. Other people have trouble digesting FODMAPs, a certain type of carbohydrates. Food that isn’t digested properly causes your gut bacteria to ferment and this provokes — you guessed it — a lot of gas.
What Foods Cause the Most Gas?
Here are some of the most common foods with FODMAPs. Many of them you probably already suspected, such as pinto beans and broccoli:
Garlic
Dried fruit
Broccoli
Onions
Beans
Asparagus
Wheat products
Artificial sweeteners
Not all fruits contain high amounts of FODMAPs, but the more sugar they have, the more gas they produce. Apples, pears, mangos and ripe bananas may give you a lot of gas. Drying fruit concentrates the amount of sugar in it, which is why dried apricots, dried pineapple and raisins can all make you feel bloated.
Why Do Some Farts Smell So Bad?
Another interesting difference you may notice is that some people can pass gas that barely smells at all. For others, farts may seem like a nuclear bomb went off. Why the difference?
1. Foods With Sulfur
One reason for smelly gas has to do with sulfur. Most of the gases in farts don’t smell at all, but sulfur-containing compounds do. Sulfur smells like rotten eggs. If you tend to eat a lot of foods containing sulfur, then your farts will probably get pretty intense sometimes.
The problem is that these sulfur-rich foods are also some of the healthiest for your digestive system, with lots of fiber, prebiotics and other nutrients:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Eggs
Meat
Fish
Protein powders
If your farts are causing you considerable embarrassment, try experimenting with reducing the amount of meat, eggs, broccoli and leafy greens in your diet. Don’t eliminate them completely; your body needs the protein and fiber.
2. Prescription Drugs
Certain medications, such as drugs for diabetes, can cause side effects related to smelly gas. They may slow down your digestion or increase your sensitivity to FODMAPs. Depending on the benefits vs. inconveniences, you can ask your doctor about changing you to a different medication.
3. Unbalanced Gut Bacteria
One of the best ways to get to the bottom of the mystery of what’s triggering excessive gas is to keep a food journal. Look for a pattern on the days you have the most gas. Eliminate suspects for a few weeks to see if the problem gets better. Another solution is to give your gut microbiome a hand with Digestive Enzymes.
Your stomach and intestines depend of lots of healthy bacteria to process food correctly. The better they work, the less gas you experience. If something changes this balance, however, it can make your farts smell pretty bad. This can happen with diets low in fiber, frequent bacterial infections or excessive use of antibiotics.
If this is the cause of your smelly gas, the solution is relatively simple: take care of your gut microbiome. You need to restore the amount of healthy intestinal flora by taking a probiotic supplement such as Probiotic 40 Billion. In fact, this is something everyone should do any time the doctor prescribes strong antibiotics.
What Can You Do About Gas-Causing Foods?
One of the best ways to get to the bottom of the mystery of what’s triggering excessive gas is to keep a food journal. Look for a pattern on the days you have the most gas. Eliminate suspects for a few weeks to see if the problem gets better. Another solution is to give your gut microbiome a hand with Digestive Enzymes.
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