The average person farts about 15 times a day, and anything up to 40 times is still within the normal range. So if you’re looking to stop farting entirely, that’s not a realistic goal. But if gas is frequent enough to be uncomfortable or embarrassing, there are real, effective ways to bring it down. The key is understanding where the gas comes from, because the fix depends on the source.
Where Intestinal Gas Actually Comes From
Gas in your digestive tract has two main origins: swallowed air and bacterial fermentation in your colon.
Every time you eat, drink, or swallow saliva, small amounts of air travel into your stomach. Most of it comes back up as a burp, but some moves further down the digestive tract and exits the other way. Certain habits dramatically increase the amount of air you swallow: eating quickly, talking while eating, chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, using straws, drinking carbonated beverages, and smoking. Cleveland Clinic refers to chronic air swallowing as aerophagia, and for some people it’s the single biggest contributor to excess gas.
The second source is fermentation. Your large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria that feed on carbohydrates your small intestine couldn’t fully break down. These bacteria digest those leftover fibers and sugars through an oxygen-free process, and the byproducts include hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide (the one responsible for the smell). Complex carbohydrates like resistant starch, beans, and certain plant fibers are the primary fuel for this process. The more undigested material that reaches your colon, the more gas your gut bacteria produce.
Eating Habits That Make a Difference
Before changing what you eat, change how you eat. Chew slowly and make sure you’ve swallowed one bite before taking the next. Have conversations after meals instead of during them. Sip from a glass rather than a straw. If you drink a lot of sparkling water or soda, switching to still beverages can make a noticeable difference within days. Drop the gum and hard candy habit if you have one.
These changes target swallowed air, which is the easiest source of gas to reduce because it doesn’t involve your gut bacteria at all.
Foods Most Likely to Cause Gas
Certain foods are reliably high in fermentable carbohydrates, meaning they provide more fuel for your gut bacteria. The biggest offenders include:
- Beans and lentils, which contain fibers your small intestine can’t break down
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts
- Onions and garlic
- Wheat-based products in large amounts
- Certain fruits, especially apples, pears, and stone fruits
- Dairy products, if you have trouble digesting lactose
- Sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol, found in sugar-free gum and diet foods
Research from Monash University, which developed the low-FODMAP diet, found that both healthy people and those with irritable bowel syndrome produced more gas and experienced more discomfort after eating meals high in these fermentable carbohydrates. You don’t need to eliminate all of them permanently. Instead, try pulling back on the most obvious culprits for a few weeks and reintroducing them one at a time to identify your personal triggers.
How to Add Fiber Without the Gas
Here’s the catch: many of the gassiest foods are also the healthiest. Fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports digestion long-term, so cutting it out entirely isn’t a great strategy. The trick is how fast you increase it.
When you suddenly add a lot of fiber to your diet, your gut bacteria go into overdrive and gas spikes. But research from UCLA Health shows this is temporary. In studies where people added beans to their daily diet, gas production returned to normal levels within three to four weeks. Your gut microbiome adapts, and the bacterial populations shift to handle the new workload more efficiently. So if you’re increasing fiber intake, do it gradually over several weeks and give your system time to adjust rather than assuming the gas means you can’t tolerate those foods.
Over-the-Counter Options
Two enzyme supplements have solid track records for specific types of gas. Beano contains an enzyme called alpha-galactosidase that breaks down the non-absorbable fibers in beans, root vegetables, and some dairy products before they reach your colon. You take it as a tablet right before eating or with your first bite, and it works by preventing fermentation rather than treating gas after it forms.
Lactaid contains lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose in dairy. If dairy is your trigger, taking it every time you eat dairy products can prevent gas, bloating, and cramping. Neither of these is a cure-all. They target specific carbohydrates, so they won’t help if your gas comes from other sources.
Simethicone (sold as Gas-X) works differently. It doesn’t prevent gas production but helps smaller gas bubbles combine into larger ones that are easier to pass. It can reduce the feeling of pressure and bloating, though it won’t change how often you pass gas.
Physical Tricks for Trapped Gas
When gas is already trapped and causing discomfort, certain body positions can help move it along. The most effective is sometimes called the wind-relieving pose: lie on your back, bring your knees up to a 90-degree angle, then pull them gently toward your chest as you exhale. The compression and release helps relax the intestines and encourages gas to pass. A standing or seated forward fold, where you bend at the hips and bring your torso toward your thighs, compresses the digestive organs and can also stimulate movement. Walking after meals is another simple way to keep things moving through your system and prevent gas from building up.
When Gas Points to Something Else
For most people, excess gas is a food or habit issue. But persistent, severe gas that doesn’t improve with dietary changes can signal an underlying problem worth investigating.
Carbohydrate malabsorption is one common culprit. Some people can’t properly digest lactose, fructose, sucrose, or sorbitol, meaning those sugars pass through the small intestine unabsorbed and get fermented by bacteria in the colon. A hydrogen breath test can diagnose this: you drink a solution containing a specific sugar, and if hydrogen levels in your breath rise more than 20 parts per million above your baseline, it confirms that sugar isn’t being digested properly.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, is another possibility. This happens when bacteria that normally live in your colon migrate into the small intestine, where they start fermenting food before your body has a chance to absorb it. The same breath test can detect SIBO, though the diagnostic window is tighter: hydrogen levels need to spike within 90 minutes.
The American College of Gastroenterology recommends seeking medical evaluation if your symptoms are increasing in frequency or severity, or if dietary changes aren’t making a dent. Gas accompanied by unexplained weight loss, blood in your stool, or persistent changes in bowel habits warrants a closer look to rule out conditions beyond simple excess gas.