Flatulence a common problem
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This next story may elicit a few giggles. It’s about something we all do, but it’s still a social faux pas when it happens in public.
And it can quickly create an uncomfortable situation.
Flatulence can happen anywhere. The gym, yoga class or schools.
Some laugh at it, others turn away. Either way, it’s just something our bodies have to do.
Earlier this week, the world thought Whoopi Goldberg let one rip on her show, The View. Turns out it was a joke. But an unintended toot can happen to anyone, anytime.
Dr. David Armstrong, Gastroenterologist: “A fart is a passage of gas.”
According to Gastroenterologist, Dr. David Armstrong, the average person passes gas 10 to 20 times a day. And it’s all thanks to gas producing gut bacteria: “That’s why you get scenes like in the movie ‘Blazing Saddles’ with everybody around the campfire eating beans and blowing everybody away.”
Beans really are the musical fruit. At least one of them is. Foods that contain hard-to-digest complex carbohydrates end up in our large intestine. That’s where millions of bacteria eat them up, producing gas.
Dr. Armstrong: “There’s about 10 to the 14 bacteria. So that’s a hundred million, million bacteria. About ten times the number of cells that we have in our body.”
Raw vegetables, grains, artificial sweeteners and high-fructose foods are also culprits.
Particularly potent smelling flatulence? Blame it on sulphur rich foods like meat and eggs.
And believe it or not, even body movements can trigger a toot.
If you’re embarrassed by your bodily functions, eating small meals often helps. And there’s no harm in holding it in.
Dr. Armstrong: “Depends whether you’re going to get away with it. It’s not bad, it’s uncomfortable.”
Unfortunately, a lot of the foods that cause gas are really good for you. So cutting them out completely is a bad idea. You can try a supplement called Beano that helps your body process some of those harder to digest foods so they don’t end up in your large intestine.
