Pass The Gas, Please!

More facts about the body. Today may be the day you’ll want a little more fresh air.

A healthy individual releases 3.5 oz. of gas in a single flatulent emission, or about 17 oz. in a day.

I am learning some very interesting things about my body by researching these facts. For our segment today I went to the internet and found this site:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gas/#cause

For the most part, this segment will be a quote from the abovementioned site:

“Everyone has gas and eliminates it by burping or passing it through the rectum. However, many people think they have too much gas when they really have normal amounts. Most people produce about 1 to 4 pints a day and pass gas about 14 times a day.

Gas is made primarily of odorless vapors—carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sometimes methane. The unpleasant odor of flatulence, the gas that passes through the rectum, comes from bacteria in the large intestine that release small amounts of gases containing sulfur.” I’m sure there are a lot of great stories about this . I could tell one or two, but they might not be appropriate in this setting.

“The body does not digest and absorb some carbohydrates—the sugar, starches, and fiber found in many foods—in the small intestine because of a shortage or absence of certain enzymes that aid digestion.

This undigested food then passes from the small intestine into the large intestine, where normal, harmless bacteria break down the food, producing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and, in about one-third of all people, methane. Eventually these gases exit through the rectum.” Hey! Could this be dangerous? Methane gas is what causes explosions in coal mines. Probably not – the conditions aren’t right for an explosion greater than what is discussed here – Whew! I’m glad of that.

Want to know which food cause gas? Well, most foods that contain carbohydrates can cause gas, while fats and proteins cause little gas. Sugars – which, of course, are carbohydrates, that can cause gas are raffinose, lactos, fructose and sorbitol.

“Raffinose. Beans contain large amounts of this complex sugar. Smaller amounts are found in cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, other vegetables, and whole grains. I love Pinto Beans – I come from the part of the country that is dubbed the “Pinto Bean Capital of the World” which is in SW Colorado. They always gave me problems with gas until I learned that you can either soak the beans overnight in soda water or add just a small amount of soda to the beans when they first begin to boil, then pour off the water and refill the pan with fresh water. It works most of the time.

Lactose. Lactose is the natural sugar in milk. It is also found in milk products, such as cheese and ice cream, and processed foods, such as bread, cereal, and salad dressing……

Fructose. Fructose is naturally present in onions, artichokes, pears, and wheat. It is also used as a sweetener in some soft drinks and fruit drinks.

Sorbitol. Sorbitol is a sugar found naturally in fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, and prunes. It is also used as an artificial sweetener in many dietetic foods and sugar-free candies and gums.

Starches

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.

Fiber

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. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes essentially unchanged through the intestines and produces little gas. Wheat bran and some vegetables contain this kind of fiber.

Well, that takes care of almost everyone’s diet. Guess we will just have to watch how much of this stuff we eat so we can go out in public, unless our diet consists of rice only. What a boring life that would be.

Think Thin Thoughts!

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Tags: beans, carbohydrates, carbon dioxide, coal mines, Colorado, emission, fiber, flatulent, fructose, hydrogen, intestine, lactos, methane, nitrogen, oxygen, Pinto Bean Capital, raffinose, rice, soda, sorbitol, starches, sugars, sulfur