34 answers

Gut and digestion, answered food by food

Bloating after dinner. A label you cannot read standing in the aisle. The same question about the same food every week. These are the posts on this site that deal with what food does to your gut, grouped so you can get to the one you came for.

Gas and bloating

Most foods that make people gassy do it for the same few reasons: fibre your gut bacteria ferment, sugar alcohols, or simply eating faster than you realise. Which food it is usually matters less than how much of it and how quickly. Tolerance differs a lot from person to person, so the honest answer to "does this make you fart" is almost always "it can, and here is why".

Gluten free, brand by brand

Whether something is gluten free is rarely about the food itself. Pure spices, juices and oils start out gluten free. The risk gets added at the factory, in anti-caking agents, flavourings, malt and shared production lines. That is why these answers are brand by brand rather than a flat yes or no, and why the label is worth reading even on a food you have bought for years.

Is it gluten free? The food-by-food guide

FODMAPs, lactose and everything else

FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that some people absorb poorly. Low FODMAP is an elimination approach used to find your own triggers, not a diet to stay on, and it is generally worth doing with a dietitian rather than on your own. These cover which foods sit where, plus lactose, probiotics and general digestion.