Painful gas can be a frustrating and embarrassing problem, but you may have a lot more control over it than you think. Read on for information about how to control the amount – and even the smell! – of the gas in your body.

•    Your gas may be completely normal. Lots of people think their gas production is excessive, when in fact it’s not.

•    Symptoms of excess gas include excessive burping and belching, flatulence, bloating and abdominal pain. However, there are other diseases that can cause the same symptoms, so check with your doctor to be sure your problem is related to gas.

•    Painful gas can come from either the stomach or the large intestine.

•    Gas in the stomach results from swallowing air.

•    Postnasal drip makes people swallow more often, taking air to the stomach.

•    Ill-fitting dentures are a source of swallowed air.

•    Smoking a pipe or cigar can increase air in the stomach.

•    Eating quickly can cause air to travel with the food.

•    Chewing gum or sucking on hard candy can introduce air to the stomach.

•    Fats and proteins cause very little gas.

•    Carbonated drinks can cause gas. Let them stand open a while before drinking.

•    Beans will produce less gas if you presoak them, then discard the water before cooking.

•    Whole grains and bran added to the diet quickly can cause gas, but not when introduced slowly.

•    Milk and dairy products produce more gas as people age.

•    Packaged foods prepared with lactose should be avoided. These include salad dressing, bread and cereal.

•    Dietetic foods and sugarfree candies that contain sorbitol cause gas.

•    Wine and dark beer are gas-inducing.

•    Many fruits and vegetables are capable of generating gas. Among them: beans, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, radishes, celery, carrots, apples, peaches, raisins, bananas, apricots, prune juice, cherries, and pears.

•    These foods are the usual culprits when gas has an awful smell: alcohol, asparagus, beans, cabbage, chicken, coffee, cucumbers, dairy products, eggs, fish, garlic, nuts, onions, prunes, radishes, and spicy foods.

•    Here are the foods that are less likely to cause gas: lettuce, okra, zucchini, tomatoes, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, cantaloupe, grapes, berries, avocado, olives, gluten-free bread, rice bread, rice.

•    Simethicone products only work on swallowed air in the stomach.

•    Lactase removes gas caused by dairy products.

•    Activated charcoal can greatly reduce the pain caused by intestinal gas.

•    Beano can help the body digest vegetable sugars that cause gas.