Expensive Dr. Blonz: One in all my New 12 months’s resolutions — a piece nonetheless in progress — is to scale back the quantity of gasoline my abdomen produces. I hoped you would possibly assist with some recommendation. — B.F., Chicago
Expensive B.F.: Whereas there could also be probably “suspects,” meals can have an effect on individuals in another way. Any of all kinds of meals can seem on a selected individual’s “gasoline” checklist.
The frequent culprits, which you might be probably already conscious of, embrace dairy merchandise, beans (and different legumes), sure grains, greens, nuts and seeds. Legumes have a infamous status for gasoline as a result of they comprise carbohydrates generally known as oligosaccharides, which the physique lacks the enzymes to disassemble effectively (a vital step earlier than absorption). They go into the massive gut, the place they function gas for the bacterial flora dwelling there; gasoline is produced as a metabolic byproduct.
Whereas all of it appears simple, the gassy nature of the identical meals can fluctuate from meal to meal. For instance, a glass of skim milk or a bowl of beans on an empty abdomen could be anticipated to provide extra noticeable gasoline than the identical serving eaten with a big, combined meal. That is defined by the slower fee at which the meal’s mixture of protein, fats and carbohydrates travels by way of the digestive system. When it lastly arrives on the massive gut, there’s a mix of supplies to occupy the eye of the flora. If a single gassy meals is eaten, the flora will get to deal with that problem-causing materials — with predictable results. (Our dietary habits assist decide the character of the flora inhabitants that thrives.)