Q. Hi D! Help! I have one of the most embarrassing problems which have afflicted mankind since the beginning of time I assume. It has to do with passing wind (and toxic odors along with it) at regular intervals during the day. I am not spared at night either, since the urge to umm…fart… cannot be restrained, to the chagrin of those in proximity. I am a single male, 39 years old, and I am sure I will die single if I don’t cure myself of this malady. I thought only senior citizens lose control over their wind. Medicines have not helped me much. I want to know the true cause of this ailment, so I can nail this thing head on! – Rather not reveal my name
A. Thanks anonymous, for writing in and sharing your problem. I am sure you are speaking on behalf of many sharing your predicament, and they will silently bless you for bringing this malady to the attention of a health professional.
As usual, let me explain a little about the chemistry of flatulence (yes, there is a scientific term for farting). It has a lot to do with our diet and lifestyle. Certain food substances have high ether content in them, most common ones being beans (chole, rajma, lobia, dal), as well as certain veggies and herbs like eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, radishes, onions, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli and okra, to name a few. When these are ingested, some amount of gas is inevitably formed in the intestine as a result of digestion, which must be eliminated. The urge to pass wind (along with 12 other natural urges, according to Ayurveda) must never be suppressed, or you weaken your digestive and immune systems respectively.
Cold, sour and fermented food also lead to gas formation. Stale cheese and pickles come to mind. Milk, dairy products and sweets are rich in complex sugars which sometimes cannot be adequately broken down owing to lack of enzymes in our GI tract. These pass into the large intestine without being digested, where they could ferment leading to gas.
Eating inappropriate food combinations at a particular meal can also aggravate this problem. Incompatible food combinations are those which require different enzymes and acid levels for digestion. Ideally, they should be eaten separately so the stomach can release the necessary enzymes and hydrochloric acid to breakdown the food. But since they are eaten together, they sit longer in the stomach which is trying to adjust its secretions to digest the meal. This causes fermentation (of carb rich food) and putrefaction (of protein rich food) in the acid environment of the stomach, which them leads to gas formation.
Imagine your tummy to be like a blending machine. If you put in hard nuts like almonds along with soft fruits like banana, oranges, etc., it’s a rare chance the almonds will be finely powdered and blended into the mixture. However, if you grind the almonds in a separate component with special blades, then blend it in with the fruit juice, you would get a neat smoothie.
Acid concentrated food like fruits, lemons, eggs and meat products do not combine well with alkaline rich food like milk, yoghurt, melons (cucumber included) and heavy veggies like potatoes. So if you consume milk and eggs daily, or consume fruits immediately after lunch or dinner, you are bound to suffer indigestion and flatulence.
According to Ayurveda, humans are ultimately a result of the bioenergies making them up at the quantum level, which accounts for their personality, emotional/mental make up and disease tendencies. These energies are Vata (air+ether), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (water+earth). If the Vata energy in someone is naturally higher than the other two doshas (bioenergies), it will make such individuals very sensitive to food stuff high in air and ether content (mentioned earlier), and it is generally the Vata (air) types who suffer more from flatulence.
*Note: Your dosha-type can be identified during a personal consultation with an Ayurvedic practitioner, using assessment and pulse diagnosis. A suitable diet can be prescribed, which will prevent the dominant bionenergy from going off balance – the real key to disease prevention!
A few solutions are suggested below for your benefit. A little mindfulness and discipline could do wonders in this condition, so pay close attention.
Herbal Heroes From Your Kitchen: elaichi (cardamom), hing (asafetida), adrak/sonth (ginger), jeera (cumin seeds), suanf (fennel) and ajwain (wild celery seeds)
1. Chew on raw cardamom seeds (1-2 pcs) after every meal, along with fennel seeds (1/2 – 1 tsp).
2. Consume plenty of warm water during the day. Go on a khichadi fast or light soup diet for 3-4 days to clear your bowels. Remember to add herbs like ginger, hing and ajwain to the food.
3. Consume warm jeera-ajwain water throughout the day. Roast 1 tablespoon jeera and ajwain seeds, add them to boiling water, turn off heat after 5 minutes, pour into a thermos and consume during the day.
4. Prepare a herbal powder as follows: roast 5 gms of hing with a little organic ghee and remove from flame. To this, add 5 gms each of elaichi powder, kalanamak (black or rock salt) and sonth (ginger powder). Store this herbal mixture in an air-tight jar. Consume this mixture before every meal (1/2 teaspoon would do) along with warm water.
5. Do not drink cold water (and chilled fizzy drinks) before, with or after meals. Limit intake of veggies like eggplants, potatoes, cauliflower, beans, tomatoes, etc. (refer to list mentioned earlier).
6. Yoga asanas and Pranayama can do wonders as well. The pawanmukta asana (wind release posture) is especially recommended, along with other digestion strengthening asanas like vajra asana, on a daily basis.
7. Eat mindfully and chew your food well. Do not talk, argue or think during eating. You actually swallow a whole of air in the process. Result – flatus.
8. Cigarretes and alcohol can also aggravate the problem, so cut these out.
9. Avoid the following wrong food combos as much as possible in your daily life:
Hot and cold foods at the same time (eg. Ice-cream with coffee, warm noodles with iced coke, cold orange juice with warm toast)
Milk taken along with sour fruits, fish, meat, or yoghurt. Smoothies which involve blending in fruits with milk and yoghurt is not an ideal food combination.
Two or more different kinds of meat at a time. (eg. Chicken with fish)
Potato and egg-plants with milk, banana and melons
Yoghurt consumed along with sour fruits, milk and hot drinks, fish and meat. Note that yoghurt is used while cooking meat. This is okay as it is used as an ingredient.
Ghee (clarified butter) and honey in equal proportion should be avoided
Lemon with cucumber, milk and yoghurt
Fruits should not be taken after meals as it ferments in the stomach and leads to gas. An interim of at least 40 minutes between fruits and meals is advisable.
Melons (cantaloupe, watermelon, etc.) should be eaten alone, not along with any other food
Did you know – On an average, an Indian passes flatus 2-4 times a day, and it’s not supposed to be foul smelling!
Dimple Arora is a diet and nutrition advisor (London) and an advanced Ayuvedic practitioner (Pune). She runs the Golden Awareness Holistic Nutrition Centre in Soi 39. She can be reached at Email : arora@goldenawarness.com. Mobile: 081-840-0640.