How To Prevent Gas From Protein Shakes

How Much Protein Should A Person Consume

According to the Food and Drug Administration , it is advisable that adults consume 50 grams of protein a day, as part of a 2,000-calorie diet. However, they note that a personâs daily value may differ depending on their calorie needs. A 2017 paper suggests that people may want to aim for 0.8 to 1.2 g of protein, per kilogram of body weight, per day.

Many factors can affect how much protein a person requires, such as their activity level, weight, height, and whether they are pregnant. Other variables may include the profile of amino acids available in certain protein sources and the digestibility of individual amino acids.

The provides the following Recommended Daily Allowance for protein by sex and age group:

Additionally, the Department of Agriculture provides a calculator to help people work out how much protein and other nutrients they may require.

Switch Your Protein Powder

Whey protein is a key ingredient in many types of protein shakes, bars, and snacks. The problem is that not all whey protein is created equal. Some are made from concentrates, which are high in lactose.

Whey protein isolate has less lactose, which your body might digest more easily. Another option is to switch to nonmilk sources of protein powder, such as pea and soy.

Also consider avoiding protein supplements that contain sugar alcohols, like sorbitol or mannitol.

How To Stop Protein Farts

If your high protein diet is having seriously unfunny consequences on your social life, try these quick tips to curb the damage:

• Get more fiber in your diet: If youre trying to lose weight, cutting carbs is a decent place to start. But be careful not to cut too much. The fiber and carbs found in veggies and whole grains are really helpful when your body breaks down protein, and should help you absorb it a little more effectively.
• Mind the dairy: Too much dairy can cause a lot of the same problems as meat protein and protein powder that being major gas! If youre prone to any amount of lactose intolerance, that will only make things worse. Try mixing your protein shake in water and cutting down on milk and cheese in general if the protein farts are getting really bad.
• Priobiotics or yogurt: Probiotic supplements, or yogurt if you like it, are great for creating a good environment in your gut. It should help calm things down for lack of a better word, and hopefully at least make your protein farts not smell as bad.
• Eat more spices: A lot of your favorite spices qualify as carminatives, meaning they help curb bad gas. Try getting some extra garlic, cinnamon, or ginger in your diet. Theyre good for digestion and have other great benefits as well!
• Hydrate: You probably need to be drinking more water anyway. Its important for muscle repair and also excellent for keeping digestion on schedule. Bottoms up!

Recommended Reading: Premier Protein Shakes During Pregnancy

Can I Get Enough Protein Without Protein Powder

You can get enough protein without protein powder. You need a minimum of 0.8g protein per kilogram of body weight every day, an average of 46 grams per day for adult women and 56 grams per day for adult men.

People who are bodybuilders require 200g of protein. Thats also entirely possible with whole food, without using protein powder.

There are many healthy ways to get your required protein. If you eat healthy, protein-rich food throughout the day, you will get enough protein without commercial protein powders.

Plus nutrient-dense food provides you with all other required minerals.

The following are some of the most common natural whole food sources of protein:

• Plant Based Yogurt
• Plant Based Milk

I have found with experience that beans and vegetables are by far the best sources of protein.

If you eat and drink the right amount of whole foods, you get all the required nutrients, and you do not really need protein powder.

What Causes Protein Shake Gas

To understand the cause of protein shake gas, you first need to know how and why your body produces it in the first place. According to the Mayo Clinic, gas is primarily caused by swallowing air when you eat or drink.

That said, there are certain dietary factors that also come into play. For example, high-fiber foods can increase gas production as can sugar substitutes, carbonated beverages and fiber supplements.

The Cleveland Clinic also points out that the natural sugar in milk, which is called lactose, can also be a contributing factor. Since whey and casein are the two proteins found in milk, it makes sense that you may experience whey protein gas if you have issues with lactose.

When your digestive system can’t break down and absorb the lactose, your body often responds by producing digestive distress, which includes gas. While the uncomfortable and often embarrassing odor you produce may cause some embarrassment, don’t forget that passing gas 14 to 23 times a day is normal.

Recommended Reading: Plant Based Sources Of Protein

How To Stop Having Gas From Protein Shakes

If you’re immune to the odor that lingers after you pass protein shake gas, consider yourself lucky. While flatulence is something we all experience, the particular smell we let off after eating certain foods could be an indication that what you’re putting in your body is not agreeing with you.

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Tip

The first step to reducing or even eliminating protein powder gas is to read the ingredient label. Look for milk-based ingredients as well as gluten and other gas-producing culprits that may be lurking in your favorite powder.

Protein Farts & Lactose

Fit people often turn to dairy products like milk, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese because of their high protein amounts. Sadly, 30% of people have some level of lactose intolerance, leading to some of the worst protein farts imaginable.

