Foods that cause gas and some common remedies

What causes gas?
Alright...lets get right to the point. Gas forms when bacteria in your colon ferment carbohydrates that aren't digested in your small intestine. Unfortunately, healthy, high-fiber foods are often the worst offenders. Fiber has many health benefits, including keeping your digestive tract in good working order and regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels. But fiber can also lead to the formation of gas.

Here are some of the worst offenders:

• Apples
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Beans
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
  
• Cheese
• Corn
• Fruit Drinks
• Ice Cream
• Milk and Milk Products
• Onions
• Pasta
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Prunes
• Soft Drinks and other carbonated drinks
• Whole Wheat 

Other causes
Other causes of gas include swallowing too much air every time you eat or drink, eating too fast, chewing gum, and drinking through a straw.  Excess gas may be a symptom of a more serious chronic condition such as diverticulitis, IBS, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease. Excess gas and bloating may also be a symptom of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine from conditions such as diabetes. Food intolerance to dairy products and gluten may also cause gas and bloating. Artificial sweeteners, such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol, found in some sugar-free foods, gums and candies can cause gas and diarrhea when they are consumed. Constipation may also make it difficult to pass gas, leading to bloating and discomfort.

Remedies

• Try to identify and avoid the foods that affect you the most. 
• Try cutting back on fried and fatty foods. 
• Temporarily cut back on high-fiber foods. Add them back gradually over several weeks. 
• Go easy on fiber supplements. 
• Reduce your use of dairy products.
• Drink peppermint tea with meals. Has cooling effect.
• Drink ginger tea with your meals. Has warming effect.
• Drink chamomile tea with your meals. Has anti-inflammatory effect.
• Increase your water intake to 64 oz. daily.
• Sprinkle a handful of parsley to your salad. (No more than a handful per day).
• Eat some pineapple and papaya.
• Add dandelion greens to your diet.
• Some common spices that can reduce flatulence include black pepper, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, anise, rosemary, cardamom, coriander, basil and cloves. 
• Drink warm water with lemon juice.
• Eat some steamed or baked pumpkin.
• Take activated charcoal. Comes in capsules, pills, and powdered form.
• Exercise regularly.

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Choose remedies that appeal to you and implement into your daily life. 

May the winds be calm.  Ellie