Belching and Foods

Belching is the natural release of excess gas or air from the mouth. The amount one belches depends on diet and how much air is taken in when eating, drinking or swallowing. Regulating these factors may reduce the amount, capacity and smell of one's burps.

Function

• The process of expelling excess air from your stomach is called belching or burping. Belching occurs when one swallows air while eating, but it is also primarily the result of gas from the breakdown of food in the stomach escaping through the esophagus.

Don't Eat the Air

• Ingesting air while eating causes you to burp. You can reduce air intake by eating slowly, not talking while eating and avoiding drinking through straws.

Food Culprits

• Certain foods produce gas that must be released to avoid bloating. Carbohydrates, such as baked beans, and such fruits as apples, peaches and pears, and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, are major gas producers.

Blowing Bubbles

• Hard candy and gum causes you to swallow excessively, but what you swallow is mostly air, increasing your chances of belching.

Is that CO2 in My Brew?

• Carbon dioxide, which is found in soda and beer, produces gas when it reacts with stomach acid, and this causes you to burp.

Feels So Good

• Belching is natural and prevents bloating, which could lead to abdominal pain. Excessive bloating could be a sign of a medical condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome, a gastrointestinal abnormality, celiac disease or lactose intolerance.