Most people pass gas around 14 times a day, and that’s completely normal. If you’re dealing with more than that, or your gas is uncomfortable and disruptive, the fix usually comes down to what you eat, how you eat, and what’s happening in your gut. Here’s what actually works.
Why Your Body Produces Gas
Intestinal gas comes from two sources. The first is swallowed air, which you take in while eating, drinking, chewing gum, or talking. Some of that air travels through your digestive tract rather than coming back up as a burp. The second, and bigger, source is bacterial fermentation. When certain carbohydrates and fibers reach your colon undigested, the bacteria living there break them down and produce gas as a byproduct. The more undigested material that arrives in your colon, the more gas you’ll produce.
Foods That Cause the Most Gas
The biggest gas producers are a group of carbohydrates that your small intestine can’t fully absorb. They pass into your colon intact, where bacteria feast on them. The main culprits fall into a few categories:
- Beans and legumes: Red kidney beans, split peas, baked beans, and falafel are especially high in a sugar chain called GOS that humans can’t digest on their own.
- Certain fruits: Apples, pears, mangoes, cherries, watermelon, and dried fruit are rich in fructose and sorbitol, both of which ferment easily.
- Onions, garlic, and leeks: These contain fructans, a fiber type that’s a reliable gas producer. Artichokes and spring onions are in this group too.
- Wheat and rye products: Wholemeal bread, rye bread, wheat pasta, and wheat-based muesli also contain fructans.
- Dairy: Milk, soft cheeses, and yogurt are high in lactose, which causes gas in people who don’t produce enough of the enzyme to break it down.
- Mushrooms and celery: These contain mannitol, a sugar alcohol that ferments in the colon.
- Sugar-free products: Anything sweetened with sorbitol, xylitol, or erythritol can cause significant gas.
You don’t need to avoid all of these permanently. The goal is to identify which ones are your personal triggers. Try removing the most common offenders for two to three weeks, then reintroduce them one at a time to see which ones cause problems.
How to Add Fiber Without the Bloat
Fiber is good for you, but adding it too quickly is one of the most common causes of sudden, excessive gas. Your gut bacteria need time to adjust. Michigan Medicine recommends increasing your fiber intake by just 5 grams per day, with two-week intervals between each increase. That means if you’re currently eating 15 grams of fiber daily and want to reach 30, it could take you about six weeks to get there comfortably. Rushing that timeline almost guarantees gas, bloating, and cramps.
Swallowing Less Air
A surprising amount of gas comes from air you swallow without realizing it. A few simple habit changes can make a noticeable difference.
Eating too fast is a major one. When you rush through a meal, you gulp air with every bite. Try setting a 20-minute timer at the start of your meal and pacing yourself to finish when it goes off. Chewing each bite about 30 times and putting your fork down between bites helps slow you down naturally.
Chewing gum and sucking on hard candies also cause you to swallow extra air throughout the day. Carbonated drinks add gas directly, and drinking through a straw pulls in even more air. Cutting back on sodas and seltzer, ditching the straw, and sipping more slowly all help reduce air intake.
Over-the-Counter Options
Two common products work in completely different ways, so picking the right one matters.
The enzyme found in products like Beano (alpha-galactosidase) breaks down the indigestible sugars in beans, legumes, and certain vegetables before they reach your colon. You take it with or just before a meal, and it prevents the gas from being produced in the first place. It works specifically for the sugars found in plant foods, so it won’t help with lactose or other triggers.
Simethicone (found in Gas-X and similar products) doesn’t prevent gas production. Instead, it combines small gas bubbles in your gut into larger ones that are easier to pass. It can relieve the feeling of pressure and bloating, but it won’t reduce the total amount of gas your body makes.
If dairy is your trigger, a lactase enzyme supplement taken before eating dairy foods is the more targeted solution.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil has some of the better evidence behind it for gas relief. In a study of 110 adults with IBS, 79% of those taking peppermint oil capsules reported marked or moderate improvement in flatulence, compared to just 22.5% on a placebo. Another smaller trial found that flatulence scores dropped nearly in half with peppermint oil while staying unchanged with placebo. Enteric-coated capsules are the standard form, since they dissolve in the intestine rather than the stomach and are less likely to cause heartburn.
What About Probiotics?
This is where expectations need adjusting. A large international review of probiotic studies found that probiotics tested so far do not reliably reduce flatulence in IBS patients. Out of 15 studies examining 12 different probiotic products, none of the three that measured gas as a primary outcome showed a significant benefit over placebo. A handful of studies found modest effects, but often only at specific doses or after extended follow-up periods rather than during treatment.
Probiotics do show moderate evidence for reducing bloating, which often accompanies gas. So if your main complaint is a bloated, distended feeling rather than the gas itself, a probiotic trial may be worth trying. But for flatulence specifically, the evidence is weak.
When Gas Signals Something Else
Excessive gas that doesn’t improve with dietary changes can sometimes point to an underlying condition. Irritable bowel syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) are two of the most common. SIBO occurs when bacteria that normally live in the large intestine colonize the small intestine instead, fermenting food earlier in the process and producing excess gas. It’s more common in people who are older, take acid-reducing medications, or have diarrhea-predominant IBS with significant bloating.
Lactose intolerance and celiac disease can also cause persistent gas that seems out of proportion to what you’re eating. If your gas came on suddenly, is accompanied by abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, or a significant change in your usual symptoms, those are signs worth bringing to a doctor. Breath tests and other straightforward diagnostics can help identify whether something beyond diet is driving the problem.