Most farts don’t smell at all - and we don’t even realise we’re doing them.
When you eat, your gut naturally produces gas as it digests your food, like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.
There’s one gas though, that makes up just 1% of the gases you produce, that is the real stink bomb.
Hydrogen sulfide is the gas that clears the room with its smelly rotten egg stink.
Smelly farts
If you eat plenty of foods containing sulfur, then your body can make more stinky hydrogen sulfide gas.
Foods rich in sulfur include meat, fish, eggs, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower.
Your gut bacteria in your gut break down these foods, producing hydrogen sulfide as a by-product.
If you have a special event coming up and you’re worried about gas, you might want to avoid eating too many of those foods in the 1-2 days before.
Gassy times
Beans have a reputation for making you fart, but it seems that we exaggerate how much.
A study found that less than 50% of people were more gassy after eating pinto beans or baked beans, and only 19% after eating black beans. So not everyone gets more gassy from eating beans.
If you do get gassy from beans - the more often you eat them, the sensation of extra gas seems to settle back somewhat.
It’s the high-fibre nature of beans that encourages your gut bacteria to produce more gas, and we know that eating plenty of high-fibre foods is great for your health.
We all fart far more than we realise anyway. A small study found that both men and women fart on average 700ml worth of gas a day.
That’s about 3 glasses full.
Farts mostly happen in the hour after a meal, but also throughout the day and at night too - when you’re sleeping your anal sphincter relaxes, making it easier for gas to slip out.
Is it unhealthy to fart?
Farting is a sign of a healthy gut, and a healthy gut microbiome - even if it might be a little embarrassing.
You can always go for a walk after a meal, to let any gas blow free.
If you feel like you’re doing lots of smelly farts often, and it’s paired with uncomfortable gut symptoms like bloating, stomach pain, constipation, or diarrhea, then it’s worth exploring together with your medical health professional.
Chat soon, Emily xx
Your best yet! (For all the wrong reasons!) 😂