Passing of wind/gas is a very natural thing, but excessive flatulence is quite another thing. A normal healthy person passes wind at an average of 14 times a day. About half of this gas is swallowed air. 40 percent is carbon dioxide produced by bacteria in the intestines which is odorless.

The remaining 10 percent wind are a mixture of numerous other gases including the by-products of microbesthese are responsible for the offensive odors.

While it is normal for one to pass wind, too much wind can cause abdominal discomfort and can be a social embarrassment. The best way to control flatulence is to watch what you eat.

After eating flatulence-causing foods, the gas will be expelled between five and seven hours. So, to check what you could have eaten that might have caused excessive flatulence, work back that number of hours.

Excessive intestinal gas may cause abdominal discomfort, bloating, distension, and belching. In infants, excessive gas (colic) is usually accompanied by abdominal pain. It is not uncommon for patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia) to be particularly stressed by these symptoms.

Milk and dairy products (except yoghurt) are the number one causes of flatulence. Lactose intolerance and allergic reactions to milk can increase gas output by about eight times.

Another notorious gas producer are beans that contain a compound called oligosaccharide. Eating beans like dried beans or baked beans, soya beans, peas, legumes, etc. will increase the amount of gas by more than ten times.

Carbohydrates from starchy foods like wheat, oats, potatoes and pasta are also gaseous, though not as much as the others mentioned above. A high-fiber diet may also produce gas, stomach cramps and other intestinal discomforts. Introduce fiber to your diet gradually, especially those that you don't usually take, over a period of days.

Other foods that cause gas: cruciferous vegetables (those in the cabbage family like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower), onions, turnips.

For adults, refraining from milk and dairy products (except yoghurt), and wind-causing foods should be one of the first steps to take when flatulence begins to be a nuisance. Add a little anti-gas foods like ginger, garlic or spices, when you cook your pot of beans or gaseous vegetables.

If baby is colicky, the lactating mother should also avoid the gas-causing food as mentioned above. Breast-feeding mothers should get extra calcium from sardines, salmon, and dark leafy vegetables like kale, algae (spirulina and chlorella).

For faster relief of excessive gas, activated charcoal prescribed by your physician can help reduce the gas and the unpleasant odor caused by hydrogen sulfide created in the bowel.

How you eat or don't eat is another contributing factor to a gassy stomach. If you tend to skip meals, you may encounter a bloated feeling, because of the gas forming in your intestines. Eat small amounts even if you don't feel like eating.

Finally, avoid gassy and carbonated drinks. Do not use a straw when you drink as it would cause you to take in more air. Habits like chewing a gum will also cause excessive gas.