farting, flatulence, passing gas, breaking wind. for many, a toot or two is embarrassing. at the very least, it is considered juvenile, possibly a sign of a lack of maturity. but farting is totally normal and healthy.
a moderate amount of farting, which on average is about 14 to 23 times a day, is a sign we’re healthy. most of the time we don’t even hear or smell it. the reason we fart is because our body produces intestinal gas as a part of digestion, and that gas leaves the body in one of two ways: burping or farting. intestinal gas can also build up simply through the oxygen we inhale.
a large part of our flatulence comes from the body’s inability to break down certain complex carbohydrates like those found in beans or lentils for example. if you wanted to eliminate farting from your day-to-day, you would have to maintain a diet solely consisting of refined sugars.
fibres are the tough part of the carbs that the body has trouble breaking down. high-fibre foods that cause gas include legumes, vegetables and whole grains. raffinose is a complex sugar that also causes gas, and is found in brussel sprouts, cabbage and asparagus. starch is yet another cause of intestinal gas, commonly found in wheat, corn and potatoes.