Gas

Most everyone feels that gas is a problem for them. The truth is that expelling gas is normal. In fact, the average person releases gas over a dozen times daily. If you pass more, it doesn’t mean that you are ill, more likely; it is your eating habits.

First, try chewing your food more slowly. The more slowly you eat, the less air you swallow and the better your food is broken down. Second, avoid gas producing foods. The top culprits are cabbage, corn, beans and fruit. Try to degas beans before eating them. Indigestible sugars in beans are notorious gas producers. If you elect to keep high-fiber beans in your diet, soak them overnight in water with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to reduce gassiness. Or sprinkle on the enzyme mix. Beano, an over-the-counter liquid enzyme that breaks down the indigestible sugars in beans. Fourth, avoid sugarless foods. Sorbitol, a natural sugar used in sugarless gums and candies and many diet sodas is hard to digest and causes gas. Fifth, reduce carbonated beverages. The bubbles and fizz in carbonated beverages such as soda, beer, champagne and sparkling water produce lots of gas. Sixth, cut out the caffeine. Caffeine irritates the colon and an irritated colon is often a noisy, gassy one. Remember, cutting out coffee alone is not enough: Tea, chocolate and most sodas also contain caffeine. Seventh, increase your exercise. Gas does not stay trapped in your body when you are moving around. Finally, if these changes do not help, you should buy some activated charcoal from the drugstore. This helps absorb gas trapped in your colon.