Youve probably heard of lactose intolerance, but may not know exactly what it really is. Lactose intolerance is characterized by the symptoms that occur when your body does not make enough of a digestive enzyme called lactase to digest a sugar called lactose, which is found mainly in milk and other dairy products.

Normally, our body produces lactase, which breaks down lactose into two simple sugars, glucose and galactose. These two sugars can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. People whose bodies dont make enough lactase cant fully digest lactose, causing mild to uncomfortable side effects gas and bloating being the main ones.

Protein powders often have some form of lactose in them if they arent an isolate protein. Yes, most protein powders with a concentrate protein source contain lactose and can be a cause of bad gas as concentrate proteins are more difficult for your body to break down.

Here is a list of the major lactose based foods that are notorious for thunder farts:

Also Check: Should I Drink Protein Shakes Everyday

Can Plant Based Protein Powder Cause Stomach Issues

In general, if you use plant protein powder correctly, you will not experience diarrhea unless you have a food intolerance. Because most plant-based protein powders are hypoallergenic, there is little chance that they will cause digestive issues or diarrhea.

The Pros And Cons Of Pea Protein

People who are particularly sensitive to purines should avoid eating pea protein powders if they have gout as they may worsen the condition. Furthermore, pea protein contains a lot of leucine, a amino acid that boosts the synthesis of muscle protein, which is great for athletes but can cause muscle inflammation as well.

What Is The Best Natural Protein Shake

My Natural Protein Shake without Protein Powder is easy to make and can be helpful to everyone. It is gluten-free, vegan and made with my two-ingredient whole food homemade protein powder.

This natural protein shake is not very hard to make. Believe me, you dont need a lot to make your best natural protein shake.

It tastes excellent plus its way less expensive.

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What Else Helps Reduce Stinky Protein Farts

Eating plenty of high fibre foods can also help reduce your rate of smelly gas production. Sticking to clean whole foods will be helpful when it comes to keeping your gut healthy and your farts from being too offensive. Like good quality clean whole foods, the quality of your protein powder makes a big difference, too. Switching to a clean and natural protein powder, one thats free from added sugars and in its rawest form.

If you still have smelly protein farts from consuming an adequate amount of protein with Life Grip Australian Grass Fed Whey, then Ill give you your money back. Im confident with this claim because well…it just doesnt happen.

Grass-fed whey protein is clean and natural, the kind of nutrient-dense protein you should be providing for your body for optimal health. And, bonus, using a supplement like Life Grips Australian Grass-fed Whey Protein can greatly reduce the number of stink bombs you are likely to drop the next time you are working hard at the gym.

Watch Out For Sugar Alcohols

Often when supplementing or watching the diet, we are inadvertently increasing our intake of sugar alcohols. These substances, such as sorbitol or xylitol, are regularly included as a low-fat alternative to sugar in protein shakes and bars .

However, the body cannot easily digest these sugars, and like lactose, they are a source of intolerance in many people. Studies have indicated that sugar alcohols can be a cause of intestinal distresscausing diarrhea, bloating, and excessive gas production .

Hence, look for products that either omit these compounds entirely or include low doses.

Pro-Tip

• Stevia is an excellent alternative to sugar, thats easily digestible.

Recommended Reading: How To Calculate How Much Protein You Need

You Need To Give It Time

Whenever you make a big change in your diet, it takes your body time to adapt.

If youve just recently started drinking protein shakes, or increased the amount you drink, your body may just be in an adjusting period.

Give it 2-3 weeks, and if youre still having issues, its likely one of the other reasons.

Consuming a lot of a new food can give you gas while your body adapts, monitor any gas for a bit to see if it improves.

Change Your Protein Powder

If youre a fan of whey protein, choose whey isolate.

Whey isolate protein contains less lactose, carbohydrates, and fat than whey concentrate, Shea says.

If you struggle to digest lactose, that can be a game-changer.

Even some people who are lactose intolerant can often handle a whey isolate, Shea says.

If dairy doesnt sit right with you, try a lactose-free plant-based protein powder, like pea protein. An added bonus: your protein intake wont suffer. One scoop of pea protein isolate powder has up to 20 grams of protein for every 100 caloriesclose to the amount in most whey isolate powders.

Whether youre going with a whey isolate or pea protein powder, look for brands without sugar alcohols such as Bad Athletics and KOS.

Read Also: Vegan Protein Powder Weight Gain

Gas Prevention While On A High

Protein usually doesn’t produce much gas, so when a high-protein diet leaves you bloated and gassy, the first step is to look at other elements in the diet that could be the culprit. Protein may cause extra gas if you’re low in digestive acids and enzymes, or when a lot of protein is fermented in the colon. Consuming specific foods can also lead to high protein diet flatulence.

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Complete Guide To Protein Farts

Were all adults here. Lets talk about this.

If youre lifting weights and working in the gym to build strength and muscle, theres a good chance youve upped the protein in your diet significantly from your non-lifting days.

