Why Farts Are A Bad Sign

Here at Joyful Belly, we aren't shy about farts. In fact, we don't think you should be, either.

Sure, you know they're inconvenient, sometimes embarrassing, often relieving, and even smelly. But beyond that, what do you really know about these audible signs of indigestion?

We think farts are little misunderstood, so we'll fill you in.

5 Fanny-tastic Facts about Farts:

• The average human passes between 500 - 1500 milliliters of gas per day, expelled through 10-20 farts, most of which happen during sleep.
• Around 1.15 million farts happen every second on earth.
• Gum and soda increase your propensity to fart.
• In China, "professional fart smellers" make $50,000 a year detecting fart odors to diagnose disease.

So, why are farts bad?

The reason is this: Gas is a byproduct of rotting food in your digestive tract. When your digestion is weak or you are constipated, food sits in your G.I. tract for too long. Hungry bacteria come to feast upon it, and voila! A fart is born as these bacteria naturally produce carbon dioxide gas (like all living creatures). Even worse, along with carbon dioxide gas these bacteria release many toxic waste products into your gut. These waste products make your farts smelly. When bacteria eat your food, your body is also robbed of the valuable nutrition. Farts, then, are not only a sign of indigestion. They're also a sign that you're not absorbing the full nutritional content of the food you eat.

Farts, though undesirable, carry an important message. If you are farting often, it is usually a sign of weak or overworked digestion, unhealthy gut flora, weak peristalsis, malabsorption, improper diet or bad food combining. It can also signify a weakness in one or more of your vital digestive organs (like the gallbladder or pancreas). These conditions can be either mild or extreme, and require anything from eating more slowly to deep Ayurvedic cleansing to heal. To find out how to repair your digestion, consult a practitioner or if you suspect a medical condition, your doctor.

On a final note, it's important to remember: Just because farts are bad does NOT mean you should hold them in. When you hold in your urge to fart, you're causing a traffic jam of waste and bacteria in the digestive tract. Beyond increased anxiety, holding in your farts disrupts the process of peristalsis and can even create enough pressure in the intestines to stretch them out. Though it might seem more polite, holding in your farts can actually lead to long term digestive disorders.

So, in conclusion, please don't squeeze your cheeks! The next time you feel a fart creep up, excuse yourself and let it release.

By Kimberly Kubicke, Ayurvedic Practitioner