Dr. Patricia Raymond, gastroenterologist and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, says that flatulence is common and can be controlled with some dietary changes. She offers the following tips:

* Eat certain foods in moderation. Barbecue foods that produce high amounts of gas are hot dogs, hamburgers and other fatty meats, baked beans, cole slaw, corn, melon and alcohol. Desserts such as ice cream and pastries are also high-gas foods. Less gassy alternatives include grilled chicken, summer squash, kiwis, plums and nectarines, angel food cake and sorbet.

* Determine the cause. Non-smelling flatulence results from swallowed air - symptomatic of chewing gum, drinking through a straw and sucking on hard candies - rather than something you ate. But foul-smelling flatulence is related to the breakdown of foods as they go through the intestinal tract.

"If nutrients are poorly absorbed, they 'feed' bacteria in the gut, which then produces smelly flatulence," Raymond says.

* Deactivate gas with activated charcoal. Try CharcoCaps Homeopathic AntiGas Formula as a natural and safe way to control flatulence. Activated charcoal, the main ingredient in CharcoCaps, adsorbs the gas and reduces its odor and is a common remedy for gas discomfort, pressure and bloating.

* Walk it off: Instead of keeping still after a meal, take a post-dinner stroll to keep your body moving and the gas flowing.

"The gas just sitting in the bowels causes distention and pain, so once you have it, you might as well mobilize it," says Raymond.

For more information, visit www.charcocaps.com.