Thats good! Thats what you should be doing.

But youve likely discovered an embarrassing issue with your new diet, either through research or youve found out about it the hard way:

Protein farts.

Yes. A high protein diet is known to make you fart more, and, well the farts will probably smell worse, too.

This lethal combination of frequency and stank has turned protein farts into a damn near epidemic issue in the bodybuilding community.

The question is what exactly are protein farts, and what can be done about them?

Protein farts are caused by a build-up of excess nitrogen in your digestive system a natural side-effect of your body breaking down protein. The nitrogen build-up causes a lot of gas, but its the presence of sulfur in the gas that makes these farts smell like rotten eggs.

The best way to prevent protein farts is usually to get more fiber in your diet, but probiotics, using better quality protein, and hydrating more can also help.

Now lets dive in a little deeper!

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Our Protein Powder Doesnt Cause Gas

Do protein shakes give you gas?

If protein powder makes you gassy, you are not alone. Bloating and farts are common side effects of protein powder. Many people assume that gas is the price to pay for using protein powder, but this is simply not the case. Protein powder should not make you gassy, and if it does, you need to find a new protein powder. Before you go ahead and switch brands, however, you need to understand what is causing gas in the first place . Keep reading to learn more about how to prevent gas from protein shakes.

Avoid food additives.

Most protein powders are full of food additives. Although not necessarily bad for you in small quantities, additives can add up quickly and cause gastrointestinal side effects like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and stomach pain. This is because food additives are, generally speaking, hard to digest. They sit in your gut for longer than food should, which gives your gut bacteria more time to eat. As they eat, these bacteria produce gas, which causes bloating and stomach pain. Gas alsoslows colonic transit and can lead to constipation.

Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein powder:

acacia gum, acesulfame potassium, artificial flavors, aspartame, carrageenan, cellulose gum, dextrin, dextrose, erythritol, gellan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, inulin, locust bean gum, natural flavors, maltodextrin, rice syrup solids, soy lecithin, silica, sucralose, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, xylitol

Does Plant Protein Powder Cause Gas

There is no definitive answer to this question as everyones digestive system reacts differently to different food items. However, some people do find that they experience more gas and bloating when they consume plant-based protein powders, so it is something to be aware of if you are considering using this type of supplement. If you are concerned about gas and bloating, you may want to start with a smaller dose of protein powder and increase it gradually over time to see how your body responds. You can also speak with a healthcare professional to get their opinion on whether plant protein powder is right for you.

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How Can You Stop Protein

Choosing less processed protein powders is a really important first step. Its also worth considering the overall state of your gut flora balance if youre someone who is suffering with bloating, whether from protein or not. A healthy gut requires plenty of fibre, which helps to support a nice balance of bacteria, so be sure youre getting this through your diet. Some old fashioned high protein diets such as Dukan or Atkins, for example, are low on fibre from wholegrain and veggies which can also lead to constipation and worsening digestion. If youre consuming simple protein powder with water, then switch up to smoothies containing some fruit, vegetables or nuts/seeds.

Its also vital to ensure youre not eating on the go. Sit down and savour the food youre eating rather than bolting it, as this helps to send messages from the brain to the gut that trigger efficient digestive processes. Lastly, rather than forcing something down post-workout because youve been told it may help tone or build muscle, consider if you are actually hungry first. If its too soon after a workout, your body may still be in workout mode, not digestion mode.

Tricks To Cure Your Protein Farts

Weve all been there: desperately trying to hold in a fart until the end of the set, only to discover that one of your silent-but-deadly killers has knocked out your lifting partner and everyone else in a 10-foot radius. Worse still are the bottom-of-the-squat floor-shakers, which you can neither avoid nor blame on anyone else.

Its probably the main unfortunate side effect of all those whey protein shakesbut every gym rat knows you need serious protein to fuel your gains. Whats a guy to do?

Fortunately, there are ways to shift your diet around so the wrath of whey doesnt strike on squat day. Scroll through the gallery to get the details.

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Recommended Reading: Best Vegan Protein Bars 2021

Tips To Reduce Protein Farts

The average person will pass gas multiple times per day, with some sources noting they may pass wind up to 25 times a day.

While passing gas is typical, an individual can attempt to reduce large amounts of flatus by altering their diet and limiting certain foods that commonly cause flatulence. This can include reducing the intake of:

• foods high in insoluble fiber
• certain vegetables

A person may also consider eating smaller meals more often while taking their time to chew food and taking sips rather than large gulps of drinks. It may also be beneficial to exercise regularly, as this can help improve digestion.

Additionally, people may consider changing protein supplements that contain less sugar. A person may also add certain herbs to their diet, which may reduce gas and bloating, as well as over-the-counter remedies, such as activated charcoal, which may also help reduce gas.