Gas, Burping, or Bloating That Begins After Eating or Drinking

Overview

Gas, burping, and bloating are common after you swallow air, eat foods that cause gas, or drink carbonated beverages. This is normal and usually can be helped by making some simple changes.

The amount of gas that different foods cause varies from person to person. Examples of gas-producing foods are:

• Peas, lentils, and beans.
• Vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, peas, radishes, and raw potatoes.
• Fruits, such as apricots, bananas, melons, peaches, pears, prunes, and raw apples.
• Wheat and wheat bran.
• Eggs.
• Carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, beer, and red wine.
• Fried and fatty foods.
• Sugar and sugar substitutes.
• Milk and other dairy products in people who have trouble digesting lactose, the main sugar found in milk.
• Packaged foods that contain lactose, such as breads, cereal, and salad dressing.

Gas, burping, and bloating after eating or drinking also may be caused by an inability to:

• Digest certain sugars, such as lactose, fructose, or sorbitol. These sugars are often added to processed foods and medicines to make them taste sweet. Lactose is found in milk, cheese, and other dairy products.
• Properly absorb nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from the digestive tract (malabsorption syndrome).

Your doctor can check your symptoms to find out what is causing them and recommend treatment. Treatment may include changes in your diet, medicine to replace digestive enzymes and help reduce symptoms, and nutritional supplements.