Does Fiber Make You Gassy?

If so, you're not alone! But you need not suffer in (lack of) silence. Here's how to inch closer to your fiber goals for the day without passing gas from morning to night.

Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance writer, editor, level one sommelier and former fitness instructor and personal trainer who balances her love of food and drink with her passion for fitness. (Or tries to, at least!) Her writing has been published in AllRecipes, Runner's World, Shape and Fitness Magazines, as well as on EatingWell.com, Shape.com, BHG.com, ReadersDigest.com, TheHealthy.com, Prevention.com, WomensHealthMag.com and more.

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes.

Having gas stinks; often literally. But it's something that everyone deals with, and at a far more frequent rate than you might imagine. The average person passes gas about 14 times per day, Johns Hopkins Medicine experts estimate. Gas can be the result of swallowing too much air (while sipping on something fizzy, chewing gum or eating too quickly). It can also be triggered by the way our gut microbiome interacts with the food we eat, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

In rare cases, conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), food intolerances, constipation and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can contribute to your overall gas production, so if you think that something else might be "off," check in with your doctor. But the vast majority of the time, it's a symptom that relates to the fact that a whopping 95% of American adults don't consume enough fiber on a regular basis. Then when we do (or even inch ever closer to our fiber quota), our guts can revolt. The result? Gas.

"Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that our bodies cannot fully digest or absorb," explains Kenneth Brown, M.D., a gastroenterologist in Plano, Texas, and the host of the Gut Check Project podcast. "Instead, fiber travels through the digestive system intact, providing various health benefits along the way."

There are two main types of fiber:

A bit of gas is a small price to pay for the many health benefits of fiber. Cynthia Sass, M.P.H., M.A., RD, CSSD, a board-certified sports dietitian in private practice in Los Angeles, specializing in plant-based performance nutrition, gives us the myriad reasons why we should eat more fiber:

As you can see, fiber is an important nutrient that plays a crucial role in maintaining good digestive (and overall) health, but fiber—especially of the insoluble variety—can also cause gas and bloating in some individuals.

"When gut bacteria break down and ferment fiber, gas is created as a byproduct," Sass says, including hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide. "That gas can build up in your digestive tract like air inflating a balloon, causing bloating and flatulence."

When our gut microbiome is thriving, fiber is digested by our gut bacteria, leading to small amounts of gas and the production of beneficial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids, Brown explains.

"However, in a gut with an imbalance of good to bad bacteria, certain types of bacteria may dominate over others, causing them to produce more gas when they break down fiber. This increase in gas can lead to discomfort," he adds.

Yes, it is possible to eat too much fiber, and one of the downstream effects of that can be gas and bloating. That being said, most of us are currently falling significantly short of our Rx (Americans eat 15 grams per day on average, compared to the recommended 25 to 31 grams recommended by the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans).

So to get closer to your fiber targets for the day—without having gas all day—try these tips from Sass and Brown.

If you experience an uptick in gas after eating a fiber-rich recipe, you're not alone. To tame your tummy as you score all the health benefits of fiber, take your time adding more fiber to your diet, add a probiotic to your daily routine, keep a journal to note any symptom triggers, drink water early and often throughout the day, and lace up your shoes for a post-meal walk.

"If you're stumped after taking all of these steps, talk with your health care provider or consider meeting with a registered dietitian who can tailor a plan based on your needs and goals," Sass says.