What Food Causes Gas In Stomach

How Is The Cause Of Excessive Flatulence Or Gas Diagnosed

A health-care professional may review what patient eats and the symptoms produced. The patient might be instructed to keep a food and drink diary for a specific period of time and track the passage of gas during the day. Careful review of diet and the amount of gas passed may help relate specific foods to symptoms and determine the severity of the problem.

The primary tests, if necessary, will likely include measuring the amount of hydrogen in the patient’s breath after the person eats suspected foods. Because bacteria are largely responsible for the production of hydrogen, an increase in exhaled hydrogen as measured by the breath test will suggest food intolerance, with the bacteria fermenting the undigested food to produce excess gas. After the patient eats a problem food, breath testing should show an increase in hydrogen in as little as 2 hours.

Another possible test is analysis of flatus for gas content. This should help differentiate gas produced by swallowing air from gas produced in the gastrointestinal tract.

If these tests produce no diagnosis, broader testing can be accomplished to help exclude more serious disorders such as diabetes, cancer, malabsorption, cirrhosis of the liver, poor thyroid function, and infection.

If lactase deficiency is the suspected cause of gas, the health-care professional may suggest the patient avoid milk products for a period of time. A blood or breath test may be used to diagnose lactose intolerance.

What Is Intestinal Gas

Intestinal gas is a mix of odorless vapors, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen and methane. This gas forms in the digestive system. When these vapors mix with intestinal bacteria, an unpleasant sulfur odor can develop.

Your body releases gas through the mouth or rectum . Sometimes gas gets trapped in the stomach. This gas buildup causes abdominal pain and bloating .

Swallowing Too Much Air Leads To Excessive Gas

We may not think about it often, if at all, but as we live our lives sitting and walking and talking, we are all the while taking in gulps of air, and this intake of air can lead to a buildup of gas. Swallowing too much air can be caused by:

• Chewing gum

• Eating and/or drinking too quickly

• Wearing loose dentures

• Using a straw in beverages

• Swallowing a lot, especially when nervous

So, to recap, what causes excessive gas? Excessive gas can be a problem, and an embarrassing one at that, especially in public. We are all very self-conscious about this basic human function. If youve tried, for example, eliminating dairy, eating more mindfully, or avoiding carbonated beverages, and you arent suffering from a health condition that is known to cause gas, then perhaps its time to visit your doctor to discuss the situation and see what they say. Sometimes all it takes to solve the problem are simple and easy alterations in diet and lifestyle. Medications can also cause flatulence, but talk to your doctor before stopping any medicationsyou dont want to experience any unforeseen consequences as a result just because you want to avoid feeling gassy.

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Who Might Get Intestinal Gas

Excess gas can make your stomach feel swollen or bloated. You may pass flatulence . Though uncomfortable, excess gas is rarely a concern. Things that make you produce too much gas include:

• Behavioral factors, such as swallowing air while chewing, drinking and talking.
• Dietary choices, such as consuming too many gas-producing foods .
• Digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome , lactose intolerance and celiac disease.
• Intestinal infections, such as giardiasis, that cause an overgrowth of intestinal bacteria.
• Medications or motility disorders that slow the bowels, such as IBS, diabetes and scleroderma.

Chronic Problems With Gas

Avoiding food is also not the only way to reduce intestinal gas. There are many effective over-the-counter treatment options that help your body to digest the offending sugars so that you can eat these gassy foods without having a gas problem.

You will see that many of the foods on the above list are those that are quite good for you. That is, they offer significant nutritional benefit. Thus, it is important to accurately pinpoint which foods are specifically a problem for your body, rather than to unnecessarily put yourself on a restricted diet.

The use of a food diary will help you to accomplish this. Once you have identified a problem food, try to see if your body can tolerate smaller amounts of that food, so that you can still benefit from its nutritional components.

You may also want to speak to your healthcare provider about possibly going on the low-FODMAP diet. This diet was designed as a dietary treatment for irritable bowel syndrome .

It calls for a short-term restriction of FODMAPs, which are carbohydrates found in common foods that have been found to contribute to IBS symptoms, including those of gas and bloating.

After the restriction phase, you would slowly start to introduce high-FODMAP foods back in your diet to find out which FODMAP type is still problematic for you.

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Other Ways To Reduce Bloating

Bloating is a very common problem, but can often be resolved with relatively simple changes.

There are several strategies that can help reduce bloating, outlined in this article.

If you have persistent digestive problems, then you may want to consider a low-FODMAP diet. It can be incredibly effective, not just for bloating but for other digestive issues as well.

However, make sure to also see a doctor to rule out a potentially serious medical condition.

Upper Abdominal And Chest Pain After Eating:

Some people begin to feel burning and pain in the abdomen and chest immediately after eating. The most common reason for this is to show haste and speed while eating.

