Flatulence Recipe

Ingredients

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• The accumulation of gas in the stomach or intestines can occur as an isolated event, for instance after a meal containing particularly wind-producing foods, or can be a constant, chronic sign of a digestive problem. In the latter case, it may indicate a condition such as diverticulitis or irritable bowel syndrome, and these will need to be addressed in order to sort out the causes of the flatulence. shopping list
• EATING HABITS: A useful starting point for self-treatment of flatulence is to look at eating habits; are you eating very quickly, while tense or grabbing a bite to eat "on the run"? This is likely to lead to swallowing gas with the food; inadequate digestive enzymes may be produced and the meal can ferment in the intestines rather than be properly digested. This leads to more gas being created and flatulence gets worse. Also, take care not to do a lot of bending, or sitting curled up on a low sofa, immediately after a meal, as this encourages a gas build-up with bloating and collicky pains. shopping list
• herb INFUSION REMEDIES: Catmint(nepeta cataria), Chamomile(chamomilla recutita), lemon Balm(melissa officinalis) or Peppermint(mentha piperita) if the problem is in the stomach; any of these plus dill(anethum graveolens) or fennel(Foeniculum vulgare) if the small intestines seem to be affected, and ginger(zingiber officinalis) or Peppermint(mentha piperita) for bowel flatulence, although there are several others that may be useful depending on the problem. shopping list
• NATUROPATHY: Often flatulance can be caused by eating to heavy a mixture of foods - consider reducing the fat combination's of proteins and carbohydrates you eat. If this helps a lot, you might want to explore the Hay system of eating. One reason for flatulence can be after administration of antibiotics, as the intestinal bacteria have been decimated; these can be encouraged to multiply by taking plain "live" yoghurt, or possibly more concentrated supplements such as acidophilus tablets/powders. A high-fibre, raw-food diet is often recommended for general health; this is in itself likely to give you more gas, especially if you switch over suddenly to this kind of diet. The increase in bacteria needed to cope with the fibre creates a lot of wind. Some flatulence is therefore quite natural, if not exactly sociable! It is often better to change the diet more gradually to ease the problem. shopping list