Most people toot around 20 times a day, with the majority of them being entirely odourless.
However, certain foods can make your wind smell hideous because your bowels struggle to break them down.
Alex Glover, senior nutritionist at Holland & Barrett, explained the chemical behind pongy farts is hydrogen sulphide.
While smelly farts can be a nuisance, they don’t necessarily mean anything is wrong with your gut.
Farting is a natural bodily function that we all do multiple times per day. Most farts are odorless and cause no issues But every now and then, someone rips one that could clear a room! If you’ve ever wondered why some farts smell so bad, you may be surprised to learn that the foods you eat play a big role. In particular, pork and other fatty meats are common culprits of really stinky farts.
In this article, I’ll explain exactly why pork and fatty foods make you fart, the science behind different fart smells, what a healthy fart schedule looks like, and how to reduce farting if it becomes excessive Read on to get the smelly truth on why pork causes farts!
Why Does Pork Make You Fart?
A few things about pork and other fatty meats like beef make people more gassy and make their farts smell worse:
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A lot of fat makes digestion take longer. Foods high in fat, like pork, take longer for your body to break down. This gives them more time to break down in your intestines, making gases that smell bad.
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Sulfur-containing amino acids – Pork contains higher levels of the amino acid methionine. This contains sulfur, which gut bacteria turn into smelly hydrogen sulfide gas.
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Protein causes gas – High protein foods like meats make you fart more in general. Your gut bacteria produce gas as they break down the protein.
So pork hits two of the biggest fart-causing issues – high fat content slowing digestion and sulfur-containing amino acids. That’s why it’s infamous for causing some real stinkers!
The Science Behind Fart Smells
To understand why pork and other foods make farts smelly, it helps to understand how farts form in the first place:
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Most farts are mainly oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide – These are odorless gases and form the bulk of a fart.
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The bad smells come from sulfur gases like hydrogen sulfide – This is the typical “rotten egg” smell.
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Sulfur gases form when gut bacteria break down sulfur-containing foods – The main source is sulfur-containing proteins and amino acids.
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Common high-sulfur foods include meat, eggs, beans, dairy, cruciferous veggies – These foods provide the sulfur that makes farts smelly.
While tiny amounts of sulfur gases are normal, excess amounts due to diet and other factors can make your farts especially stinky. People’s sensitivity to the smelly farts also varies quite a bit.
What’s a Normal Farting Frequency?
Everyone farts, some people just more than others. According to research, the average person farts around 10-20 times per day, with normal ranging from 4 to over 20 times daily.
Only around 1% of fart contain any smelly sulfur gases. So most farts you pass throughout the day should be odorless or very mild.
A few factors affect farting frequency:
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Diet – Fiber, carbohydrates, sugar alcohols, and high-protein foods produce more gas.
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Gender – For unclear reasons, men fart more than women on average.
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Age – Farting tends to increase with age especially going over 40.
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Health conditions – Issues like IBS, food intolerances, swallowing air, and infections can all increase farting.
As long as your farts don’t cause pain or drastically disrupt your day, your farting frequency is probably normal and healthy. Dietary adjustments can help reduce excess gas if desired.
6 Tips for Reduced Farts From Pork
If you love pork but hate the smelly farts, there are some ways to mitigate the gas:
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Choose leaner pork cuts like tenderloin or pork loin to avoid excess fat.
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Cook pork thoroughly until no pink remains to make it easier to digest.
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Pair fatty pork with high fiber foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains to speed up digestion.
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Chew pork very thoroughly to help break it down before it reaches your gut.
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Limit portion sizes of pork to avoid overwhelming your digestion.
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Try digestive enzymes or products like Beano to help break down beans, cruciferous vegetables, and other gas-producing foods.
Making these simple diet and lifestyle tweaks can help reduce excessive farting from pork or other troublesome foods.
Warning Signs to See a Doctor
While the occasional fart, even the smelly kind, is normal, excessive or smelly flatulence can be a sign of an underlying issue:
- Farting more than 20-30 times per day
- New farting accompanied by pain, bloating, changes in bowel movements
- Ongoing diarrhea, constipation, or other digestive issues
- Blood or other abnormalities in stool
- Unexplained weight loss
- Persistent cramps or abdominal pain
If increased farting is disrupting your quality of life or your farts have an unusual or very foul odor, it’s a good idea to see your doctor. They can check for infections, food intolerances, IBS, and other issues that may require treatment.
