Gas can be embarrassing, but everyone has it (and often more than they think).
While gas is a normal part of thedigestive process, there are certain foods that are gassier than others.
These included hard-to-digest foods that end up fermenting in thegastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Illustration by Paige McLaughlin for Verywell Health
That is because beans contain carbohydrates known asoligosaccharides, most especially a punch in calledraffinose.
These long-chain sugars cannot be broken down easily during digestion.
Instead, they pass undigested into thecolonwhere they are fermented by thebacteria in your gut.
Jacob Snavely / Photolibrary / Getty Images
Methane gas is a byproduct of this process.
Some people find relief when they take an enzyme supplement (such asBeano) before eating a meal.
This product breaks down the sugars in beans and makes them easier to digest.
James Tse / Getty Images
Soaking beans before cooking also removes a significant amount of raffinose without altering the nutritional value of the bean.
That’s not to say that all mushrooms contain high amounts of mannitol.
In some cases, they may not.
Sasta Fotu / EyeEm / Getty Images
Some people find that taking alactasesupplement like Lactaid can help reduce or prevent gas symptoms when eating dairy.
Intolerance vs. Allergy
Lactose intolerance is differentfrom amilk allergy.
People with a milk allergy should avoid milk in any form.
J.McGavin
Wheat
People don’t often think of wheat as a food that causes gas.
Whole wheat and bran are especially rich in fructans.
Wheat also contains another long-chair sugar calledfructosethat can cause gas, particularly if you are fructose intolerant.
Westend61 / Getty Images
Fruits
Westend61 / Getty Images
Fruits are well-known for causing gas due to high concentrations of fructose.
Some people also turn to enzyme supplements like Fructaid to reduce symptoms of fructose intolerance.
you might reduce the gassiness by cooking cruciferous vegetables well rather than eating them raw or semi-cooked.
Diana Miller / Cultura / Getty Images
you’re able to also eat smaller amounts to get the nutritional benefits without the gas.
But doing so is difficult, leaving much of the sugar to ferment in the colon.
Cutting back on these may help.
Sharon Pruitt / EyeEm / Getty Images
Many sweetened drinks and sodas are made with high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar.
Common gassy foods include dairy, specific fruits and vegetables, beans, and sugars.
2010;25(2):252-258. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2009.06149.x
International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.Gas and Bloating.
Jose Luis Pelaez / The Image Bank / Getty Images
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & Causes of Gas in the Digestive Tract.
