Excess Wind & Flatulence Dietitians Brisbane

Do you pass wind often?
Are your farts loud and smelly?
Do you often hear rumblings in your lower abdomen?
Do you feel any discomfort in your stomach?

We are ready to help you…

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might have excessive flatulence.

However, don’t let that scare you. We have helped many of our clients with excessive flatulence manage their condition by developing a personalised treatment plan that involves proper nutrition and diet. Our accredited dietitians and nutritionists may also advise you to make certain adjustments to your lifestyle. We can do the same thing for you!

What is Flatulence?

More commonly known as farting, flatulence is passing gas from your digestive system through your rectum. Flatulence is also known as passing gas or passing wind.

When you talk, laugh out loud, eat foods, drink beverages or swallow saliva, you consume minuscule amounts of air which accumulates in your gut. The buildup of air in your digestive system consists of nitrogen and oxygen. Your body eliminates excess air from your gut either through belching or flatulence.

Flatulence is perfectly normal. The average person farts roughly five to 20 times daily. Sometimes, you pass a small amount of odourless gas without even noticing it. Studies reveal women seem to have more symptoms of flatulence than men.

People who fart out loud are often the subject of ridicule, which may explain why individuals with excessive flatulence tend to feel uncomfortable in social situations. If you’re one of these people, don’t fret: you can manage your condition by adjusting your diet and lifestyle.

What Are the Different Types of Flatulence?

Flatulence has no official types or categories. However, your farts can be scentless, smelly, silent, loud, or frequent. Sometimes, your farts can be a combination of several of these characteristics.

What Are the Symptoms of Flatulence?

The most common symptom of excessive flatulence is passing gas from your rectum more frequently than normal. Some individuals may also experience a tight stomach or the feeling of having knots in your stomach.

What Are the Causes of Flatulence?

There are certain foods that our bodies cannot digest as well as other foods. As a result, our digestive system may produce more intestinal gas in order to digest them, which can result in flatulence. Examples of these foods include:

  • Beans, peanuts, peas, and lentils
  • Onions, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli
  • Crackers, breads, and cereals
  • Sugars in fruits, juices, diet drinks, and high-fructose corn syrup
  • Sorbitol, a gassy sugar alcohol found in sugar-free candy and fruits such as raisins, dates, prunes, nectarines, apricots, peaches, stone fruits, pears, and apples

Carbonated drinks such as spring water, beer, and soda can also cause flatulence because their carbon dioxide content may increase gas buildup in your gut.

Consuming foods that you are sensitive to can also cause flatulence. For example, individuals with lactose intolerance who ingest huge amounts of lactose usually experience abdominal discomfort and release smelly gas as a result of the gas buildup during the fermentation process.

Flatulence also results if your digestive system can’t tolerate glucose, a simple sugar and energy source. A more serious form of gluten intolerance—Coeliac disease—can also cause flatulence. This occurs when your inflamed or injured intestine cannot absorb the protein gluten.

Other chronic ailments such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis, gallstones, cholecystitis, constipation, gastroenteritis, pancreatitis, and some types of cancer can also cause flatulence.

Pregnancy is also a known cause of flatulence. This can be traced to the hormonal changes that are happening in a woman’s body before she gives birth.

In some cases, medication can also make you pass gas. For instance, antibiotics eliminate some of the good bacteria in your gut, which aids in digestion. The absence of this good bacteria can result in foul-smelling gas passing from your digestive tract through your rectum. Excessive use of laxatives can also cause flatulence.

Another risk factor of flatulence is an altered digestive tract anatomy due to surgical procedures. This may result in increased bacterial growth in the small intestine which, in turn, results in flatulence, bloating, or belching.

Is Flatulence A Genetic Condition?

No concrete evidence suggests flatulence runs in families.

When Should I Worry About Flatulence?

You have nothing to worry about if you pass gas five to 20 times every day. However, if you pass wind significantly more than this (e.g., 50 times daily), experience intense abdominal pain, feel bloated, or see blood in your stool, you may be suffering from a more serious condition. If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.

How Do I Get Treated for Flatulence?

Flatulence is not usually a serious condition. Most of the time, making specific lifestyle and dietary changes is all that’s needed so you can manage it successfully.

In terms of diet, consuming easily digestible carb sources can improve your flatulence symptoms. These carb sources include:

  • Rice (brown, red, or white)
  • Lettuce
  • Grapes
  • Citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, pomelo, kumquat, etc.)
  • Bananas

Here are other tips to help you manage your flatulence issues:

  • Eat smaller meals: Consuming four to six smaller meals throughout the day can help reduce flatulence.

  • Eat slowly: When you chew your food thoroughly in your mouth, you facilitate better digestion in your gut.

  • Consume probiotics: These will increase the amount of good bacteria in your digestive tract, resulting in reduced flatulence. Foods rich in probiotics include yoghurt, fermented cheese, and fermented vegetables such as miso, sauerkraut, and pickles. If you are lactose intolerant, consult your nutritionist or dietitian first before consuming dairy products rich in probiotics.

  • Modify your grocery shopping list: Include low-lactose dairy products and fermented beans in your diet. The latter, in particular, has low soluble fibre content which may decrease flatulence.

  • Drink peppermint tea: This beverage has relaxant and antispasmodic properties which ease the passage of food and air through your digestive tract.

  • Don’t smoke: When you smoke, you swallow more air. Smoking also irritates your digestive tract.

  • Exercise regularly: Exercising enhances your digestive system function and reduces excessive gas buildup.

Our Experts Are Ready to Help You Manage Your Flatulence

Here at New Life Nutrition, our team of accredited practising dietitians and nutritionists work together to help you achieve and sustain your long-term nutrition and overall health goals. We are experts at helping our clients deal with flatulence and other gut and bowel health issues, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need help in managing your gas, abdominal cramps, and other symptoms of flatulence.

Call us now at (07) 3071 7405 to book an appointment with any of our qualified nutritionists and dietitians.


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