15 replies to this topic

[LemonLime789]

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I am pregnant and would really like to stick to a well-balanced diet, but it seems like everything causes me gas! I work in a quiet office environment, and it's really embarrassing when the gas moves around in my intestines and makes humiliating noises. I try to limit my diet to white rice and plain, baked chicken on the day before and the day of meetings. This usually helps reduce the gas to a more manageable level. But, I know this type of diet isn't rich in nutrients. I'd love some suggestions on other foods that tend not to cause gas. I've looked up gas reduction diets online, but some of the foods they mention still cause me problems. I'm getting worried that plain chicken and white rice are all I can tolerate!!! Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, especially fruits and vegetables that don't cause much gas, as well as breakfast foods and snacks. Thanks so much!

[Kathleen M.]

http://www.askdrsear...600.asp#T042601 has some info on fruits.Generally if you can stick to Rice cereals and snakes like rice cakes rather than things with wheat in it that will help with the gas. Wheat has a lot of resistant starch and that may be part of the problem for you, so do most other starchy foods like Potatoes. So the rice is a good bet, and you can get rice based cereals and snacks.Veggies: Avoid the Cabbage family veggies and most beans. Those tend to be the worst offenders. If you think fructose might be a problem for you check this list to see if these veggies are easier for you.http://john.toebes.com/diet.html If you know which things bothers you most (like is it fructose vs resistant starch) that can help choose foods.You might look into taking a probiotic supplement. They do not release gas from the indigestible carbs that bacteria usually make gas from. I can greatly reduce my fart frequency with probiotics.

[Patman75]

Low carbing helps, ditto on everything Kathleen said. Your safe with meat and veggies (except the veggies that Kathleen mentioned). Reducing your sugar and diary helps.

[LemonLime789]

Thank you both for the replies. Do you ever feel like almost everything causes you gas? Sometimes I think I'd have excess gas even if I ate nothing. I don't understand why my body produces so much gas! I don't think I swallow an inordinate amount if air; I don't chew gum, drink through straws, suck on hard candy or anything else that would cause me to swallow excess air. I don't get it. And I have been unsuccessful at finding specific food sensitivities. I am starting to wonder if I could have some sort of bacterial overgrowth. It's funny - I used to have virtually no gas. It's like I'm making up for lost time. I remember once my friend told me he heard that the average person passes gas 14 times a day, and I thought that sounded sooooo high. Now, that would definitely be a good day!!! I don't even know how many times I need to pass gas a day. On bad days like today I feel like I need to leave my desk and go to the bathroom every 20 minutes to relieve gas! I dread all-day meetings because I don't have the ability to make so many restroom trips.I haven't had much luck with probiotics yet, but I might try them again. Maybe I will give Culturelle another shot. My main concern is having to deal with the extra gas they can cause in the first few weeks. I can't take anymore!

[Kathleen M.]

Well you can have bloating and gurgling even with low levels of gas.IBSers often don't move the gas around normally and may feel bloated or gurgle without any excess gas. But everytime you eat any meal no matter what it is made of the colon will be more active and often that does cause symptoms like bloating because of the activity, not because of what food you ate. That increase in activity can also make you fart after meals.

[LemonLime789]

I hardly ever have bloating anymore, which is odd. I used to alllll the time. It was so uncomfortable. Now, I just have to pass so much gas. I can feel my colon filling up with gas. I've already passed gas multiple times since I woke up a half hour ago, and I haven't even eaten yet, and all I had last night was baked chicken and white rice.

[Kathleen M.]

I've always had a higher than usual fart frequency (and the colon is also most active around the time you get up so that could be why you fart in the morning, any gas made overnight will get pushed to the end, and it is usual for people without IBS to have a morning BM from that very normal spike in activity).I found the only thing that worked was probiotics. I never had any noticable increase in gas from the fiber they put in them that is supposed to feed the probiotics. Some people do (I think I farted so much that 30 farts a day wasn't enough more than 28 to really notice).It can take some time to find the brand that works for you, and if you can find one without prebiotics (the fiber) in it that may avoid some of the usually minor increase in gas. I mean they can only put like a gram or less of fiber in there, you can only make so much gas from that no matter what you do.You may find simethicone helps but you would need to take that with every meal for a couple of days to see if it makes a difference. It doesn't go through the blood stream so it could only work on gas that comes from the food you took it with.You will have some gas, but with probiotics I sometimes have days I only fart a couple of times (so they make me quite abnormal). I had more than normal amounts of gas before and after IBS, so it wasn't from that, just which bacteria I had.It may be worth getting tested for SIBO, but you can make a large amount of gas from normal levels of normal colon bacteria. It isn't only bad bacteria or bacteria in the wrong place. Some normal species make a lot of gas, some do not and which bacteria are predominate in there can change over time.

[LemonLime789]

Thanks for the tips! Maybe I will try Culturelle again or another probiotic.

[LemonLime789]

Kathleen,What probiotic did you have success with?

[Kathleen M.]

