Too Much Gas! Help ...

[RicanDAB]

It's kind of embarrassing but I am just gonna put it out there and see if anyone has good advice ...

I think I have too much gas ... sometimes farts are slight and sometimes they are explosive. Fortunately they are not released at the wrong times! I'm wondering if I am eating too much of the wrong things? I have heard about digestive enzymes but not sure if they are helping much if and when I take them. Not having any other problems with my digestion or elimination otherwise - just the damn gas!

And I do not intend on going to the doctor for this (not right now anyway since it is more of an annoyance than a concern), so any suggestions on how I can remedy this on my own would be most welcome!

THANKS!

 

[JayHew]

Cutting back on a few things will help, cabbage, broccoli are a few for some people. Lots of sugars for others (certain carbs). Then there are the beans or legumes that have sugars (soaking them with about 3 changes of the water cuts this down before cooking). Then there are such things as how much beer is consumed (Yeast). Beano can help.

Try change various things in the diet and see what helps. Otherwise, there is an underware on the market that helps muffle the sound and has a charcoal insert to cut the stink.

 

[Shablamidi]

take something for parasites (any health food store will carry a good parasite formula); the best herbs for gas are lauryl and anise you can get them as liquid or pills or herb teas,,, eat lots of apples and pineapple... juice fasting will help a lot (start with morning fasts until you can stand a whole day of juice fasting)....

good luck

 

[CGHJ]

Hell, I'd just get some gas-x.

Or learn to love it. My buddy King has terrible gas...always farting constantly, and they're room clearers. He just smiles when he does it like he's proud of it. When he went to Iraq his wife was like, "I got in the truck and it still smelled like one of his farts! I miss him..." Of course he's a straight marine and he can get away with it a little better, gay society is a little more, ahem, 'polite'.

 

[luckotheirish]

The most common causes of primary flatulence (plain ol' gas) are:

- lactose (sugar found in milk)
- dietary fiber (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans)

Lactose intolerance typically occurs later in life (>25-30). To determine if this is you, cut out dairy products, including protein supplements that contain lactose. If your problem gets better, there's your answer.

Fiber is an extremely healthy, functional, and necessary dietary component. I would not recommend cutting this out altogether as it would only create new problems (increased colon cancer risk, increased cholesterol, constipation). Instead try changing one food at a time in your diet. If that food is the offender, you should see an improvement within 48 hours. Also eating most/all of your fiber in one or two meals can sometimes be the problem. Try spreading it throughout the day to prevent "log jams" that give intestinal bacteria time to make excessive gas.

If you're a heavy beer drinker, try changing that, too.

If you had any kind of digestive enzyme deficiency (other than lactase), you would know it. A deficiency in enzymes that digest protein would make you very, very sick and ultimately cause severe wasting. A deficiency in the enzymes that digest fat would cause greasy, diarrhea. Trust me. You'd know if you had these problems.

Try the lactose intolerance test first. If that doesn't answer your question, then it's probably dietary fiber intake not balanced across all meals of the day.

Final note: As a pharmacist, I'll tell you... don't bother with "anti-gas" medicines found in drug stores. They all use simethicone as their active ingredient. The drug is intended for people who are suffering from abdominal pain caused by trapped gas. It works to facilitate the release of gas, which you have described you already have no problem with.

Hope this helps.

 

[RicanDAB]

Guys, thanks so much for all your help ... I will definitely look into all your suggestions. Beer for me is not an issue I am sure since I rarely drink alcohol these days. The lactose and "log jam" issues sound familiar however .. I will have to do some trial and error. Parasites: have suspected that as well and will look into that too.

I knew this was the right place to turn to first

 

[chatolandia]

You are Puerto Rican, do you a lot of traditional Puerto Rican food?

 

[RicanDAB]

You are Puerto Rican, do you a lot of traditional Puerto Rican food?

More so when I was younger, not really anymore except for the holidays. Ironically, gas was not much of a problem back then. Ya think that's the problem ... not enough pasteles in my diet anymore ??

 

[chatolandia]

Arroz con Habichuelas can do that!!!

I have that problem when I change my diet, from unhealthy to healthy (more fiber) but it usually goes away...

 

[fag lick]

Do you drink alot of pop??

 

[Spiff]

gas may also indicate irregularity or constipation. even though you may not feel like taking a crap before going somewhere, your body may still need to. if possible, you should avoid going anywhere in public with a loaded colon.

 

[btimsah]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but the sugar FREE stuff can kill you with gas. I had some penut butter sugar free cookies and it was not pretty. They use SPLENDA which is poison in my mind..

Another thing - It's almost harder now to find certain items such as Yogurt and Pudding that ARE NOT sugar free. You have to actually look for it. I like the idea of sugar free, but at the cost of what?

 

[LaloGS]

Could be an excess of protein in your diet. Try cutting back on meat intake. That was causing my flatulence. I still get it bad if I eat beef at all, or cheese for that matter.

As we get older, our systems need less protein than it did when we were younger. It digests more slowly, and the rotting meats give off gasses which have to go somewhere.

You've become a walking greenhouse gas factory.

 

[luminum]

You may be becoming increasingly lactose intolerant, if you have a steady diet of milk/dairy.

 

[branleur]

You may try Simethicone after having meal.

 

[RicanDAB]

Thanks for all the advice guys! Did not see this was revived until today. I am assuming my issue just may be lactose intolerance. I have been using lactose-free milk and the problem seems to be less. I do drink Diet Coke as well but my gas from that seems to escape more by mouth. However, I am sure some makes it the other way too. I'll keep experimenting. Never realized I would develop this later in life .. UGH!

 

[Eternaldarkness]

hahahahah, this is totally off-topic but, a friend of mine told me this which I thought was really funny.

Farting can help eliminates the air out of your feces, so you when you, ahem, excretes the waste, it is all compact and intact together. Thus, reducing the amount you need to go so much in a day.