Some people have a habit of swallowing one bite after another. It seems that they are not eating bites but swallowing food even though the food should be well digested.

Quickly swallowing without chewing well causes a load on the stomach and causes pain and burning in the chest.

The same condition can occur when eating heavy and greasy foods that are not accustomed to eating. Digestive and anti-heartburn drugs are effective in this condition.

These drugs are commonly found in medical stores. Sometimes these drugs do not go away. In this case, consult a doctor. You can also take with you a list of foods that cause this condition after eating.

This list will help you understand your condition and prescribe the right medicine.

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Why Does Your Stomach Hurt After Eating

One of the common reasons for the stomach to hurt after eating could be dyspepsia, which is another word for indigestion. Dyspepsia can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and a feeling of fullness after you eat.

Apart from indigestion, your stomach might also hurt after you eat because of an underlying condition and several other reasons .

Foods That Cause Gas In The Stomach

Avoid foods that make you feel bloated or bloated after eating them. The best way to avoid these nasty side effects is by cooking at home using low-fat or non-fat products when possible.

Although high fiber foods play an important role in keeping the digestive system more active and healthy, their use helps to keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels at a balanced level.

But more and more frequent use of them can slow down the digestive system and cause more gas to accumulate in the intestines.

The following other dietary factors also play a role in the formation of more gas in the digestive system:

Eating habits such as:

• Dairy products as dairy foods and drinks contain lactose,
• Hard candy

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How Is Intestinal Gas Managed Or Treated

• Alpha-galactosidase , an enzyme to break down hard-to-digest foods.
• Bismuth subsalicylate for adults with upset stomach and diarrhea.
• Lactase enzymes for lactose intolerance .
• Probiotics to get rid of bad gut bacteria.
• Simethicone to reduce intestinal gas buildup that causes bloating.

Prescription medications may help if you have a motility problem like IBS. Antibiotics can treat bacterial overgrowth in the intestines that cause excess gas and bloating.

Why Is Everything I Eat Giving Me Gas

When you have gas, understand that everyone reacts differently to different foods. Your kids or spouse may be able to eat anything you put on the table, while the same foods make you gassy after you eat. You may even feel bloated, and have indigestion. If everything you eat blows up your stomach after meals, you may be sensitive to certain types of foods. Knowing the causes of gas will help you avoid the things that do this to you and make mealtimes more pleasurable.

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Broccoli And Other Cruciferous Vegetables

The cruciferous vegetable family includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts and several others.

These are very healthy, containing many essential nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron and potassium.

However, they also contain FODMAPs, so they may cause bloating in some people .

Cooking cruciferous vegetables may make them easier to digest.

What to eat instead: There are many possible alternatives, including spinach, cucumbers, lettuce, sweet potatoes and zucchini.

What Foods Cause Gas

Foods that cause gas fall into a category summarized by the acronym, FODMAP, which stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.” Many people attempt a FODMAP elimination diet, but it can be difficult to eliminate these dietary constituents because they are present in a majority of foods. Any condition causing flatulence will respond to a low-FODMAP diet, but the diet is not an easy one to follow, and may require the assistance of a dietitian. If the diet is successful it may be possible to add back some of the excluded foods without a recurrence of flatulence. Examples of FODMAP foods include:

• Oligosaccharides: Vegetables such as asparagus, garlic, leeks, onions, and lettuce. Grains such as barley, rye, and wheat. Nuts such as cashews and pistachios. Legumes such as baked beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, and soy beans
• Disaccharides: Milk (cow, goat or sheep, evaporated milk, ice cream, margarine, yogurt, and cheese
• Monosaccharides: Primarily fruits such as apples, boysenberries, figs, mangoes, pears, and watermelon, as well as high-fructose corn syrup and honey
• Polyols: Fruits such as apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, and avocados sweeteners such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol as well as cauliflower, green pepper, mushrooms, and pumpkin

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Food Intolerance And Bloating

Food intolerance can lead to bloating when:

• your bowel does not empty properly
• the food causes gas to be trapped
• too much gas is produced as a reaction to the food

The most common foods to cause problems are wheat or gluten and dairy products.

The best approach if you have a food intolerance is to eat less of the problem food or cut it out completely.

Keep a food diary for a couple of weeks, noting everything that you eat and drink and when bloating troubles you most. But do not get rid of food groups long-term without advice from your GP.

Find out more about food intolerance.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is an increase in the number of bacteria or a change in the type of bacteria in your small intestine. These bacteria can produce extra gas and may also cause diarrhea and weight loss. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is most often a complication of other health conditions.

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What Eating Or Swallowing Habits Can Reduce Excessive Gas

Swallowing air may cause gas to get trapped in the stomach. Everyone who eats and drinks may swallow small amounts of air. Although this is normal, sometimes eating or drinking too quickly, chewing gum, or smoking can result in more air swallowed. Eating and drinking slowly can help reduce gas buildup.

