Can you tell what you’ve eaten by smelling your farts?
Whether you like it or not: everyone farts. Yes, you too. As many as 15 to 25 a day, to be precise. And anyone who secretly smells their own farts from time to time knows that they can differ in odor too. Which brings us to the question: can you tell what you’ve eaten by smelling your farts?
In Koken & Weten, the podcast by health journalist Tijn Elferink on AD.nl, Tijn investigates this and asks gastroenterologist Ben Witteman for advice.
Witteman first reassures everyone – insofar as you were worried at all – that passing gas is in principle very good for your bowel movements. After all, more intestinal volume means you feel the urge more often. Of course, some people suffer from it more than others, and then there are people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for whom it is genuinely unpleasant, but generally speaking, farting is perfectly fine.
Silent stinkers
Were you shocked by the idea that you fart as many as 15 to 25 times a day? I get it. They are not all shooting farts or those nasty silent stinkers either. You don’t smell or feel most farts. But when they do smell, they can say something about what you have eaten, Witteman explains. Carbohydrate farts (beans, for example) smell sour, while protein farts (eggs, meat) have a rotten odor.
Men versus women
Whose farts actually smell worse? Men’s or women’s? People say women’s, but Witteman has little faith in that. “Then they haven’t tested me, at least,” says the doctor.
Curious which foods make you fart a lot? Check out the list here.
Also read:
- This is why your wine sometimes smells like farts
- Warning: these are our grossest dishes ever
- Tried and tested: tips to combat fridge odor
