Avoiding Foods That Cause Gas

by Karen Schroeder Kassel, MS, RD, MEd

Gas can build up in your gut when your body breaks down foods. Your body may be more sensitive to some types of food than others. Keep track of the foods you eat and how they make you feel. You may want to share this list with your care team to find which foods or food groups are causing the problems.

Some common foods that can cause gas are:

• Some vegetables, such as:
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Corn
  • Cucumbers
  • Kohlrabi
  • Leeks
  • Onions
  • Peas
  • Peppers
  • Potatoes
  • Radishes
  • Sauerkraut
  • Turnip
• Beans and other legumes—baked beans, garbanzo (chickpeas), kidney, lentil, lima, navy, pinto
• Beer
• Some fruit, vegetable, and dairy sugars such as raffinose, lactose, fructose, and sorbitol (found in many fruits, vegetables, and dairy products)
• Fizzy beverages
• Sugar substitutes, and sugar-free candies and gums
• Wheat and wheat bran
• Whole grains
• Pasta
• Some fruits, such as:
  • Apricots
  • Cantaloupe and other melons
  • Peaches
  • Pears
  • Prunes
  • Raw apples
• Milk and other dairy products
• Fats that your body cannot break down such as Olestra (found in some potato chips)

Sometimes gas may be caused by a sudden switch in your diet. For example, a sudden increase in fiber intake may cause gas. This does not mean you should avoid fiber but rather slowly add more fiber over the next few weeks. This may help with other foods as well. Some foods or food groups may always cause gas for you. Cutting these foods will help. Talk to your care team if this means severe limits in your diet. There are medicines that can help.

Swallowing too much air can also cause gas. This can happen when you eat too fast or chew with your mouth open., It can also happen when you chew gum, smoke, or use a straw to drink.

Some medicines, especially ones that lower cholesterol, may cause gas. Let your doctor know if gas has become a problem for you.

RESOURCES:

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Digestive Health Foundation
http://www.cdhf.ca

Dietitians of Canada
http://www.dietitians.ca

REFERENCES:

Gas in the digestive tract. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed September 27, 2020.

Gas-related complaints. Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed September 27, 2020.

What I need to know about gas. National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed September 27, 2020.

Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board
Last Updated: 9/27/20