The short answer
Three groups of food cause most of the trouble. Sulfur-rich protein and vegetables (eggs, red meat, chicken, cheese, milk, whey shakes, broccoli, cabbage, garlic and onion) feed the rotten-egg gas. Hard-to-digest carbs (beans, apples, pears, whole wheat, juice and sweeteners ending in “-ol”) make extra gas lower down. Fizzy drinks and fatty, fried food add air or slow the stomach further. You do not need to cut protein: eat smaller portions and lean on fish, tofu, rice, oats and cooked carrots or zucchini while things settle.
At GLP-1 SOS we get asked for “the list” every week: which foods actually cause the burps and the gas, and what can I eat instead? This page is that list, food by food. If you want the why first, read why GLP-1s cause sulfur burps, and for a step-by-step plan to make them stop, read how to stop sulfur burps. Here we stay in the kitchen.
At a glance
Three kinds of trouble food
1
Sulfur makers
Eggs, red meat, chicken, cheese, milk, whey, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, onion. Fuel for the rotten-egg smell.
2
Gas makers
Beans, lentils, apples, pears, whole wheat, juice, sugar-free sweets. More gas, usually lower down.
3
Slow-downs and air
Fried or fatty meals keep food in the stomach longer. Fizzy drinks and straws add air.
Why these foods, and not others
The rotten-egg smell is hydrogen sulfide. Gut bacteria make it from the sulfur-containing amino acids in protein, cysteine and methionine, and from inorganic sulfur such as sulfite. In a controlled feeding study, stool sulfide rose about 15-fold as meat intake went from none to 600 grams a day, so protein portion size matters more than any single food. Most dietary sulfur comes from protein foods such as eggs, meat, poultry, cheese, milk and whey; a smaller share comes from sulfur compounds in garlic, onion and broccoli and its cabbage-family relatives.
A GLP-1 slows how fast the stomach empties, which every label for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound describes. A big protein meal sits longer and has more time to ferment, and the gas comes back up. Burping was reported by 7% of adults on Wegovy versus under 1% on placebo, and by 4% to 5% on Zepbound versus 1%.
Lab note
It is rarely one food. It is a big portion of a sulfur-rich food sitting in a slow stomach.
The second group causes a different problem: ordinary gas, more often from below. NIH lists certain fruits (apples, peaches, pears) and juices, cruciferous vegetables, beans, peas and lentils, dairy, whole wheat, drinks with high-fructose corn syrup, and sweeteners ending in “-ol” (sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol) as carbohydrates that reach the large intestine undigested, where bacteria ferment them. High-fat food can add bloating, and fizzy drinks, gum and straws add swallowed air. On a slower gut, all of these can feel stronger than they used to. For eggs specifically, see whether you can eat eggs on a GLP-1.
From the research and labels
The numbers behind the list
About 15×
more sulfide in stool on a 600 g/day meat diet than on a meat-free diet, in a controlled feeding study (Magee, 2000)
7% vs under 1%
of adults reporting burping on Wegovy versus placebo; 4% to 5% versus 1% on Zepbound, per the labels
5
sweeteners ending in “-ol” that NIH lists as gas makers: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol
Sources: Magee et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000; Wegovy Prescribing Information, June 2026; Zepbound Prescribing Information, August 2026; NIDDK, Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Gas.
What to eat instead
- Keep the protein, shrink the portion. Aim for the same daily total in smaller servings every three to four hours: two eggs instead of four, a palm-sized piece of chicken instead of a plate.
- Rotate toward lower-sulfur proteins. Fish, shrimp and tofu are easier days for many people than eggs, red meat and cheese. Rotate rather than repeat the same protein at every meal.
- Cook your vegetables, and pick the gentler ones. Cooked carrots, zucchini, green beans and spinach are easier than raw cruciferous vegetables. Bring broccoli and cabbage back later in small, well-cooked portions.
- Swap the shake, not the protein. If a whey shake brings the burps, try half a serving, a different protein base, or Greek yogurt. Our page on getting rid of bloating covers shakes and gas together.
- Check labels for “-ol” sweeteners. Sugar-free gum, candy, protein bars and some shakes contain sorbitol, xylitol, erythritol or maltitol. Choose versions without them for a few weeks.
- Drink flat, between meals. Water, ginger tea or peppermint tea between meals, not big glasses with them. Skip soda, sparkling water and beer for now.
