Gas-producing (surprising) foods

1. Apple, healthy but flatulent

Despite the healthy benefits of eating an apple a day, you should be careful with it if you are prone to gas. This fruit has many properties, which is why it is considered a "food-medicine" - it contains vitamin C, pectin, flavonoids, malic acid, etc. - but it also contains two natural sugars, fructose and sorbitol, which are what make consuming it can give rise to the dreaded gases.

2. Don't go overboard with coffee

Taking a couple of cups is not a problem, on the contrary, it stimulates gastric secretion, one of the beneficial effects that coffee has. But exceeding this amount can lead to heartburn and burning and cause bloating and discomfort.

And decaf, too. Even this type of coffee taken in excess can have this irritating effect and cause flatulence.

3. Roquefort, the longest digestion

The fatty foods are the most difficult to digest. Due to their biochemical structure, they lengthen digestion more than proteins or hydrates do, and this is what can make cheese gas as well as being very caloric depending on the type of cheese.

Better fresh cheeses … Find out how many calories your favorite cheese has.

4 Pass you with the PPPA

Bread, pasta, potatoes and rice, PPPA, are part of our diet and are not a problem unless you take them in excess. Going over the amount makes them take longer to digest and this can lead to further fermentation and bloating.

Although pasta al dente is more satiating , it is also more difficult to digest and can cause gas problems.

5. Lettuce, light as a balloon!

Yes, it is true that lettuce has very few calories, but … eating salads can be the cause of your gas. Its high content of insoluble fiber is responsible for swelling. Better to take salads of spinach sprouts or watercress.

6. Beer (but not because of the gas)

One third of the calories in beer come from a refined carbohydrate, malt. Therefore, taken in excess, it can cause gas. And of course, the fact that it's also a fizzy drink doesn't help either.

7. Spicy equals acidity

Many of the spices have a fat-burning effect, but overdoing it with spice can increase heartburn and, with it, gas. To flavor food, use aromatic herbs, which are more digestive.

8. Sugar and sweeteners

Sugar is a carbohydrate and if abused it can ferment and cause gas. And sweeteners like sorbitol or mannitol (in sugar-free candy and gum), too. Don't go overboard with the trinkets.

9. Ice cream, a double problem

Creamy ice cream, made with milk and cream, is very fatty, so, as in the case of other fatty foods, it delays digestion and can cause flatulence. In addition, it also contains a lot of sugar, which aggravates the situation.

There are people who may have lactose intolerance and this is what causes discomfort and gas when drinking ice cream or other dairy products.

10. The ham, full of salt (and gas)

Although ham is not one of the most fattening sausages, it is one of the most salty, and salt is synonymous with bloating. The sodium in salt is what makes you retain fluids and bloat.

If you want a sandwich, remember that white bread (or sliced or toasted …) are also very salty foods and, on top of that, many people add salt with the oil.

Not only cabbages and legumes cause flatulence. As you have seen in the gallery above, there are many more foods that cause gas and some of them are surprising, such as the healthy apple, coffee, lettuce or sugar. What would you not say?

Why do I have gas?

In the event that you are prone to accumulating gas, a solution would be to moderate the consumption of these foods or avoid them directly as a preventive measure. However, it would not hurt to find out beforehand why this is happening to you.

In this sense, Dr. Beltrán's nutrition office can be of great help to you. In it you have the reasons why you always feel bloated like a balloon (and it is not always the gases: maybe it is that you bite uncontrollably and "boycott" your diet, or that you have some hormonal disorder or tendency to retain fluids, among other motives). And it also gives you all the keys to avoid annoying gases (from knowing which food groups cause them, to how to feed the intestinal flora to combat them, as well as tips for cooking or treating food so that they do not cause them).

According to experts, the annoying feeling of bloating is a problem that affects one in three Spanish women. The main causes are gas, fluid retention or a slow intestinal transit. And the most common consequence, in addition to the obvious discomfort it causes, is that you feel fat and unhappy with your body. However, you should never fall into the most common temptations to counteract it: fall on a diet bomb or eat less to solve it. The trick, as always, is to "invest" the food you eat well, and eat a healthy and balanced diet.

Natural remedies for gas

A good option to calm your flatulence may be to opt for a digestive infusion after meals. Fennel, ginger, anise, chamomile, cumin, mint, or boldo are good options.