It’s not a gas!

                   (By Lisa Sarah John, Courtesy Bangalore Times, Jan 22, 2007)

Flatulence is not a general condition but some people have it more than others, just as some people get headaches or migranes easily, but others don’t. Some foods produce excessive gas formation while others don’t. However, what causes gas for one person, may not cause it in another person.

The first step in dealing with this condition is to identify foods that produce gas. These include pulses — channa, rajma, moong, lobia, horse gram and other dals. Usually, whole pulses are more difficult to digest.

Secondly, the raw form of pulses like sprouted moong, often added to salads may also cause discomfort. Usually, dal or sambar is easy to digest. So we recommend this at both lunch and dinner, as it is a very rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. If it also produces gas, try to avoid all types of dals except yellow moong dal which is the easiest to digest. Eat only 100 ml of dal at a time. Turmeric, jeera and asofoetida may be added to these as these aid digestion and may help in reducing gas formation.
Those with a gas problem must avoid nuts — peanuts, cashews, almonds, and coconut strictly as these are also highly gas producing. Some vegetables also do this — cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, occasionally potato, and cucumber, gherkins, peas and carrots in some cases. If you need to avoid these vegetables, don’t worry as there are plenty more to choose from.
Also consider the time you eat these foods. Some people can digest a particular food at lunch, but can’t do the same at night without feeling discomfort.
Fruits like jackfruit, pineapple and watermelon are also known to produce gas and the answer is to avoid these and eat other fruits.

For some, milk causes flatulence. This is a food that is an important source of calcium and protein, especially in a vegetarian diet. Those who have problems digesting milk, can try drinking cold milk or have curd instead.

Home remedies for relieving gas include drinking water boiled with a little jeera, chewing a little roasted saunf after a meal and rubbing the abdomen and back in an anticlockwise motion which brings out the gas quickly. If no relief comes despite all this then one should undergo a proper medical investigation.
If you have a problem whenever you eat at restaurants, this could be due to soda added to rice and rice items like dosa, idli, to give a light and fluffy texture, or even added to green vegetables to enhance the green colour. Such food also contains more ghee, oil, coconut, poppy seeds and cashew which may be difficult to digest especially for the elderly.

 

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