Flatulence?!
Flatulence?
When I eat beans (like lima beans, kidney beans), more than 1 glass of soda, or spicy foods, or foods that are very high in fiber (like shredded wheat or triscuits or large quantities of fruit at one time), I tend to get flatulence (as in clear the room) and/or the runs. I actually cleared out an aromatherapy store one time. How do vegetarians prevent this problem (or do they just have more hardy digestive systems)?
Additional Details2 days ago
PS I gave up eating anything spicy or with beans or cabbage in it (except on weekends or vacations or other times when I am not working) after some coworkers complained to HR about this issue. Call center work sucks.
Answers:
Increasing your amount of fiber is what is being recommended for healthy digestive system, but one thing people tend to forget is that fiber provides bulk keeping you full for long. But the question posed is how does that happen? The answer is simple. Fiber absorbs fluid and becomes enlarged and dry in your stomach. Thus if you don't drink at least one glass water with each 5-10g of insoluble fiber like that in cereals, the fiber instead of boosting intestinal transit makes it more difficult.
So if you feel some flatulence when you eat high fiber foods, either diminish your amount of insoluble fiber or keep drinking water to hydrate your stomach constantly. Hydrating your stomach will make stools spontaneous and diminish heaviness.
As far as soda is concerned, it is bad for health, so better stop it, drink fruit juice for instance (in moderation) or plain water (best of all).
The topic of dry legumes is far more complicated. They contain a sort of substance which promotes flatulence and excessive gas when this substance reacts with the hydrochloric acid (which makes us hungry) in our stomach. So the solution is to throw away the remaining water after boiling pulses and wash them in running water a bit before cooking. While cooking use a lot of herbs like mint, basil, cilantro, thyme and spices like cumin and ginger. They all neutralize the flatulence-causing substance in beans and lentils.