Temporarily avoiding certain foods can help identify causes of gassiness. The January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter lists foods that sometimes are the culprit:
Dairy products: The sugar lactose in dairy foods is a common cause of gas. Nonprescription products such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease may help. Many who are bothered by dairy products may still be able to eat yogurt or aged cheeses.
Some vegetables: Some carbohydrates found in vegetables such as onions, radishes, cabbage, celery, carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and legumes (including dried peas and beans) can produce gas. Beano, or other products that contain simethicone (Phazyme, Gas-X, others), may be helpful.
Too much fruit sugar: Prunes, raisins, bananas, apples and apricots as well as juices made from prunes, grapes and apples can cause gas.
Too much fiber: Cutting back on high-fiber foods, and then gradually increasing them, can help identify the amount that can be tolerated.
Some sweeteners: Sweeteners used in sugar-free chocolates and candies can cause diarrhea in some people. These sweeteners include sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol.
Fatty food: Fried food, fatty meat and some sauces can cause gas.
Carbonated and sparkling drinks: Avoiding these may reduce gas, too.
mayoclinic/
Now even though margarine is usually superior to butter when it comes to heart health it is nevertheless a highly processed food and some margarines are as bad as butter in some respects.
As margarine is made from vegetable oils it contains no cholesterol and is also higher in poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats than butter is.
However some margarines are processed using a method called hydrogenation, which adds unhealthy trans fats and as a rule the more solid the margarine, the more trans fats it contains.
These 'good' fats help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol, when substituted for saturated fat.
A healthy margarine will contain less than 3 grams total of saturated plus trans fats.
Butter is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat.
If you love your butter and are healthy try organic brands but check what is added with special regard to salt and just cut down on how much you use.
At the end of the day the overall message does seem to be to eat as little highly processed food as possible and aim for a Mediterranean diet rich in fresh fruit and veggies with plenty of fish.