Most causes of excessive flatulence can be improved through dietary changes, probiotics, and over-the-counter medications. But your doctor will want to rule out any underlying conditions that may need other therapies.
The Takeaway
It’s true – pork, beef, and other fatty meats are notorious for causing stinky farts! This can be explained by the high fat content which slows digestion allowing more time for smelly sulfur gases to form. Plus, the sulfur-containing amino acids in meats lead to hydrogen sulfide, that signature rotten egg fart smell.
While smelly flatulence now and then is normal, excessive gas may be a sign of a food intolerance or underlying health condition. See your doctor if it’s disrupting your quality of life. Dietary changes like eating leaner meats, adding fiber, and taking probiotics can help reduce excess farting.
So don’t avoid pork just because it may cause toots. Just be aware of how your body reacts and adjust your diet accordingly if needed. With a few tweaks, you can keep enjoying your pork without the nonstop farts!
Beef and pork
Eating red meat, like beef and pork, can cause particular rotten farts.
Rob Hobson, head of nutrition at Healthspan, said meat — particularly fatty cuts such as beef and pork — “could get a bit smelly”.
He said: “They can take a long time to digest in the gut which leaves them to ferment.
“Fatty meats in particular are rich in methionine which is an ammonia acid containing sulphur.”
Another surprising food that causes a whiff is protein shakes.
While great for building muscle, the supplements can be a challenge for your body to breakdown.
Whould I worry about my farts smelling?
The NHS says you should see a doctor if farting is getting in the way of your life and over-the-counter medicines and self-help haven’t helped.
Also, make an appointment to see a doctor if you have a stomachache or bloating that won’t go away or keeps coming back.
You should also see your doctor if you keep having pain or diarrhea or if you’ve lost weight without trying.
If you’ve had blood in your poo for three weeks or longer then it’s important to get help.
These symptoms might be down to issues like constipation or irritable bowel syndrome.
But if in doubt, go and get checked out.
Alex Glover told The Sun, “The body makes more hydrogen sulfide when it breaks down foods that are high in protein.”
“This is why we may notice our farts smell more after a meat-heavy meal, or a protein shake.”
While broccoli is a nutritious superfood, it also contains large amounts of pong-causing sulphur.
The chemical is the culprit behind the eggy smell that makes farts reek.
Broccoli, like other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and kale, gives it to you in a form called glucosinolates.
You shouldn’t avoid the foods, though, because they are also high in fiber and part of a healthy diet.
What Your Farts Say About Your Health
FAQ
What foods make you gassy?
Do fatty meats make you fart?
What does an unhealthy fart smell like?
Why do I fart so much at night?
What foods make a fart a lot?
Other high sulfur-containing foods including eggs, red meat, onions, garlic, cheese, dried fruit, nuts and beer and wine can also lead to farting a lot or eggy-smelling farts. 2. Food Intolerance
What causes excessive farting and is it serious?
Excessive farting is often caused by swallowing air while eating or drinking, and by the fermentation of undigested food in the gut. It’s usually not serious and can be managed with dietary changes, such as avoiding gas-producing foods like beans or carbonated drinks. However, if it’s accompanied by severe pain, diarrhea, or other unusual symptoms, consult a doctor to rule out underlying conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or food intolerances.
Can a diet fix your farts?
“Unfortunately, it can also cause digestive problems in some people, such as bloating, flatulence, and stomach pain .” If this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. And adjusting your diet may offer a fix to your farts. In fact, it’s not necessarily about how much protein you’re consuming as it is about what kinds of proteins you’re consuming.
Do beans & lentils make you fart?
Beans and lentils contain lots of fibre, but they also contain raffinose, a complex sugar that we don’t process well. These sugars make their way to the intestine, where your gut goes to town using them for energy, resulting in hydrogen, methane and even smelly sulphur. 3. Eggs Contrary to popular belief, eggs don’t make most of us fart.