The first probiotic that I had luck with (had taken generic acidophilus in the past) was called Probiotica but it got sold. Lactobacillus Reuteri is the species and you can find that at some health food stores.I have good luck with the Digestive Advantage brand and they have one that is marketed for gas reduction, and it seems to be widely available. I've also used Jarrodophilus, GNC Potent Acidophilus, Align, and a couple of others.One of the "Pearls" brand that is supposed to be enteric coated doesn't do much for me. Jarrodophilus often puts some FOS in theirs so that may be a problem for some people (a prebiotic) in initial gas.Align, Culturelle, and VSL#3 probably have the most clinical data for a variety of conditions. VSL#3 tends to appear kind of expensive but that has a lot more bacteria in it than most brands so on a per billion bacterial cells basis it really isn't out of line with the prices of other things.

[Kirsty1]

The first probiotic that I had luck with (had taken generic acidophilus in the past) was called Probiotica but it got sold. Lactobacillus Reuteri is the species and you can find that at some health food stores.I have good luck with the Digestive Advantage brand and they have one that is marketed for gas reduction, and it seems to be widely available. I've also used Jarrodophilus, GNC Potent Acidophilus, Align, and a couple of others.One of the "Pearls" brand that is supposed to be enteric coated doesn't do much for me. Jarrodophilus often puts some FOS in theirs so that may be a problem for some people (a prebiotic) in initial gas.Align, Culturelle, and VSL#3 probably have the most clinical data for a variety of conditions. VSL#3 tends to appear kind of expensive but that has a lot more bacteria in it than most brands so on a per billion bacterial cells basis it really isn't out of line with the prices of other things.

Hi Kathleen,I have an overwhelming gas problem as well. It is soooooo embarrassing. It doesn't matter if I don't each much either , my stomach is always filled with gas and I am constantly passing wind it is horrendous!!!What do you mean Probiotica got sold? Do you mean they don't make it anymore? I wonder if you can get any of the brands you mentioned here in Scotland?Kirsty

[Kathleen M.]

Not sure if any of those brands are sold in Scotland. You might check the Probiotics forum on this board to see what the UK people are having luck with.Probiotica was made by the people who make Imodium. They sold that brand off to another company and it isn't sold under than name anymore. I've seen Lactobacillus Reuteri being sold with that name as the name and I think it is the same stuff.

[Kirsty1]

Oh, thanks Kathleen

[u25db2]

I also find that most foods seem to cause bloating and gas. It can be quite troublesome when I am working 12 or 13 hour shifts because it tends to get worse over the course of the day. Just recently I found that drinking fennel tea seems to help reduce the levels of gas and get rid of a lot of the bloating. Meat and fish seem to be quite safe but things like bread or pasta are really bad for bloating, possibly because of the wheat. If anyone else has any ideas about good things to eat to avoid gas, particularly fruit and veg, that would be great!

[disuster]

I have had this horrible gas all my life I think. But at least for about 15 nice years i managed to controll it by eliminating all starches including normal bread. Instead I ate Slimcea Bread(Slimex), tuna, and butter. Fruit juice especially wild berries seems to cause less flatus than fresh fruits (maby you might try this bread). I am now 45 years old and for the last 2 years this diet does not seem to work any more and I am back in hell and about to loose my job from such a condition. I am now eating rice pasta (Riso Scotti) instead of bread and chicken instead of tuna. I also stopped taking butter as i found out that i am lactose intollerent. Fibre suppliments made my situation worse. Charcoal tablets do not work. I am now trying food enzyme suppliments. The only medication which made wonders were antibiotics, but of course these could only be taken for a short period of 10 days and their effect lasted only for antoher 5 days after treatment stopped during which i could eat practically everything.Good Luck

[WindChimes01]

I was reading over the posts and will reply to several things in one post:--When I was pregnant, my IBS was actually better. My guess was that the pressure of the baby kept my colon from having spasms. Anyone else notice an improvement?--It's so frustrating that there is so much conflicting info out there about food. Some recommend fiber, then some say it makes it worse. Some say to eat toast and comfort foods, some say to avoid starches. I suspect I am addicted (?) to sugar. I crave it a lot and it is my main weakness. I've never been able to track whether or not sugar affects my ibs because I can't seem to go without it. Also, artificial sweeteners. That has mixed reviews, too. --Empty stomach. Although foods trigger my ibs,when I have an empty stomach, my waist increases about an inch and I belch until finally am able to eat. --Stress. I agree stress is an issue. I can feel my stomach cramping/spasm when I think about anything stressful. But....sometimes my symptoms are worse when I am at rest or after I sleep all night. I wonder why?--Cravings. My symptoms make me feel like I am hungry even when I am not. I suspect it is air/gas extending my stomach making it feel empty?--Hormones. I know 99% sure hormones play a part. Women have ibs more often and they say that hormones are what causes r colon to move and for you to have a bm. Also, I noticed years ago that when I was "falling in love"--during the first 1-2 weeks of the "head over heels" stage, I had NO ibs symptoms whatsoever!Now I have this Mirena iuc and it's not supposed to affect anything but the uterus lining. Ha. Not so sure....I'm sure everyone on here is frustrated. I know I am. My tummy makes noises day and night. :-(