“Ada Padha, Kaun Padha? Mamaji Ka ghoda Padha!” Sure blame it all you want on Mamaji’s horse! After all passing gas is something that no one would ever do in public, right? But we all knew exactly, who had been the unfortunate person to pass gas loudly in public and yet we always somehow have blamed the horse.
The passing of Gas or Flatulence, as it is called in some parts of the world, is quite natural as we all know! Yet, it does not take anything away from the ‘embarrassment’ factor that it generates by virtue of the noise and the smell, which makes it presence felt quite strongly, especially in closed areas such as the lift and the conference room of your office! And if you are the unfortunate owner of the released gas, the accompanying awkwardness coupled with the feeling of guilt on doing something that is very natural can be enough to ruin your mood for the day.
While most of us associate gas with junk food and soft drinks, you would be surprised to know that the vegetables which are part of our daily diet can lead to flatulence!
Let’s get to know our ‘fart’ a little better!
Flatulence or gas is simply the excessive presence of intestinal gas in your digestive tract. This gas is generally caused by the bacteria that are found in our intestines or colon and who are involved in the chemical breakdown of undigested food. Our ‘fart’ or flatulence is mainly made up of Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Carbon di-oxide, Methane and Oxygen, all of which are interestingly odorless gases! So you might now want to know why it smells bad? It gets its bad odor from the presence of mainly sulfur containing compounds along with other smelly compounds as indoline and skatole!
But what causes this gas?
You might be surprised to know that the main reason for flatulence, other than the breakdown of the food that we eat is swallowing air. That’s right, we swallow air unknowingly when we indulge in hurried eating of our food and drinking. We even swallow air when we smoke; to be more precise we swallow air as we inhale the smoke from the cigarette or to put it more simply when we take a drag from the cigarette. Chewing gum or sucking on hard candy also results in air being swallowed by us!
How do I know which foods are causing gas, in me?
Flatulence or gas is primarily caused by the foods that we eat, which are later broken down with help from the bacteria living in our intestines! However, not all foods that we eat cause gas. There are certain food types which can cause a large amount of gas to accumulate in our intestines, which when released gets blamed on dear ol’ Mamaji’s horse!
Following is a list of foods that can cause flatulence in an individual,
Beans and Cabbage- Remember that time, when you ate a whole lot of your mom’s home-made Rajma for dinner and spent the entire night passing gas. You do remember, right? Well here’s why it happened! Beans and cabbage are found to contain a type of sugar known as ‘Raffinose’ which is difficult for us to digest. When the food gets broken down in the intestine, Raffinose gets rapidly fermented by the bacteria found living in the intestines. This fermentation releases gases such as Carbon Di-oxide and hydrogen, which lead to flatulence.
Other than cabbage and beans, Raffinose is found in large quantities in leafy vegetables and whole grains.
Milk – Drinking milk is another reason why we end up with gas! But milk is good for us? Sure milk is good for us, the only problem is that contains Lactose! Lactose is a type of natural sugar, which is broken by down by an enzyme known as lactase in our bodies. A deficiency of lactase in our body leads to lactose intolerance wherein the lactose is not being broken down properly, this undigested sugar reaches the larger intestines, where the bacteria ferment it and produce gases in the process.
So the next time, someone offers you a tall glass of milk, request for a shorter glass!
Fruits – Ever feel gassy after easting a whole apple or a guava? That’s because it contains soluble fibers. Many foods that we eat contain either soluble or insoluble fibers, out of these, soluble fibers cause gas in us. Soluble fibers, dissolve easily in water and form a gel-like substance in the intestines, plus they do not get broken down until they reach our larger intestines, wherein the bacteria begin breaking them down and fermenting them, leading to production of gases causing flatulence!
Along with the soluble fibers, fruits are also known to contain another sugar known are ‘Sorbitol’, which cannot be broken down by our body easily. This sugar is also used as an artificial sweetener in many sugar free candies and chewing gum, on consumption Sorbitol reaches the larger intestine wherein the bacteria break it down, releasing gases which cause flatulence in the process.
So the next time to avoid flatulence, share the apple, the next time you think of eating one!
Onions - We, Indians love Onions! It is used as either an ingredient or to garnish our food. Onions cause gas after consumption, as they contain Fructose in large quantities. Fructose is a natural sugar, which our body finds hard to break down. This undigested sugar later gets fermented and in the process gases are released, which result in the presence of excessive gases in our stomach!
Cooking Onions helps break down the Fructose, other than that it would advisable to reduce the amount of onions in our diet to avoid flatulence.
Some common tips on reducing flatulence,
- Chewing your food for a longer time breaks down the food in small pieces, which makes it easier for your body to absorb the food.
- Drink plenty of water; it helps to digest food in a better manner.
- Eat slowly, as hurried eating can make you swallow more air, which can lead to flatulence
- Be aware of your fiber intake through the day
- If nothing works, consult the doctor and take medicines for your condition!
Now that you know what causes flatulence and how to prevent it, we are sure that poor ol’ Mamaji’s horse will no longer blamed for passing wind!
