The world of Tzu Chi December 2020(Vol.129)

TZU CHI 129 59 Ng Hui Ling A nutritionist with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and a Master’s degree in Sports Science, who served at the Singapore Heart Foundation before becoming self-employed, providing dietary consultations to vegetarians and writing a nutrition column for a health magazine. seeing a doctor, I will try to understand the underlying causes and try to figure out if there are other corresponding strategies or effective preventive measures. Relieving flatulence by changing food texture After turning vegetarian, my daily diet consists of more legumes, nuts and vegetables. Perhaps some people, like me, would have to face and deal with flatulence problem after becoming a vegetarian. I recall when I first became a vegetarian, I tried to replace meat with various dried beans. Although these beans were soaked before cooking, consuming beans two meals a day still resulted in a gassy stomach. Some people can reduce flatulence problem by taking smaller portions of legumes and beans. However, even if I lessen the amount, I would still feel bloated. Then one day, when I was preparing food purees for my child, I blended the chickpeas beforehand and kept a portion for myself. This led to the unexpected discovery that blended chickpeas can reduce my flatulence! I have heard that some new vegetarians experienced gassy stomach after adding nuts to their diets. When I realized these foods make me bloated, I tried changing their textures before taking them. For example, I blend cashew nuts together with nut milk or rice milk before drinking. This is better for digestion than if I were to consume it whole. Changing the texture of food rids me of gassy problems. Also, I choose to have almond paste instead of eating them whole. If you eat whole almonds, you should really chew them well. Although nutritionists generally recommend eating a small handful of assorted nuts each time, I personally would suggest those with gassy issues to take note of their bodies and adjust the texture and quantity of food accordingly to suit them. Those with flatulence problem may opt for cooked vegetables and reduce eating them raw. Some vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and onions tend to make you bloat. That being said, some people feel bloated after eating cauliflower but not broccoli. Hence, we should take note of our bodies and understand which types of food are prone to cause bloatedness in us. Through learning by trial and error, we should only consume food which are suitable, since our bodies do not lie. In addition, those who have this problem should avoid taking carbonated drinks, using a straw for drinking or keeping a candy in the mouth for a long period of time, especially sugar-free mint candy; as this will lead to more air entering the stomach. Bloating and flatulence are just symptoms. There are various underlying causes, which may or may not be major. Some, however, may endanger us. Thus, it is necessary to seek help from a gastroenterologist soonest. Do not procrastinate on getting examined.