Is This Common Mistake Causing You Painful Gas and Bloating?

Plus a step-by-step plan for getting started on the Full Plate without gas

Have you been adding more high fiber foods like beans, broccoli or apples to your diet only to notice a dramatic increase in gas, bloating or stomach discomfort?

This side effect is normal and usually temporary.

That said, you’ve probably had one of these thoughts:

  • I knew it! This diet has downsides just like the rest
  • Is farting a necessary part of a high fiber diet?
  • I want to eat healthy but my gut doesn’t
  • This discomfort and embarrassment isn’t worth it anymore

Gas often kicks in with vengeance when you start eating new foods.

If you read on, I’ll share a step-by-step plan for getting started on the Full Plate without gas plus 6 helpful tips & techniques to significantly reduce common gas culprits.

But first.

The easy to follow but often ignored guideline for minimizing gas

Anytime you make big changes to what you eat in a short period of time, you’ll likely notice an increase in gas. It takes your gut time to adjust to unfamiliar foods. During this learning curve phase, a sharp rise in bad gas, bloating and bowel discomfort is common.

If you’ve experienced a spike in gas since increasing the amount of fiber you eat, be sure to follow this guideline so you can avoid this frustrating problem.

  • Increase the amount of fiber you eat gradually - You’d be sore if you tried to run a 5K after not running for months. In the same way, you’ll increase the likelihood of blowing up like a balloon if you triple the amount of fiber you eat in a week or so.

  • Plan an orientation period of at least 4 weeks to get your gut used the increased volume of broccoli, beans, berries or oatmeal. The more gradually you increase new foods the less gas you’ll experience.

Remember, the goal is for 75% of your plate to be filled with high fiber foods.

Beginner Tip: Set an intermediate goal to work up to filling 50% of your plate with fiber rich foods by the end of three weeks. If gas isn’t a problem, then aim for 75%.

6 must try tips & techniques to minimize bloating and gas

So, what can you do today to minimize your GI symptoms right away? Below is a must read list of tips and techniques that can bring you some relief.

  1. How to train your gut to like beans - If you’re not used to eating beans but you’d like to learn to enjoy them without side effects, try eating ½ cup of beans every day for a month. The first few days may be a little turbulent but soon your body will adapt and you’ll feel normal. This training approach can be applied to any high fiber food that’s giving your gut fits. If things ever get too rocky, taking Beano is a proven way to minimize gas.

  2. How to deflate common gassy foods - Steam veggies like broccoli, kale and cabbage instead of eating them raw.

  3. A simple technique for popping the bubble on canned beans - Before using canned beans, place them in a strainer and thoroughly rinse them. Some of the gas will go down the drain.

  4. If you’re having a lot of trouble with gas, try these fiber foods first - These veggies and fruits are less likely to cause gas.


    Avocados
    Squash
    Spinach
    Peas
    Corn
    Carrots
    Tomatoes
    Blackberries
    Strawberries
    Bananas
    Pears
    Peaches
    Cherries
    Mangos
    Kiwi
    Blueberries
    Raspberries
    Mushrooms
    Green beans

  5. Easy techniques for deflating the gas in cooked beans - If you’re more advanced and want to cook dried beans, you’ll find this article useful.

  6. Keep your Power Ups simple at first - Experimenting with a wide variety of high fiber foods is fine, just focus on simplicity if gas is a problem. For example, try easy side dishes instead of recipes because a recipe that has a complex mixture of beans and raw kale for instance, will likely be more gas producing than a side of sweet potatoes or steamed spinach.

A step-by-step plan for getting started on the Full Plate without gas

If gas is a real problem for you, follow this step-by-step plan.

For quick relief:

Slow down! Instead of adding 3 or 4 high fiber foods each meal, add just 1.

Try eating as much as you can from the list of low gas producing foods in tip #4 below so you can still Power Up your meals but with hopefully much less gas.

Then, following the guideline above, select one of the high fiber foods you think has been a culprit for you. (beans are a good starting place)

Use our list of high fiber foods if you’re not sure what food to pick.

Try eating ½ cup, (really 2-3 spoonfuls) of this food every day for a month.

It’s likely that in a months time, your gut will be much less resistant to this food.

If you’re feeling better, rinse and repeat with a new fiber food.

It's worth it, because these fiber foods are super healthy.

Full Plate Living is a small-step approach with big health outcomes. It's provided as a free service of Ardmore Institute of Health.

Learn More