Making A Pass At Dealing With Gas
Updated On: Nov 14 2011 05:50:24 AM EST
Parents have recently seemed full of hot air complaining to me about the large amount of gas their children tend to pass in public. This week, in honor of the ECHO exhibit Grossology that is with us all this Fall, let me see if I can pass judgment rather than wind on the topic of passing gas.
Gas is produced during the process of digesting your food. When you swallow food, you also swallow air which contains gases such as nitrogen and oxygen. Once these gasses are in your body, they have to escape, which they can do from above via a strong burp or belch, or below through an equally memorable body function. In addition, as your food is broken down by the bacteria in your intestines, other gases are released which contain sulfur and ammonia, which can give a not-so-pleasant odor to the passing of these gaseous substances.
If your child?s body tends to be more vocal about passing gas than you would like, try the following:
For babies, burp your baby in a vertical position which will keep the air upright and make the burps easier to get out. Try a different bottle or nipple if you are not breast-feeding, which may reduce the amount of air your baby is drinking along with their formula.
For older children, slow down the pace of eating at the table, or your children will take in more air than they should by eating too fast. Chewing gum or drinking carbonated beverages increases the amount of air or gas in the body.
As to foods, onions, fried foods, and some veggies such as cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli, can cause gas, as can dairy products if your child is unable to digest the milk sugar lactose properly. Then there are the perennial favorites ? baked beans. To reduce their gassiness, soak them in water for a few hours. This will get the gas out and yet not detract from their nutritious protein content.
Hopefully tips like this will allow you to toot your horn and celebrate the passing of this onerous ? or should I say odorous ? habit.
Lewis First, M.D., is chief of Pediatrics at Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. You can also catch "First with Kids" weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and WPTZ Channel 5, or visit the First with Kids video archives at http://www.FletcherAllen.org/firstwithkids
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