Farting is embarrassing at times, but it’s part of everyone’s life.
It’s generally a good thing to fart throughout the day and night. It’s something normal and natural, in other words – but that doesn’t mean you should completely disregard your farts. At times, you need to pay a little attention to how you feel when you fart, and sometimes, the smell of it. We know it’s weird and all, but your fart can say lots about your body. And we’ve got 9 telltale signs.
You Have An Infection
Although the process of breaking down food in our bodies is fairly complicated, it entails a great deal of bacteria that passes through the stomach, intestines, and colon in stages. The food we eat is actually fermented by bacteria as it moves through the digestive tract, allowing food to be absorbed and transferring trash for expulsion. Those good bacteria may be out of balance and more likely to behave strangely if you recently experienced a bacterial upset, such as a gastrointestinal infection. The outcome? Your farts have a sulfuric or rotten egg-like odour.
You Eat Way Too Fast
We all know eating fast is gonna cause indigestion. It’s simply because you don’t properly chew your food before swallowing. But there’s another effect of eating fast. Contrary to popular belief, gulping air while eating is a more frequent cause of flatulence and burping. Which explains why you fart a lot after eating. One of the reasons nutritionists discourage eating on-the-go is the risk of air swallowing. A lot of air can enter the stomach when you eat too quickly while moving, and that air has to escape somewhere. So take time to savour and properly chew your food.
Fun fact: Did you know that gum chewing and smoking can both cause air to be swallowed too?
You’re Lactose Intolerant
Lactose intolerants are those who can’t digest dairy products. There are several symptoms of it, and farting is one. Normally, bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract break down and ferment our foods. But in the case of a lactose intolerant person, they lack the lactase enzyme, which helps the body absorb lactose in the intestine. Hence, the body then experiences flatulence, diarrhea, and other discomforts which leads to farting.
Lactose intolerance is more widespread than you think. And eventually, as you get older, the lactase enzyme is lost. You’ll suddenly wake up and that’s it, no more milk! One way to know this is if you fully avoid dairy for at least 72 hours while maintaining your normal diet. You can find out by keeping your gas levels and abdominal discomfort under close observation.
Sensitive To Gluten
Anyone who has a gluten intolerance can attest to the fact that severe gassiness is frequently a part of the experience. It’s critical to understand that celiac disease, which is a “severe gluten intolerance,” differs from gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity is characterised by the digestive system processing gluten-containing foods more slowly than usual, resulting in a lot of gas and discomfort.
Medication Side Effects
There are several reasons why taking medications can make you flatulent. These causes could include eradicating beneficial bacteria in the intestines, interfering with the body’s ability to produce particular chemicals that aid in digesting, and aggravating pre-existing illnesses like ulcers. Before taking any new medications, make sure you read the packet completely so you can determine whether you might experience future gas issues.
Too Much Spicy Food
Your fondness for spicy cuisine is most likely to blame if you frequently have burning farts. And it makes sense because if your mouth hurts, your butt will undoubtedly follow. Consider simmering down your dishes to avoid hot farts. Reduce your intake of hot food. Although spicy food can be enjoyed, eating too much of it will only make your mouth, stomach, and then butt, hurt.
You’re Stressed Or Anxious
The butterflies in your tummy feeling before your important work meeting, or when you see your crush, could possibly be gas. When you get stressed, nervous or anxious, your muscles stiffen up under tension and this causes your digestion to slow down. Stress also makes swallowing food more difficult and may result in swallows containing more air. As a result, there are more farts and burps.
Just Fibre
You probably fart a lot if you enjoy eating a lot of beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts because they keep your digestive tract in motion. The unfavorable side effect? After eating, you fart, which is completely natural and healthy. This occurs because part of the carbohydrates in the foods we eat can’t be absorbed by the stomach and small intestine. When we consume foods that are known to cause gas production, such as broccoli and beans, the bacteria that live there feed on them and release gas as a consequence.
You’re Good To Go
If you fart, but there’s no scent, that means your system is all good. The majority of farts are odorless and indicate a healthy digestive tract. Farts without a smell just mean that the body has gathered too much air, which is now ready to pass and go.