- Support digestion at dinner. Dinner is often the biggest meal and the one that sits longest. GLP-1 SOS Daily Gut Relief is designed for that moment: 2 capsules with dinner, with ginger and peppermint, a 19-strain probiotic blend and digestive enzymes that support digestive comfort.*
*GLP-1 SOS Daily Gut Relief supports regular bowel movements and digestive comfort. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Swap list
Go easy on, or eat instead
Eat instead, for now
- Fish, shrimp, tofu, small portions of Greek yogurt
- Rice, oats, potatoes, sourdough or white toast
- Cooked carrots, zucchini, green beans, spinach
- Bananas, berries, melon; water or ginger tea
Go easy on, for now
- Big egg or steak meals, whey shakes, cheese platters
- Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, raw onion, garlic
- Beans, lentils, apples, pears, juice, sugar-free candy
- Fried food, soda, sparkling water, beer, straws
This is for a few weeks, not forever. Bring foods back one at a time once the burps settle.
When to call your doctor
Call your prescriber the same day if burps or gas come with:
- Severe stomach pain that will not go away, sometimes spreading to your back
- Pain in the upper stomach with fever, yellowing skin or eyes, or clay-colored stools
- Repeated vomiting, or vomiting food you ate many hours earlier
- Diarrhea that lasts more than two days, or signs of dehydration such as dizziness and dark urine
- A swollen, hard belly with no gas or stool passing
- Black or bloody stools, or unexplained weight loss beyond what you expect
Smelly burps are a food and timing problem. Pain, vomiting or a hard belly are not.
From the people behind the Lab
You do not have to figure this out alone.
GLP-1 SOS is the daily companion made for life on a GLP-1. Plain answers like this one, a support team that replies to real questions from real people, and daily formulas like GLP-1 SOS Daily Gut Relief, designed around the side effects that come with the medication. The GLP-1 Lab is our free education arm: no login, no paywall, no hype. Side effects are part of the road. Suffering through them is not.
Questions people also ask
What foods cause sulfur burps on Ozempic or Wegovy?
Mostly foods rich in sulfur-containing protein or sulfur compounds: eggs, red meat, chicken, cheese, milk and whey shakes, plus broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic and onion. Portion size matters more than the food itself, because semaglutide slows the stomach and a large protein meal sits longer. Keep your protein but split it into smaller servings, and lean on fish, tofu and cooked carrots or zucchini for a few weeks.
Do protein shakes cause sulfur burps on Mounjaro or Zepbound?
They can. Whey is rich in sulfur-containing amino acids, and a large shake taken quickly arrives in a stomach that tirzepatide has slowed. Many people do better with half a serving sipped slowly, a different protein base, or a shake without sugar alcohols such as sorbitol or xylitol, which add gas of their own. Keep the protein; change the dose and pace of the shake.
What can I eat on a GLP-1 that won’t give me gas?
No food is gas-free, but some are gentler while your gut adjusts: fish, shrimp, tofu, small portions of Greek yogurt, rice, oats, potatoes, white or sourdough toast, cooked carrots, zucchini, green beans and spinach, bananas, berries and melon. Drink water or ginger tea between meals. Small portions every three to four hours matter as much as the food.
Does garlic or onion cause sulfur burps?
They can add to them. Garlic and onion carry sulfur compounds of their own, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage do too; NIH also lists cruciferous vegetables among common gas makers. Cooked and in small amounts, many people tolerate them fine. If burps are bad, drop raw onion and garlic for a week or two, then reintroduce them one at a time.
Should I stop eating eggs to stop sulfur burps?
Usually not. Eggs are one of the easiest proteins on a GLP-1. Try one or two at a time instead of three or four, cooked with little fat, and not together with other big protein in the same meal. If the burps settle, you have found your portion. Our guide on how to stop sulfur burps has the full plan.
Sources (5)
- Magee EA, et al. Contribution of dietary protein to sulfide production in the large intestine: an in vitro and a controlled feeding study in humans. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000.
- Nimni ME, et al. Are we getting enough sulfur in our diet? Nutrition & Metabolism, 2007.
- Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Gas in the Digestive Tract. NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), reviewed June 2021.
- Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets, Prescribing Information. Novo Nordisk / FDA, revised June 2026.
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection, Prescribing Information. Eli Lilly, revised August 2026.
Reviewed by the GLP-1 SOS editorial team · Education, not medical advice · Talk to your prescriber about your dose and your symptoms.
