Remedies for Smelly Farts

Unleashing smelly farts: on school grounds, this was the elixir the immature kids thought they could use to piss you off. And it worked. If you were the insecure type and dropped one amongst your peers, this would be social suicide. 

As adults, it’s the type of thing some of us pretend we don’t do. Or the thing we often smell on that packed train home from work. 

Ultimately, passing wind is natural. Whether baby, teen or adult, we all experience it. That said, let’s be real: some farts are simply revolting. We’ve all been there – dropping them like missiles and managing to gas ourselves out, ashamed and horrified we could produce such… filth!

There are also times when you have no choice but to drop one outside the safety of your own home. But if like most people your shame takes hold, you’ll know that getting caught out in a public place is humiliating. Most so if your belly is capable of a level of potency even you can’t handle.

So, for all my gassy comrades out there, fear not. While I am not expert in the matter, nor can I ‘cure’ you of flatulence problems, there are things you can do to minimise the smell of your farts and make them less harmful to the environment, shall we say. 

Remedies for Smelly Farts:

1. EAT PROPERLY (CHEW SLOWLY, SIT AND EAT, REST AFTER EATING):

Your food digests much better when you are sitting down. Some people are able to chew on the move, with little to no issues (we hate people like you, bastards!). But for many of us, this leads to cramps, pain and trapped wind. When it eventually does come out, there’s nothing pretty in sound nor smell. So where possible, sit and eat. 

Chewing slowly helps ensure you are breaking down the food correctly, which aids in better digestion and less issues with your gut going into freak mode. For those with more sensitive tummies, your gut will thank you for this. 

Finally, allow your stomach to rest after eating. As children, we could probably eat and then play like it was nothing. As adults, things sadly change. For an adequate sized meal, rest for 15-30 mins minimum (some people may require longer). As with the other points, this helps with the healthy digestive process and can help prevent excessive/smellier farts, or other problems associated with poor digestion such as diarrhoea, cramps, nausea, heartburn and vomiting.

2. STAY HYDRATED:

Staying hydrated isn’t just great for your skin, it may actually help prevent your your farts smelling so extreme. Why? Because a dehydrated body isn’t able to break down food as effectively, thus leading to smellier gas.

3. KEEP A FOOD/MOOD DIARY:

If you are becoming concerned with the smell of your farts, keep a food diary for a week or two. Monitor what you eat and how you smell afterwards. See if you notice any patterns in what you eat and how it’s affecting you.

Highlight things such as pain/bloatedness/whether your gas increased etc. Monitoring your mood may also help especially if you struggle with anxiety, depression or anger. Emotions can affect how your bowels react and you may be prone to a more active bowel during these times.

4. NATURAL REMEDIES

Herbs and spices like peppermint, ginger, fennel, cinnamon are often recommended for helping to settle the stomach and ease gas. Be careful however, as some people may be more sensitive to spice in the morning, so ingredients like ginger may be best left until the evening.

5. LET IT OUT: 

This may not be so easy to do if you are in company, or at work. However, holding onto gas can sometimes lead to cramps/discomfort or become stronger/more potent. So if you are able, try and release gas as soon as you’re able.

6. MONITOR YOUR DIET: 

Some foods/drinks are downright culprits when it comes to inducing smelly farts. Beans (there’s a reason there’s a song about this. Beans beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you…), cabbage, sprouts, cauliflower, cheese, onions, alcohol, broccoli, eggs – they can sadly make you smell worse.

Additionally, so can an excess of things, such as eating too much fruit, chewing too much gum or consuming excessive amounts of protein. 

Spicy foods are also on the culprit list. So while you don’t need to avoid these foods/drinks altogether, just be mindful of what you consume and in what quantities. 

7. RULE OUT INTOLERANCES:

While bad smelling farts aren’t an immediate sign you have an intolerance, they could be trying to tell you something. Intolerances can occur at any age. As we age, things change – this includes our bodies' ability to break certain foods down. Additionally, there may have been foods you’ve always been more sensitive to, but those minor sensitivities are starting to rear their ugly heads a bit more. This could be for a number of reasons.

If you feel that you may have an intolerance, speak to your GP about it. They may be able to assist in getting some checks done for you. Even if something comes back inconclusive, this doesn’t mean you aren’t sensitive to some foods, but it may mean you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

Certain food / food groups may affect you one minute, but not the other. There is support you can get around this and medication which report to help relieve symptoms. It may help you to keep a diary or pay close attention to certain food groups that give you the most problems however, so you can make adjustments in your diet.

8. IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH: 

A poor gut, or one lacking in the right nutrients can lead to sickness, but also problems such as excessive or foul smelling wind. Some people top up the good bacteria in their gut by taking probiotics, or using medications aimed at supporting better gut health. Others also prefer something a little more extreme, such as colon cleansing.

9. MOVE YA BODY: 

Mobilising your body helps activate the bowels more, which can help if you have trapped wind. But staying active, as well as hydrated helps aid the breakdown of food. So although it won’t prevent you passing gas, it may not be as unpleasant as what may escape during poor health choices and inactivity. 

Whatever you want to call it, gas/farting/flatulence is a normal bodily function for us all. If it is becoming problematic and speaking to a GP doesn’t help, it may be worth a referral to a nutritionist or someone who is an expert in gut health. 

Listen to your body, seek professional advice as and when necessary and remember that your body may react to things differently over the course of your life. 

Farting is a natural part of life, and while farts may never smell of roses, hopefully a few adjustments to your lifestyle may prevent you from trying to cross the street to escape the stench of one you just dropped. Nope, never happened to you? Just me? Ah…okay. Erm, right. See you in the next post!