7 Drinks That Cause Gas and Bloating, According to a Dietitian
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

7 Drinks That Cause Gas and Bloating, According to a Dietitian

7 Drinks That Cause Gas and Bloating, According to a Dietitian
Everyday Health
By
Updated on August 6, 2025
by
Uncomfortable gas and bloating can sometimes be caused by the beverages we consume every day. Certain drinks contain ingredients or have certain characteristics that can upset our stomachs, from fizzy sodas to some seemingly healthier options.

Cutting back on these beverages may help improve your tummy troubles, but even if your favorite quencher is on this list, you won't have to give it up completely — especially if you don't sip it through a straw, which can make gassiness and bloating worse.

“If you find that a drink makes you feel bloated, this doesn't mean you have to always avoid it — try drinking smaller amounts to help manage it,” says registered dietitian Amanda Sauceda, RDN, a certified intuitive eating counselor in Long Beach, California.

1. Carbonated Beverages

All fizzy drinks — flavored, unflavored, unsweetened, or those that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners — contain carbon dioxide that can make you feel bloated.

“The tiny bubbles of carbonation can make you gassy,” Sauceda says. And diet beverages can spell double trouble for your stomach, since they typically contain non-gut-friendly artificial sweeteners.

 Sugar alcohols, which you find in artificial sweeteners, aren't digested well in the gut, which can cause diarrhea and other digestive symptoms, like bloating, gas, and diarrhea, Sauceda says.
The same goes for spiked seltzer, which can cause even more stress on your stomach than the nonalcoholic types. On top of the bloat-inducing bubbles, alcohol can trigger inflammation in your gut, which can lead to bloating, gas, or other digestive problems.

2. Milk

Milk and other dairy products contain lactose, which is a natural sugar. People who can't digest lactose well have a condition known as lactose intolerance, which can cause diarrhea, gas, and bloating.

 It's a common condition that impacts as many as 65 percent of adults. Found most frequently in people of East Asian descent, it's less prevalent in those whose cultures have a long history of consuming unfermented milk products, such as those from Northern Europe.

Sauceda says that even if milk didn't bother your stomach before, you might develop an issue as you get older. There are also people who are born with a gene mutation that causes lactose intolerance.

3. Protein Shakes

It's not the protein in the protein shakes that can cause intestinal discomfort. It's possible that your stomach is having a reaction to whey, a byproduct of milk that's commonly used to make protein powder.

 If you have gas and bloating after drinking protein shakes, smoothies, or any other food that uses protein powder, consider choosing a plant-based, dairy-free protein powder instead.
Protein shakes also may have another reason why they bother your stomach: They may contain artificial sweeteners to enhance their taste without adding calories. Research shows that sugar substitutes impact overall gut health because they can change the makeup of the gut microbiota.

4. Coffee

Coffee can be rough on the gastrointestinal system in several ways. It can stimulate stomach acid production and change up the gut microbiome — and it can contain both milk and artificial sweeteners if you drink yours that way.

While coffee isn't a gastrointestinal irritant for everyone, “some people are sensitive to caffeine, and as a result, they might notice some digestive issues like gas or diarrhea,” Sauceda says. Caffeine is a stimulant that can contract the muscles in the gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to loose stools or diarrhea.

5. Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, also known as boba milk tea, is a trendy beverage with versatile flavors, bright colors, and tapioca pearls, which are also known as boba pearls. But, the boba that makes it a fun refresher may be what's upsetting your stomach.

“Boba pearls usually contain starch made from tapioca with water and sugar, creating a gummy consistency,” explains Pittsburgh-based Jess DeGore, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian-nutritionist who specializes in diabetes and women's health. And other ingredients may make it hard on the stomach, too. “High-fructose corn syrup can be used as a sweetener in some boba teas, and this can lead to diarrhea and flatulence in those with a low absorption capacity for fructose.”

6. Fruit Juice

Many fruit juice products on the market aren't made from real fruit. These beverages are often a cocktail of water, fruit concentrate, sugar, and added flavors. While you may think you're getting a serving or two of fruit, you may actually be getting a fussy digestive system instead.

“Much fruit juice sold in stores is flavored with sugar additives, like sorbitol,” DeGore says. “Sugar alcohols remain mostly undigested before reaching the large intestine. When they arrive there, the bacteria will start to break them down, causing excess gas.”

Sorbitol is another ingredient that's likely to cause gas.

 It's naturally found in some fruits, such as apples and pears, but it's also used as a sweetener in various foods and sugar-free candies.

7. Beer

Beer can lead to tummy troubles for a few reasons. It's a bubbly, carbonated beverage, and the alcohol it contains may also irritate the stomach.

“Alcohol is inflammatory and will cause swelling and irritation in the stomach, producing more stomach acid, which can lead to bloating,” DeGore says.

DeGore says beer is an especially big offender because of the fermentation and carbonation processes involved in it that make it bubbly. Plus, the grains often used to make beer — wheat and barley — are hard to digest.

The Takeaway

  • Cutting back on certain beverages may help you avoid the discomfort of abdominal gas and bloating. Certain fluids, like carbonated drinks, milk, and fruit juices, may contain ingredients that irritate the digestive system.
  • Being mindful of chemical additives like artificial sweeteners, often found in soda, protein shakes, and even fruit juices, also may help manage unwanted bloating and discomfort. Caffeine and whey powder from protein shakes may also have a negative impact on the gut.
  • Drinks that contain alcohol, like hard seltzers and beer, can cause inflammation that disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to gastrointestinal discomfort.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Intestinal Gas. Mayo Clinic. July 11, 2023.
  2. How to Beat the Bloat. Northwestern Medicine. May 2025.
  3. Zeece M. Chapter Six — Flavors. Introduction to the Chemistry of Food. 2020.
  4. Facts About Sugar and Sugar Substitutes. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  5. Daniel-MacDougall C. How Does Alcohol Affect the Microbiome? MD Anderson Cancer Center. April 11, 2024.
  6. Lactose Intolerance. Mayo Clinic. March 5, 2022.
  7. Lactose Intolerance. MedlinePlus. March 24, 2023.
  8. What is Whey? Is Whey Dairy? U.S. Dairy. May 6, 2025.
  9. Sun Y et al. A Critical Review on Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Gut Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Health. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. January 29, 2025.
  10. Nehlig A. Effects of Coffee on the Gastro-Intestinal Tract: A Narrative Review and Literature Update. Nutrients. January 17, 2022.
  11. Haller E. Energy Drinks, Caffeine, and Your Digestion. Michigan Medicine. May 21, 2020.
  12. Foods Likely to Cause Gas. International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders.
  13. Liger-Belair G et al. How Many C02 Bubbles in a Glass of Beer? ACS Omega. March 31, 2021.
  14. 15 Foods That Can Cause Bloating. Cleveland Clinic. March 16, 2022.
Meet Our Experts
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network
kayli-anderson-bio

Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

See full bio
Lacey-Muinos-bio

Lacey Muinos

Author
Lacey Muinos is a California-based writer specializing in nutrition, health, wellness, and skin. She received a bachelor's degree in English from California State Polytechnic University. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications and for several brands, such as Health.com, Livestrong, Healthline, Verywell Health, Real Simple, SingleCare, and EltaMD, among others.
See full bio
See Our Editorial PolicyMeet Our Health Expert Network