Flatulence: Causes, remedies, and complications

Flatulence can be a huge problem for people who suffer from it and it happens to all of us
Flatulence and indigestion
Flatulence and indigestion

Taking extra care of our stomach health is very important because that’s where our immunity and overall body health lie. We all know that when we overeat our digestion goes for a toss, we feel heavy and we may also have flatulence. That’s what the body does to make itself comfortable and avoid any further issues. I’m sure however that flatulence or excessive burping caused by indigestion is often the reason for many of us choosing to avoid social functions and stay at home.

So why do we suffer from this kind of flatulence? It’s often because certain foods do not get digested well or it could be because one is lactose intolerant leading to the lactose not being broken down in the gut, leading to it staying in the stomach for a longer time, fermenting and leading to the production of smelly gas. Sometimes even when one has cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc then these too can lead to foul-smelling flatulence. We all by now know that cruciferous veggies are powerful vegetables and have tons of benefits for our body. They contain sulphur and sometimes sulphur enters the process of fermentation in the stomach and that leads to a biochemical reaction which then causes the foul smell. Sometimes, too many raw vegetables which are rich in fibre can also lead to foul-smelling flatulence because the fibre doesn’t get digested, it gets fermented in the gut and causes the foul smell.

What we don’t know is that during this process they also produce a byproduct called short-chain fatty acids which have healing and anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut and on the immune system. Many people also notice bloating and heavy flatulence when they eat hard to digest pulses like urad dal, chhole, rajma, channa, etc. This can get better when you soak your pulses well overnight or for 18 hours to reduce this side effect. Soak the pulses well and then wash them with fresh water before preparation. One can also add other things during cooking to ensure the side effect of gas production is reduced. If, however, your body bloats every time you eat a certain food, then maybe that’s your body’s way of telling you that the food doesn’t suit you.

That said, constipation can also cause foul-smelling flatulence because when we are constipated the motion stays in the colon for a long time where it is fermenting and our body absorbs a lot of the toxins and the water from the stool back into our blood. Then these toxins come out of our body in the form of foul-smelling flatulence. Treating constipation should be your main aim in such circumstances. Try to have around 2.5-3 litres of water daily to naturally help your body to flush out these toxins. Flatulence is a normal body function and one need not be embarrassed by it. Foul-smelling flatulence might be your body giving you alerts about something that needs attention. So, the next time, try and figure out what the issue is and solve it instead of being embarrassed.

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