The gasses released when you fart are like apples: All it takes is a single bad one to spoil the whole bunch. Most of the gas that comes tooting out of your hind end, including carbon dioxide and methane, is odourless. But when even just a little hydrogen sulphide—the famously rotten egg-smelling chemical found throughout nature—enters into the equation, a benign butt burp can turn into a seriously foul fart.
Obviously, your farts will smell less when you cut back on the foods that create hydrogen sulphide as a byproduct of digestion. That’s easier said than done, however: Many of the high-sulphur offenders are also pretty healthy (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, onions and garlic), so you don’t want to eliminate them entirely.
Another approach to creating less smelly gas is producing less gas altogether. The air expelled through burping and farting gets into your body one of two ways: you either swallow it, or it’s created when bacteria in the large intestine breaks down whatever wasn’t digested in your small intestine. The small intestine has a hard time with foods high in fibre, like most vegetables, whole grains, some fruits and beans. (Other foods might be problematic depending on your own digestive system and bacterial composition.)
Stopping farts altogether, though, is impossible—i.e., as long as your body is digesting food, there will be gaseous fallout, and some of it will smell bad. The good news is that you’re not alone—yes, even girls fart.