Flatulence is the technical name of that bloated feeling caused by the buildup of gas in our digestive system. Everyone has a story about a famous gas passing episode, either in their own life or in some famous person’s life. Hippocrates wrote, “Passing gas is necessary to well being.” Roman emperors felt the need to legislate the passing of gas in public. Claudius legalized it. Constantine banned it. Hollywood from time to time immortalizes it in moving pictures like Blazing Saddles.
Food is One Culprit
When we eat food, our stomachs, intestines and bowels work on the breaking down of complex molecules into simpler ones that pass through into our blood stream. In order to simplify proteins and carbohydrates and remove unnecessary constituents, gasses have to be relieved. The top five are methane, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Ordinarily, these gasses are odorless. Unfortunately, they are usually accompanied by some sulfurous gasses, which smell very much like the city sewer or rotten eggs.
Foods that cause the most trouble for the flatulent are dairy products, beans, and raw vegetables. Sugars and carbohydrates tend to produce a lot of gas in the colon. Undigested food goes through the system only to be fermented by bacteria in the colon. Lactose from dairy products is one such sugar that may produce gas. Fruit sugars can also cause trouble with gas if eaten in excess. Raw vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage belong to a group of vegetables that produce sugars that can be fermented, and every school child knows the rhyme about beans and their magical properties. Raffinose is the name of the sugar found in beans.
Beverages and Bad Habits Play a Part
The favorite beverage of many is soda pop, but the bubbles in soda are carbon dioxide. Swallowing an excess of air or carbon dioxide can cause a portion of the gas to be conveyed to the colon as well. High fructose corn syrup may also play a part in the gas producing ability of soda. Chewing gum or smoking can cause a person to swallow extra air and other gasses too.
Fiber is another source of gas in the colon. Do not blame the heavy, insoluble fiber, but rather the soluble fiber that is digested in the large intestine. Eat whole grains and skip the fruit. Fruit is a great source of sugar as well.
Bad news for lovers of alcoholic beverages; dark beer and red wine are on the gas-producing list.
Breaking Wind Can be Broken Down
Eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can help, but there are other methods. Simethicone, found in some over-the-counter gas or antacid products will have gas bubbles coalescing and passing out of the body in no time, reducing the bloated feeling. Beano and the types of drugs made for the lactose intolerant individual (Lactaid, for one) can also help.
Failing dietary and medicinal remedies, buy some charcoal lined underpants. Charcoal filter undergarments and chair pads are available online. These technological wonders are very thin and come in both reusable and disposable types.
Mothers may have spent some horrifying moments in the presence of a flatulent child, but the blame for the incident may be their own good intentions. After all, how many can say with honesty that their mother never pressed them to eat more vegetables and fruits or drink their milk? Congratulations, we’ve found another thing to blame on our poor mothers.
Source: eMedicinehealth
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