Passing excessive gas can sometimes be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Health expert, Bryce Wylde shares 12 ways to reduce excess flatulence through your diet and lifestyle.

1. Drink some peppermint tea
   

   Peppermint is great for soothing churning stomachs and easing gas pains. It’s essential oil contains menthol, which has an antispasmodic effect of the smooth muscle of the digestive track. It also soothes nerves, and therefore can soothe stomachs that really feel the effect of nervousness and stress. Drink a cup after dinner to help keep things moving slowly.

   •     1 bag of herbal peppermint tea
   •     1 cup or so of freshly boiled water

2. Let ‘em loose

   If you have gas, try not to hold it in. This isn’t always possible of course, but if you could nab a moment to yourself or run to the bathroom you’ll do yourself a favor. The air has to come out some way, and it’s only going to build up and get worse if you hold it in.

3. Ginger is a tummy tamer

   Whether you’re nauseas, struggling with the stomach flu, or suffering from indigestion, chances are you’ve been given ginger in some form to help calm your upset tummy. It is capable of performing its wonders because of several different chemical components it possesses. Two chemicals-gingerols and shgaols- relax the intestinal track and ease any inflammation, while the root in its entirety act as a carminative-that is it prevents the formation of excess gas, or helps expel it.

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   •     1 fresh gingerroot
   •     A grater (optional)
   •     1 cup of boiling water, if making tea
   •     Lemon and honey (optional)
   Drink a cup before or after a meal to help with digestion.

Another way to reap the benefits of ginger is to eat a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger before meals, or nibble a root throughout the day.

4. Crunch on caraway

   For centuries caraway has been used to give trapped gas in the digestive track a little shove out the back door. In England from the Middle Ages onward, it has been reported to help gas “caused by wind trapped in the body.” Of course air is only part of it but, if you find yourself puffing up from too much trapped gas, munching on a small handful of caraway seeds straight, or caraway crackers if the taste is too strong, might help.

   •     A pinch of caraway seeds OR several caraway crackers

5. Drink chamomile tea

   Antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and just plain relaxing, chamomile can help with gas due to indigestion as well as heartburn, whereas peppermint is better for gas caused solely by indigestion.

   •     1 bag of chamomile tea
   •     1 cup or so of freshly boiled water
   •     Honey or lemon juice (optional)

6. Eat pumpkin

   Gas is usually caused by improper food digestion, which is why high fiber foods (like beans) often times create some issues with flatulence. Fiber is hard for us to digest, so it passes through our gut in bulk. When food does not break down in the small intestine, it goes into the large intestine where natural bacteria feasts on it. As a by-product of their munching they produce a variety of gases, which produces a whole range of problems for us. Pumpkin is helpful because it can reduce the amount of gas created. Eat along with any meal to nip your problem in the bud.

   •     Around a cup of pumpkin, baked, steamed, or broiled

7. Chew food thoroughly

   Gas is created, in most cases, by food that we’re having a hard time breaking down. If you chew your food thoroughly you’ll digest it faster, and it will pass through your body with ease. That means it’s not sitting your intestines causing more and more gas that builds up and needs to be expelled.

8. Drink warm lemon water

   Lemon is good for you in a number of ways, including lending a hand when it comes to easing your gas pain. The acidity in lemon stimulates the production of HCL (hydrochloric acid) which is what breaks down our food. More HCL = food breaking down more efficiently = less bloating and gas. The water flushes your system and keeps your digesting tract moving along smoothly. This mixture also works as a mighty fine way to detoxify your entire body, because the lemon helps the livers enzymes work more efficiently.

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   •     3 fresh lemon wedges OR 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
   •     A cup of water

10. Whip your diet into shape

    Many of the foods we eat today, particularly in western culture, just spell trouble. Caffeine laden beverages, sugary sweets, fatty fried foods, and a number of other unsavory edibles. While it is without a doubt best to avoid these unhealthy triggers, healthy foods like beans and broccoli can cause gas too, thanks to their high fiber content. You can try to limit yourself when it comes to healthy culprit foods, but really focus on the unhealthy ones. You’ll feel better overall, and if you’re gassy, at least you know its natural gas…

11. Whip yourself into shape

    Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, and combined make one of the most powerful remedies for a vast amount of ailments. A little daily dedication is going to take you a long way when it comes to feeling good. If you exercise and move you are keeping your digestive tracts motility trucking along and expelling gas at a rate that won’t blow you away. Most people experience flatulence on average 14 times a day no matter what, and exercise helps maintain that regularity.

12. Eat some anise seed

    Anise has anti-spasmodic properties and helps to relax your digestive track, which has a tendency to react to stress in unpleasant ways. The relaxation also helps with cramping. It is also a carminative, which is just a fancy way to say that it is known to expel pent up gas and relieve the bloating that goes with it.

Gas is a natural part of life. If you’re passing gas that means everything down there is working as it should. Think about how you feel when you’re bloated, and then imagine what it would be like if you never ever tooted. That being said, too much of anything is never a good thing.