You’re in class, it’s quiet, you feel something creeping up and you try your best to squeeze it in.
Why is this happening? You try your best to control it but it just slips out.
Now people are staring; their noses are scrunched in reaction to the fumes.
[singlepic id=1621 w=320 h=240 float=right]
You cough, scrape your foot against the floor—anything to mimic the nose. But you can’t. You just farted.
Since this has happened to all of us, we might as well talk about it. And that whole myth that girls don’t? False.
Was it something you ate? Probably.
According to Everydayhealth.com, gas is what is leftover in your colon when your digestive system can’t cleanly break down the foods and energy you consume.
Scienceray.com says the average person farts up to 14 times a day. Holding in when you feel it coming may save yourself from embarrassment, but it will most likely result in moderate to severe stomach pain.
While gas is often triggered by the foods you eat (which we’ll get to), often times it is triggered by simply consuming too much air.
Eating quickly causes you to inhale large amounts of air. Even chewing gum and smoking, because you’re inhaling oxygen and tobacco, will lead to more gas in the intestines. This can also lead to another common release of gas, and that is burping. “Farting” and burping are normal parts of the digestive process.
However, there are certain foods you can avoid in order to save yourself from embarrassment. What you are is what you eat, making it important to be conscious of what you are putting into your body.
If you have a first date planned, a trip to the library, or are going to class, it may be wise to stay clear of what we call “The Flatulent Five”: fiber, carbohydrates, dairy, vegetables, and nuts.
Nobody wants to be that person who cuts the cheese. But when a varied diet is essential to your well-being, you cannot always avoid it.
It’s the sugars in vegetables and the fructose in fruit that can be a leading cause for gas. However, since vegetables are a staple in your diet, if you cook the vegetables it will lead to less gas as opposed to eating raw vegetables.
High fructose corn syrup is another ingredient that can cause gas. Unfortunately, high fructose corn syrup is found in many processed and packaged foods.
According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC), “Most starches, including potatoes, corn, pasta, and wheat, produce gas as they are broken down in the large intestine. Rice is the only starch that does not cause gas.”
It’s the lactose, or milk sugar, in dairy products that give people a problem. Even for those who are not lactose intolerant, digesting lactose can be difficult nonetheless.
However, for some the biggest culprit of producing gas is the intake of fiber. According to the NDDIC, “Many foods contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves easily in water and takes on a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines. Found in oat bran, beans, peas, and most fruits, soluble fiber is not broken down until it reaches the large intestine, where digestion causes gas.”
While it is entirely impossible to avoid the foods that cause gas because most of them are essential in our diet, there are ways to avoid consuming them. For starters, we recommend eating those types of gaseous foods in moderation. By eating these foods in moderation, your body will have an easier time digesting them, making the possibility of producing gas, less likely. As we’ve said, “passing gas” or “farting,” whatever you may call it, is normal. While most people seem comfortable saying “I have to pee!” Most are embarrassed about anything coming out the other end. But, as the storybook goes, “Everybody Poops.”
Julie Conlon can be contacted at
jconlon@keene-equinox.com
Sam Norton can be contacted at
snorton@keene-equinox.com