High Fiber Diets & Gas

In the bid for continued good health, many people have heeded the call to add fiber to their diet. Nutritionists and health care providers have touted the benefits of fiber, from lowering blood cholesterol to helping with weight loss, and only the unwise would ignore this salient information. An unfortunate side effect of increased fiber consumption, however, is that many high-fiber foods cause gas.

The Problem With Gas

The anxiety of a mother trying to "burp" a baby is founded on the knowledge that intestinal gas is uncomfortable. This discomfort does not always disappear with age. Some people experience abdominal pain from the presence of gas in the intestines. This can be severe enough to be mistaken for pain resulting from heart disease, appendicitis or gallstones, depending on the side of the abdomen on which the pain occurs; the left being associated with heart disease and the right with appendicitis and gallstones.

Source of Gas

The gas that ends up in your digestive tract comes from two sources. Some is swallowed while you are eating and drinking, with some people taking in more than others. The rest is created in the large intestine, or colon, where foods that could not be digested in the small intestine, such as fiber, are fermented. Foods that were only partially digested in the small intestines will be further broken down by the bacteria in the colon, also contributing to the gas production.

Fiber and Gas

Fruit, peas, beans and oat bran are good sources of soluble fiber, which forms a soft gel that the large intestine breaks down, forming gas. Lentils, lima beans and baked beans are well-known gas-producing foods. They earned this recognition because, on top of their fiber content, they contain sugars that most people have problems digesting.

Frequency of Gas

Expelling gas from the body is a natural process. Belching releases gas through the mouth. Flatulence is the release of intestinal gas, also called flatus, through the anus. Typically, people pass flatus about 10 times per day, but 20 times is still considered to be within normal range.

Considerations

Maybe no one will look twice when you grace the crowd with a genteel belch, but you risk snickers, looks of disgust and ridicule if, instead of a genteel belch, you treat the crowd to an explosive expulsion of flatus. Eliminating gas producing fiber from your diet may not be the answer, the benefits of fiber far outweighing social discomfort, but you might consider the mechanics of eating. Belching brings up some of the air that you swallowed, but 50 percent of the flatulent gas passed by most people is swallowed air. You could significantly reduce the amount of gas you need to eliminate by eating more slowly, not chewing gum, not gulping food or drink, and not sucking on candies.