DIET FOR GAS

The friendly bacteria in our guts help digest foods that our bodies have trouble breaking down. These bacteria also produce gas, usually as they digest food in the large intestines. Foods most often linked to intestinal gas include:

• Beans and lentils
• Asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and other vegetables
• Fructose, a natural sugar found in artichokes, onions, pears, wheat, and some soft drinks
• Lactose, the natural sugar found in milk
• Fruits, oat bran, peas, and other foods high in soluble fiber, which gets digested in your large intestine
• Corn, pasta, potatoes, and other foods rich in starch
• Sorbitol, the artificial sweetener
• Whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal, and whole wheat

That list covers a whole lot of healthy food, but you don’t have to severely restrict your diet. Most likely just a few give you gas. Some people have problems digesting milk. Others don’t. And food sensitivities may change with age. Many people develop problems digesting milk products as they get older, for instance."

Two simple steps can help you discover your problem foods.

• Keep a food diary. When you have bloating or gas, look back over the foods you’ve eaten within the last few hours – that’s typically when gas occurs.

• Experiment, one by one, with the foods you suspect. Eat one of the foods by itself. Does it give you gas? If not, wait a day, then experiment with another of your suspect foods. Keep going through the list on different days until you find the food that gives you gas.

Adjust Your Diet

The best way to reduce gassiness is to avoid foods that cause problems. If a healthy food gives you gas – such as whole grains and vegetables -- reduce the amount you eat. Then, gradually start eating more of the food – increasing the amount bit by bit over weeks – to give your digestive system time to adjust.