Not pumpernickel that is for sure

April 26, 2009 1:07 PM

I enjoy whole wheat and multigrain bread. What I don't enjoy is flatulence. What ingredients should I check for on the bread labels to avoid that result?
posted by anonymous to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

Avoid breads that contain psyllium. Sour dough breads ( lots of bacteria), and Zwieback are bad too. Any breads that contain soluble fiber ( oat bran, whole wheat) will produce gas.

Maybe try Bean-o.
posted by Taurid at 1:40 PM on April 26, 2009

I think Taurid is wrong about the sourdough. The baking process kills the bacteria, but not before they could do much of the digestion for you so the bacteria in your gut don't need to be so annoying. I rarely eat bread, but when I do, I eat sourdough. I would buy sourdough from a good bakery, not from the store.

more info
posted by melissam at 1:47 PM on April 26, 2009

Inulin's the worst of the flatulence-producing food additives. It's the same stuff that makes Jerusalem artichokes so gassy. It's exactly the sort of thing you'd think would be carefully avoided in foods whenever possible, and yet some food manufacturers add it to processed foods deliberately, in order to support highly questionable claims concerning the healthfulness of their foods.

Two slices of Arnold brand Double Fiber bread on a sandwich at lunch left me in pain for hours. It contains added inulin and soy fiber. I have no problems from eating sourdough bread or 100% whole wheat bread, as long as the inappropriate gas-producing additives are left out.
posted by Ery at 1:51 PM on April 26, 2009

Chickory root has proven to be a common ingredient in the snack foods (Fiber One bars and the like) that provide unpleasant results for me.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:10 PM on April 26, 2009

I disagree with the previous comments. If you want to fight gas yet eat fiber, then eat more fiber. Eat a little bit every day and increase your dose over time. If you do this two things will happen, you will make less gas and when you do, it will not be as painful.
posted by caddis at 8:49 PM on April 26, 2009

caddis is right. You have to let your body get used to it, slowly but surely. You'll feel much better this way.
posted by whiskey point at 9:44 PM on April 27, 2009