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All that gas!

Check your diet Limit foods containing milk

“Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man with wind and self-righteousness.”

Sir Robert Hutchinson

Gas is no laughing matter: it creates acute personal and social discomfort, and it is a major reason why people avoid foods they otherwise like. Although certain foods cause gas in some people, not all bloating is gas, and not all flatulence is because of food. High-fat diets, intestinal disorders and excess of swallowed air can cause abdominal tightness, and one should rule out non-dietary causes of bloating – especially if the problem is of recent onset in a middle-aged person.

Carbohydrate and fibre are the chief culprits; fat and protein are relatively innocent. Among carbs, blame sugars like lactose, fructose, sorbitol and raffinose.

Lactose: After childhood, most Indians digest milk poorly because they are deficient in lactase, the lactose-digesting enzyme. If you suspect you have lactase deficiency, limit foods containing milk – tea, coffee, ice cream, bread, biscuits and cheese, and take curd instead.

Fructose is in fruit and fruit juices, and small amounts are present even in onions, peas, and wheat. Sorbitol is present in fruits and artificial sweeteners. Raffinose gives beans a bad name; it is also present in cabbage, vegetables and whole grains.

Rice is perhaps the only grain that does not cause bloating.

Dietary fibre: the soluble variety found in fruit, oat bran, lentils, beans and peas is responsible for flatulence. Insoluble fibre present in wheat bran and vegetables is largely blameless.

Perhaps the worst thing you can do after reading this article is to avoid all or some of the foods described above.

It may be a cruel joke of Mother Nature, but the gassiest foods are also among the most healthful, and avoiding them is not a wise option.

Although many people say they suffer from flatulence, few truly have an excess of “wind”. Studies show that most people (except you, gentle reader, all those involved in producing this newspaper, and I) pass up to 4 pints of wind daily, spread over 12-14 episodes. In a rare occurrence in medicine, what most people consider excessive may actually be normal.

Have a physician or a gastroenterologist review your diet if the problem is too discomfiting. In the mean time, use loud music to mask your social crimes –after all, there must be some practical use for heavy metal.

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