Passing gas between 13 and 21 times a day is completely normal for a healthy adult. If you’re dealing with more than that, or the gas you do have feels painfully trapped, the fix usually comes down to a combination of changing how you eat, what you eat, and how you help your body move things along. Here’s what actually works.
Why Your Body Makes Gas
Gas comes from two sources. The first is swallowed air. Every time you eat, drink, or swallow saliva, a few milliliters of air travel down with it. Most of that air gets burped back up and never reaches your intestines.
The second source is far more productive: bacteria in your large intestine fermenting carbohydrates that your small intestine couldn’t fully digest. These gut microbes are the sole producers of hydrogen and methane gas in your digestive system. Certain foods, especially fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains containing complex sugars, are prime fuel for this fermentation. The more undigested material that reaches your colon, the more gas your bacteria produce.
Quick Physical Relief for Trapped Gas
When gas is already stuck and causing discomfort, changing your body’s position can help it move through your colon and escape. A few yoga-inspired poses are particularly effective:
- Wind-Relieving Pose: Lie on your back and pull one or both knees into your chest. This relaxes your abdomen and hips and compresses the intestines enough to encourage gas to pass.
- Child’s Pose: Kneel and fold forward with your arms extended, resting your forehead on the ground. This gently massages your internal organs against your thighs.
- Two-Knee Spinal Twist: Lie on your back and drop both bent knees to one side while keeping your shoulders flat. The twisting motion stretches and stimulates your digestive organs.
Even a simple walk can help. Any physical activity that engages your core encourages the rhythmic contractions your intestines use to move gas toward the exit. If you’re stuck at a desk, try standing up and gently twisting your torso side to side, or rocking your hips in small circles.
Swallowing Less Air
A surprising amount of gas trouble starts before food even hits your stomach. You swallow excess air through habits you might not think about. The Cleveland Clinic identifies these common culprits:
- Eating too fast
- Talking while eating
- Chewing gum
- Sucking on hard candy or lollipops
- Drinking through straws
- Carbonated beverages
- Smoking
The fix is straightforward: chew your food slowly and make sure you’ve swallowed one bite before taking the next. Sip from a glass instead of a straw. Save conversations for after you’ve finished eating rather than between bites. These small changes can noticeably reduce upper-GI gas, especially belching and that uncomfortable fullness in your stomach.
Foods That Cause the Most Gas
Certain carbohydrates are poorly absorbed in the small intestine and become a feast for gas-producing bacteria once they reach the colon. These are sometimes grouped under the acronym FODMAPs, which stands for fermentable sugars found across a wide range of everyday foods. The biggest offenders include:
- Beans and lentils
- Dairy products (milk, yogurt, ice cream) if you have any degree of lactose intolerance
- Wheat-based products like bread, cereal, and crackers
- Certain vegetables: onions, garlic, asparagus, and artichokes
- Certain fruits: apples, pears, cherries, and peaches
You don’t necessarily need to eliminate all of these permanently. A more practical approach is to cut out the most likely culprits for two to three weeks, then reintroduce them one at a time. This helps you identify your personal triggers rather than unnecessarily restricting your diet. Many people find they can tolerate moderate amounts of these foods but run into trouble with large portions or combinations of several at one meal.
Over-the-Counter Options
Simethicone (sold under brand names like Gas-X) is the most widely available gas relief product. It works by merging the small, trapped gas bubbles in your gut into larger ones, making it easier for gas to move through and exit your body. It doesn’t reduce gas production; it just helps your body expel what’s already there. It’s generally fast-acting and works best for that bloated, pressurized feeling.
Enzyme supplements take a different approach. Products containing alpha-galactosidase (like Beano) supply an enzyme your body doesn’t naturally produce in large quantities. This enzyme breaks down the complex carbohydrates in beans, vegetables, and grains before they reach your colon, so bacteria have less to ferment. The key is timing: you need to take the enzyme right before your first bite or within 30 minutes of starting a meal. Taking it hours later won’t help.
Peppermint Oil and Probiotics
Peppermint oil capsules act as a muscle relaxant for the walls of your intestines. When the intestinal muscles are less tense, gas passes through more easily instead of getting trapped in pockets that cause cramping and bloating. Look for enteric-coated capsules, which dissolve in your intestines rather than your stomach, preventing the heartburn that regular peppermint oil can cause.
Probiotics are a longer-term strategy. A systematic review published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal analyzed 14 different probiotic types and found that nine showed significant benefits for at least one digestive symptom. One strain in particular, Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, stood out for significantly reducing overall symptom severity in people with irritable bowel syndrome. Multi-strain probiotic mixtures also showed meaningful results. The catch is that probiotics aren’t a quick fix. They need weeks of consistent use to shift your gut bacteria population enough to change how much gas fermentation produces. And the benefits are strain-specific, so a generic “probiotic blend” may or may not contain the strains that help with gas.
When Gas Signals Something Bigger
Most gas is harmless, even when it’s annoying. But certain patterns deserve attention. If your gas symptoms change suddenly, if they come with persistent abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, blood in your stool, ongoing diarrhea, or constipation that won’t resolve, these could point to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, or other digestive disorders that need proper evaluation. Gas itself isn’t the concern in these cases. It’s the combination of gas with other symptoms that weren’t there before.