What Intestinal Gas Can Tell You About Your Digestion
Learn how to fix your uncomfortable bloating by understanding what causes it to begin with.
Whatever you call it… gas, flatulence, farts… it is your body giving clues about your poor digestion. Most food has some degree of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in it. These nutrients are called your macronutrients! We need these things to make energy, hormones, and repair our tissues. Since fat does not create a ton of gas as it oxidizes, let’s focus on the two biggest contributors to gas and bloating… protein and carbohydrates.
Protein Type Gas
When protein makes you cut the cheese, then it is typically the silent but deadly variety. This is because that food you are eating contains tons of protein that slowly decomposes and putrefies. It’s exactly like leaving chicken scrapes in your kitchen garbage overnight. Pee-yew! (Indo-European root is ‘pu’ meaning to rot or decay). When proteins putrefy they give off Hydrogen Sulfide which creates that rotten egg smell and mercaptans which create the decaying cabbage smell.
Common Protein Food Sources
- Fish
- Meat
- Beans
- Cheese
- Seeds
How to Fix This Type of Gas:
Protein is digested by Gastrin and Protease Enzymes that are activated by Stomach Acid. People who experience this type of gas have low stomach acid, sometimes from being on extended Protein Pump Inhibitors, Acid Blocking medications, or OTC Digestive Aids. Many people find relief from this type of gas increasing stomach acid and supplementing these enzymes.
Carbohydrate Type Gas
If eating carbs give you the gas, then it is typically loud and clear, meaning that there is a lot of gas that is really not that smelly. This is because the food you are eating is partially fermenting. This is the same process that is used to make yogurt, beer, and breads, whereas yeasts and bacteria eat the carbohydrate sugars and expel, you guessed it, CO2 gas.
Does it smell bad when you bake bread or walk into a brewery? Of course not, but there is a lot of gas that gives bread its light and fluffy texture and gives the bubbles in beer. Unfortunately, a lot of gas can give you painful bloating, uncomfortable fitting clothes, and embarrassing loud sounds.
Common Carbohydrate Food Sources
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Milk
- Candy
- Cookies
Carbohydrates are digested by enzymes that are created by your intestines and pancreas. Under ideal conditions, given enough enzymes, the digestion of carbs gives off very little gas.
People whom have enzyme deficiencies experience this type of gas from an overworked pancreas. This is why people who eat tons of sugary or alcoholic beverages that stress the pancreas out will undoubtedly give you the Thunder from Down-Under later that night or the next morning.
If you are experiencing a lot of lower abdominal gas, you may have some degree of SIBO, or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. This is where bacteria whom call the last part of the colon home, eat undigested carbs and sugars up to the small intestine where they don’t belong.
SIBO is pretty interesting because of the range of symptoms it correlates with (from fibromyalgia to IBS). Digestion Specialists try to understand how far up the bacteria are located up in the intestine based on the bacteria farts. Methane and Hydrogen are the two main gasses that are given off by these bacteria and are not made by humans.
Both Methane and Hydrogen are odorless, just like the CO2.
How to Fix This Type of Gas:
Many people find relief from this type of gas by supplementing amylase enzymes. They work fast, when taken with that first meal. If the gas does not go away then a weed and feed protocol to clean up the intestines may be in order.
Highly effective, based on published research studies, SIBO protocols exist. These protocols have herbs like oregano oil in tablets than can make it past the stomach (called enterically coated perles) and probiotics that can repopulate the large intestine with beneficial bacteria.
“A single 12oz can of soda can produce over a gallon of CO2 gas! CO2 is an odorless gas that does no harm to the body but can cause large amounts of uncomfortable bloating.”
Take Care of Your Gas Before It Becomes Uncomfortable!
… remember if it’s large amounts of non-smelly gas over your lower belly, it’s the carbs. If your gas is silent but deadly, stinks like rotten eggs or cabbage, then protein is the problem. It is very common to alternate between both kinds of gases depending on your diet, especially in persons with pancreatic stress and low stomach acid. Checkout our Intestinal Gas Supplement Plan to learn more about your product options.
Choose the Right Supplement Plan!
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