Learn to control your excess gas, naturally, and avoid the embarrassment of breaking smelly wind.
Wind is produced as a result of the digestive process and is a normal biological function. However, if you are constantly breaking wind and it is very smelly, there may be something out of balance in your digestive system. Follow my diet and lifestyle plan to minimise your suffering – and embarrassment.
Give wind-producing foods a wide berth
Avoid foods that cause flatulence by following these rules:
- Certain carbohydrates can’t be broken down in the intestines so they ferment, creating excess smelly wind. Examples are: broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, artichokes, apples, prunes, pulses, lentils and onions. Cabbage and onions can produce sulphur-like gases that can be very smelly. However, not everyone eating the same foods will have a problem with smelly wind.
- Don’t drink carbonated drinks. You don’t want to be adding to the gas in your tummy.
- Reduce your alcohol consumption. Beer in particular creates gas in the intestines.
- Avoid sweeteners. Some foods and drinks contain a sweetener called Sorbitol. This can be found in sugar-free gum and in slimming products, but can also be found in mouthwash and some liquid medicines. Sorbitol’s passage through the intestines is slow and this can create fermentation – gas and, in some cases, diarrhoea.
- Be mindful of medication. Certain medications can cause smelly wind – statins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-fungals.
Supplements to subdue gas
- If you’re suffering from constant excess gas, consider taking a digestive enzyme with every meal. If you are over 50, the ageing process may have made you deficient in hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes – essential to help digest food. If you are deficient in these substances, excess wind can be produced. I’ve added calcium to my plant-derived Digestive Enzymes for extra digestion support.
- Also try taking garlic – a wonderful gut microbial balancer. Take one of my high-strength Garlic tablets daily – they are thankfully low in odour!
- I also recommend taking two of my activated Charcoal capsules before and after food. As the charcoal is passing through the intestines, it has the effect of reducing the size of the gas bubbles, allowing them to move more freely along the intestines to be eliminated in a gentler fashion!
- A daily supplement of live bacteria (sometimes called a probiotic) can also help – an imbalance in friendly and pathogenic gut bacteria can create smelly gas and bloating. Consider taking my high-strength multi-strain Live Bacteria capsules daily to help redress any bacterial imbalances in your gut.
Lifestyle tips to reduce wind
- Ensure you are emptying your bowels regularly, at least daily. If wastes are building up in your intestines, one of the by-products is smelly wind. If you are having issues with constipation, consider having colon hydrotherapy treatment to completely cleanse your large bowel. The colon hydrotherapist will give you advice on diet and lifestyle as well as any supplements and herbs you can take to help prevent the constipation recurring.
- Chew your food properly – and slowly. Don’t bolt it down like it’s your last meal on earth. If you have dentures, ensure they fit your gums. As we age, our gums recede and dentures can become loose, affecting our ability to chew properly. Chew each mouthful of food at least 20 times, and at least 30 times if the food is more substantial in texture, such as meat.
- Don’t mix food and water. If you tend to drink large volumes of water with your meals, try to break this habit, as the water dilutes and weakens your digestive enzymes making your system work harder to digest the food, and this tends to create gas. Drink water at least half an hour before and half an hour after a meal.