Foods That Cause Bloating

Bloating is when your belly feels swollen or enlarged after eating.

It is usually caused by gas or other digestive issues (

3 ).

Although bloating may be a symptom of a serious medical condition, it is usually caused by something in the diet .

Here are 13 foods that can cause bloating, along with suggestions on what to eat instead.

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Fantastic Yogasanas For Remedying Gastric Problems:

Kapalabhati Pranayama

Kapala means skull and bhati means shining. This breathing practice in yoga literally translates to breath of cleansed, illuminating mind and is an ideal remedy for curing obesity and various stomach disorders.

Steps:

Sit on the floor and keep your legs folded. Close your eyes and keep your spine straight. Keep your left palm on the left knee and the right palm on the right knee.

Take a deep breath. For your stomach to go deep inside exhale with force. Focus your mind on combating all gut disorders, while exhaling loudly.

Do not do this very fast. The speed should be medium.

Benefits:

This yoga exercise improves respiratory functions, lung health, mends erectile dysfunction and promotes reproductive wellness. It also ensures normal insulin production by the pancreas, as well as cleanses the internal organs such as stomach, intestines, liver and kidneys of toxins. Moreover, it stabilizes the mind, relieving stress, in addition to accelerating weight loss.

Halasana

Halasana is known as the plough pose since Hala means plough and asana means pose in Sanskrit.

Steps:

Lie down on your back. Keep your legs joined together and relax your entire body. This pose is called Shavasana. Place your palm flat on the ground and breathe normally.

When you exhale, press the palm and raise both the legs. Next, attempt to lower them behind your head. Hold the posture for a few minutes and breathe slowly.

Benefits:

Ushtrasana

Steps:

Benefits:

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3. Purple Onions

Purple onions help increase the taste of food, stimulating your taste. With a high content of vitamins and minerals , we cannot deny many benefits of purple onion for health. But Dr Jeremy advised that patients with acid reflux should limit their consumption of purple onion because they open up the valve between the stomach and esophagus, making your condition worse. For patients with gastric pain, eating more purple onions causes the pH in the stomach to drop below 4 and exacerbate the symptoms of heartburn and belching. So, if you really like to eat onion, you should replace the purple onions with green onions to relieve the symptoms of the disease.

4. Carbonated Soft Drinks

This is one of the foods that cause acid reflux, indigestion and gas that few people know, but this is true. In fact, a lot of people love drinking carbonated drinks. Drinking these types of drinks creates a sense of well-being and excitement for the user. Unfortunately, carbonates in beverages increase pressure on the stomach. When they are in the stomach, they produce many air bubbles that push the gas back up the esophagus. This gas will pull both food and acid. High levels of caffeine also increase the amount of acid in the stomach. For those reasons, patients with acid reflux should not drink carbonated beverages and caffeine drinks.

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How Is Intestinal Gas Diagnosed

Your healthcare provider may ask you to keep a food diary for a week or more to see if certain foods or drinks make you gassy. Because excessive gas can be a sign of a health problem, you may need one or more of these tests:

• Blood tests: These tests detect certain conditions like celiac disease that cause gas.
• Breath test: A hydrogen breath test identifies lactose intolerance or abnormal bacterial growth in the intestine.
• Colon screening: A flexible sigmoidoscopy lets your provider view the lower part of your colon and rectum . With a colonoscopy, the provider views all of the large intestine. These tests help identify digestive disorders like Crohns disease as well as colon cancer.
• Food elimination: Your healthcare provider may suggest removing certain foods to see if gas symptoms improve. For example, if youre less gassy after cutting out dairy, you might be lactose intolerant unable to break down lactose, a sugar in milk.
• Gastrointestinal tract exam: If you belch a lot, your provider may perform a gastrointestinal examcalled an upper GI test or barium swallow. You swallow a solution that coats the esophagus, stomach and part of the small intestine with barium for easier viewing on X-rays.

Gassiest Vegetables And Legumes

The following vegetables are those most likely to give you gas due to the fact that they contain the sugars raffinose and/or fructose. Remember these vegetables are actually very good for you, so just avoid them on those occasions when you absolutely need to be gas-free:

• Artichokes

Among the legumes, these are the gassiest:

• Baked beans

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What Medical Conditions Are Related To Excessive Gassy Stomachs

Most of the time, excessive gas is a normal part of our digestive system and medical assistance is not always necessary. On the other hand, if you have already tried at-home remedies and the gas is constant, there may be an underlying health reason and you should seek care from a healthcare provider. Some health conditions contributing to excessive gas may include the following:

• Chronic intestinal disease
• Bacterial growth in the small intestine