Common foods to avoid: fiber, cellulose (an additive found in many reduced-fat and added-fiber processed foods), wheat bran, cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli and cauliflower), foods such as beans that contain the sugars raffinose, stachiose, and verbascose, and if you are lactose or fructose intolerant, dairy or processed foods.
There now are diets such as FODMAP
, developed by Australian dietitian and nutritionist Sue Shepherd, that help people who have a lot of gas and food sensitivity. You can try a process of elimination by substituting a gassy food for a non-gassy one, and see which one is giving you the most trouble. A few basic substitutions:
• Rice milk for cow’s milk
• Bananas, blueberries and melon for apples, peaches and plums
• Gluten-free and spelt cereals and bread for wheat and rye products
• Bamboo shoots, bok choy, carrot, celery, corn, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, chives, parsnip, pumpkin, and tomato for artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, okra, onions, and peas.
• Garlic-infused oil for garlic