Farting is normal â the average person does it 5-15 times a day. In fact, having a lot of gas on a particular day might actually be a sign of good health, if you forget about any discomfort or embarrassment caused. Thats because the foods that create farts tend to be heart-healthy, fibre-packed complex carbs, which your body cant break down but the bacteria in your gut can. So which foods make you fart, which make your farts smelly, and when should you consult your doctor?
Turkey is a nutritious and delicious staple of many holiday meals. However, some people experience gastrointestinal discomfort like gas, bloating or stomach cramps after eating turkey. If you’ve felt gassy or bloated post-turkey dinner, you may wonder – what gives? Here’s a closer look at the reasons turkey could be causing gas and tips to prevent it.
Why Turkey May Lead to Gas and Bloating
There are a few explanations for why turkey seems to produce gas for some people
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Eating Too Quickly – Gobbling down your food can cause excessive air swallowing, which leads to gas buildup. This may be especially likely on holidays when we tend to eat faster.
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Intolerance to Components – Some individuals have trouble digesting FODMAPs, fat, spices or other components in turkey dishes, causing gas
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Allergies – Though rare, turkey allergies can trigger digestive upset and gas in sensitive people.
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Food Poisoning – Undercooked or mishandled turkey can cause foodborne illness with gas, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
So in many cases, it’s not the turkey itself but how you eat it or your body’s response that causes discomfort.
Tips to Prevent Gas and Bloating After Turkey
Luckily, there are some simple fixes to avoid post-turkey gas:
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Eat slowly and chew thoroughly to reduce swallowed air.
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Limit high FODMAP foods like stuffing, gravy, onions.
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Skip problematic ingredients if you have a known intolerance.
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Ensure turkey is fully cooked to avoid foodborne illness.
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Take digestive enzymes to improve breakdown of components.
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Reduce portion size and avoid overeating.
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Take a probiotic to support healthy digestion.
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Avoid eating late at night when digestion slows down.
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Get moving after your meal to stimulate digestion.
What to Do if Turkey Consistently Causes Gas
For most people, turkey can be enjoyed without GI consequences by following these tips. But some continue experiencing significant gas, bloating or diarrhea after eating turkey. If this persists:
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Consider eliminating turkey for a period to see if symptoms improve. Then reintroduce to test tolerance.
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Get tested for allergies if post-turkey symptoms are severe.
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Work with a dietitian to identify problematic ingredients you may be sensitive to.
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Discuss persistent symptoms with your doctor to identify causes and appropriate treatment.
While turkey isn’t universally problematic, understanding how your body responds can help prevent unwanted gas and bloating.
Enjoying Turkey without the Gas
Turkey can be enjoyed without unpleasant side effects by:
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Eating slowly and not overindulging
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Cooking thoroughly to prevent illness
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Limiting high FODMAP foods
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Skipping problematic ingredients
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Using digestive aids as needed
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Getting checked for allergies or intolerances
With some simple precautions, you can feast on turkey without the unwanted gas or bloating afterwards. Focus on mindful eating and limiting intake of items your body struggles to digest. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor or dietitian to pinpoint and address the underlying cause.
Frequency of Entities:
turkey: 23
gas: 15
bloating: 7
gastrointestinal: 3
digestion: 5
symptom: 4
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Broccoli, cauli and cabbage
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, kale and other green leafy veg are super-high in fibre and this can all be a bit too much for your body to digest. But the bacteria in your gut loves to utilise it for energy, and this results in gas. Many of these cruciferous veg also contain sulphur, and you know all about the smell that can lead to.
Many fruits, such as apples, mangoes and pears, are high in the natural sugar fructose. In addition, some apples and pears are loaded with fibre. A number of people find fructose difficult to digest and might get gassy from eating these sweet treats because they cant break down the sugars properly. However, fructose intolerance isnât as common as lactose intolerance.
Fatty foods, including pork and beef
Fatty foods slow down digestion, which can leave them festering in your gut, fermenting and getting pongy. Fatty meats are doubly tricky because they are rich in the amino acid methionine, which contains sulphur. Sulphur is broken down by your gut bacteria into hydrogen sulphide â that lovely rotten egg smell â and âenhancesâ the odour of gas produced by other foods you eat as well as the meat.
Beans and lentils contain lots of fibre, but they also contain raffinose, a complex sugar that we donât process well. These sugars make their way to the intestine, where your gut goes to town using them for energy, resulting in hydrogen, methane and even smelly sulphur.
Contrary to popular belief, eggs dont make most of us fart. But they do contain sulphur-packed methionine. So if you dont want smelly farts, dont eat eggs alongside fart-causing foods such as beans or fatty meats. If eggs make you bloated and give you wind, you may be intolerant to them or have an allergy.
Onions, artichokes, garlic and leeks all contain fructans â carbs that can cause gas and bloating.
Dairy from cows and goats contains lactose, a sugar that can cause gas to build up. On top of that, about 65 percent of the worlds adult population has a degree of intolerance to lactose, and eating dairy can leave them feeling bloated and gassy.
How to stop farting and reduce gas in stomach bloating
FAQ
Does eating turkey produce gas?
Can turkey give you gas pains?
Can turkey make you feel bloated?
Why does poultry give me gas?
Why do I have gas after eating turkey?
If you have stomach cramps or gas after eating turkey, it may have more to do with how you ate, rather than what you ate. That’s because you can swallow excess air when you eat too fast, which — you guessed it — can lead to gas and gas pain, according to the Mayo Clinic. The fix?
What food causes gas?
The production of gas is related to different causes. It can be due to hormonal issues or poor digestion that can be caused by dysbiosis, which is the imbalance of the intestinal microbiota, or it can also be caused by enzyme deficiency, when digestive enzymes are not produced or are produced insufficiently. The ideal is to go through a medical evaluation or with a dietitian to investigate the cause. But it is known that foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, cabbage and beans can cause gas production.
Can eating turkey cause digestive problems?
An isolated instance where you develop digestive issues several hours after eating turkey may be related to food poisoning. Foodborne illness occurs when you eat something contaminated with an infectious organism like a parasite, bacteria or virus, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What foods make you more gassy?
Non-gassy foods include: Gassy foods, on the other hand, are foods that cause you to swallow air or that are less easy for your body to digest. Gassy foods include those that are high in sugar, starch, or fiber. This article discusses why some foods make you more gassy than others.