Intestinal gas is made up of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and methane. And if you have gas in your digestive system, there are only two ways it can be expelled: upwards (burping) or downwards (flatus). Otherwise, it remains trapped in your digestive system and that’s when you get bloating. Yes, it’s embarrassing, all that flatulence! And like factories belching out their waste, it’s all too obvious when in public. So what to do? Well, there are three things to consider when reducing gas and bloating: your behaviour, foods to limit and helpful, natural remedies. What you might be doing to cause gas and bloating Eating too much rich and fatty foods: fat takes longer to digest than carbohydrates and proteins resulting in food staying longer in your stomach and therefore leading to fermentation which leads to gas. Swallowing air: at least half of the gas within your digestive system is theresult of swallowed air. By avoiding the following eating habits, you can reduce the amount of air you take in:

• Eating too fast
• Talking too much whilst eating
• Drinking through a straw
• Chewing gum
• Guzzling carbonated beverages
• Sucking on hard candy

Foods to Limit The colon is filled with bacteria, yeasts and fungi, which break down the foods not digested by the small intestine, mostly different forms of carbohydrates. These bacteria particularly enjoy undigested carbohydrates, and the fermentation leads to gas production, hydrogen and methane expelled as flatus. Bloat-inducing foods: try limiting these difficult-to-digest foods (but don’t eliminate the healthy fibre foods altogether):

• Beans and lentils contain the indigestible carbohydrate raffinose.
• Brassicas such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, prunes and apricots contain sugars and starches that may cause gas and bloating.
• Indigestible sweeteners such as Sorbitol, mannitol and fructose.
• Dairy products can be a source of intestinal distress if you lack the digestive enzyme lactase resulting in trouble digesting the milk sugar known as lactose.
• Onions and garlic

Natural Remedies for Gas & Bloating The following herbs are great for soothing and calming intestinal distress:

• Peppermint tea
• Chamomile tea
• Anise
• Caraway
• Coriander
• Fennel
• Turmeric

And because our Digestive Remedy works naturally to support and optimise your digestive processes, it will automatically help with gas and bloating too.