Fun Fart Facts

Want to make the unavoidable potty talk in your young household somewhat educational? Or are you just interested in the digestive system? Read on for some fun fart facts.

Anything involving flatulence is a hit in the Kain home these days. Instead of reading the other night, Maggie asked if she could practice writing before she went to sleep. She started off asking how to spell our cat's name, and it went downhill from there as you can see from the picture here.

I cut off the exercise after the third mention of a bodily function as her giggling was becoming uncontrollable and my chances of getting her to go to sleep quickly were waning. But nice penmanship for a four year old, eh?

So anyway, on Sunday I was reading the paper and came across a quiz about digestion that I thought would be perfect to take to test out my health coaching knowledge. I have to admit: I got a perfect zero. Some obscure stuff here! (Take it and see how you do.) I wouldn't say it's the really important stuff to know, but it might help me in Trivial Pursuit some day, and my family found some of the results quite entertaining.

Did you know...

While it varies by diet, humans will toot about 22 times a day. The peak time for passing gas is five hours after lunch and five hours after dinner. These time periods are, in part, a result of manners: you hold it in at work and let the gas out on your way home. 
I had guessed 8, the lowest number I could check on the multiple choice quiz, and even that I had thought was extreme. Frank claimed he hadn't farted at all the day before. We decided that it must have all happened while he slept, though I didn't believe him for a second.

Flatulence in women has higher concentrations of stinky hydrogen sulfide than men.
I'm not sure why I decided to share this little gem with Frank as I've not heard the end of it since.
 
The foods that cause the most foul-smelling gas are red meat, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, dried fruits and beer.
Well, hmmmm..., except for the dried fruit, these are all pretty much staples in our household. If you're eating healthfully, it seems you won't be able to avoid gas. Cut out the red meat, beer and dried fruits if you so choose (though grass-fed red meat once a week is fine for most and some bodies actually need more, dried fruits are yummy in moderation chopped into granola, and cutting out beer is a crime as far as I'm concerned) but cruciferous veggies and garlic should be consumed a-plenty. Cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables are incredibly nutritious, containing all the normal vitamins, minerals and fiber of other veggies, but they also uniquely include certain phytochemical compounds which play a major role in the body's natural detoxification process. And garlic is an allium vegetable (basically an edible bulb) that can transform a blah meal into something totally delicious with no guilt whatsoever. The sulfides in garlic (and onions, leeks, scallions and shallots) have also been linked to decreased risk of many diseases. So bring on the gas, folks!

If these fun little tidbits haven't gotten a rise out of at least someone in your family, share this little gem: your stomach actually digests itself! Our stomach linings have evolved to regenerate themselves completely every few days. Find it hard to wrap your head around this? Take a moment to think about your body in general. It's a machine that works 24/7. The fuel you provide it with daily through food, drink, exercise, mental state, etc. is constantly replacing yesterday's fuel. While percentages vary, experts agree that many cases of chronic diseases like heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country, are not only preventable, but reversible... this constantly replenished fuel is the reason. Change how you treat your body and what you put into it and you could cure it without drugs. But I digress... back to gas.

We learn very early on to hold in our gas, mostly because it's embarrassing not to (rarely because we're being considerate.) Some say it's really bad for our health to do so, but I think I'm with Dr. Oz on this one: Holding in gas isn't dangerous to your health, but Dr. Oz says it can cause unnecessary stomach cramps and pain. "You shouldn't bother holding it in," he says. "Let it come out when it's supposed to come out. Be smart about it. Do it in a place that's airy enough that you're not going to hurt your family and friends." (His use of the word "hurt" here makes me laugh.)

Okay, just one last thing: a little freebie holiday tip. Whoopie Cushions make great stocking stuffers for just about any age. They'll be in my kids' stockings again this year, though I'm unsure why I'm deciding to perpetuate the flatulence fascination. Buy them at the nearest dollar store to save some money. They inevitably pop on Christmas Day from over-use and abuse anyway.