Got Gas?
It can be painful, stinky, embarrassing and uncomfortable. But it's one of those things; a fact of life.
Even though the National Gastroenterological Association says passing gas is “normal” and “nothing to be embarrassed about,” most of us don’t agree (especially regarding the second statement).
I don’t know about you, but something about farting makes me laugh. I guess this is what prompted me about writing about the subject: The other night I was scrolling through Facebook and got caught up reading a forum on a site where aging women discuss all sorts of things, like wrinkles, hot flashes, men, hair loss, and…farting.
Why did I get caught up in that particular thread? I dunno…I guess it was a bit comforting knowing that this is very much a collective issue, and reading other people’s often-humorous takes on it was interesting and fun, in a way. (It isn’t just me…the post has almost 400 comments so far.) For instance, names and phrases like “bottom burp,” “stepping on a duck,” “better out than in,” and stories recounted about their grandmothers rising from the couch with sounds emanating with each step they took. (Are we those grandmothers now???)
Maybe all this reading normalized the facts of farting.
We all fart, some more than others. For instance, it’s a fact that the amount of gas we have is highly individual; most people pass between a pint and a half-gallon of gas each day - though some days are worse than others.
The most common cause of gas? Swallowed air. Each time you swallow, you’re letting a small amount of air into your stomach, and from there, it travels to your small intestine, where some of it is absorbed into your body. The remaining gas goes to your colon, where it’s passed out through your rectum - as flatulence. Sometimes, you’re lucky (?) enough to have some of that gas come out as a burp (which seems to be more socially acceptable…although to me, burping in public is almost as embarrassing as farting is).
Anyhow, onto the facts, which are important to know.
Swallowing air:
You can’t avoid it, but you can try to do less of it by minimizing:
Stress
Carbonated drinks
Post-nasal drip
Gum chewing
Eating too quickly
Deep sighing (yes! Found on this website)
Tight-fitting clothing
Your diet:
Certain foods (like large amounts of fiber) can give you more gas. That’s because these foods are not fully broken down in your intestine. When they reach your colon, they’re then fermented by bacteria - which in turn, causes gas. Take, for instance:
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Bok choy
Bran
Beans & lentils
Foods containing fructose. This is a sugar found in fruits, or high-fructose corn syrup.
Dairy products. Some people get gassy from dairy products. That happens when you don’t have enough of the enzyme lactase, which is necessary to digest sugar in milk and other dairy products. It’s a harmless condition, but nonetheless can be very painful and lead to cramping and diarrhea. If you get gassy from dairy, you can try lactase supplements, lactose-free products and probiotics.
Here’s an often unknown, under-the-radar cause of gas (which is hiding in plain sight):
Chicory root fiber!
Aka inulin, it’s added to many foods (as a sugar-replacer), like some:
Yogurt or yogurt drinks
Cereals
KIND bars
Cold-brew coffee
Frozen desserts
Protein bars
So how to get rid of that excess gas?
Aside from letting it rip (better out than in, they say…),many home remedies can be effective:
Cut back on gum-chewing
Avoid straws
Don’t suck on hard candies
Walk, jog, or move around to help the gas pass
Stay away from carbonated drinks
Avoid foods high in high-fructose corn syrup & inulin
Try OTC medicines, like Gas-X, Lactaid or Beano, teas with peppermint, fennel, or chamomile.
And finally, there’s lots of advice out there on how to minimize gas. But what do you do if it’s too late? Here are some tips that might be helpful
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